Unfortunately, every healthy trend sometimes includes unhealthy elements—such is to live in a fallen world. We gospel-centered types need to be reminded of our own shortcomings. In fact, there’s something profoundly gospel-centered about understanding the depths of your own sin so that you can rest anew in the good news of all that God has done through the person and work of King Jesus.

In his excellent book Gospel: Rediscovering the Power That Made Christianity Revolutionary (B&H, 2010), pastor J.D. Greear includes a helpful appendix titled “A Gospel-Centered Warning to Young Zealous Theologians.” Like me, J.D. is a thirty-something Southern Baptist who talks about the gospel all the time. He’s also the pastor of a megachurch whose membership is largely comprised of gospel-centered collegians and young professionals. J.D. also teaches adjunctively at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a school blessed with a student body that, on the whole, very much wants to be gospel-centered. All this to say, his convicting words should be read and heeded by everyone who regularly visits the Gospel Coalition website, follows Tullian Tchividjian on Twitter, reads Jerry Bridges books, and soaks up Tim Keller sermons. You know, people like me and J.D.

J.D. and our friends at B&H Books have kindly granted me permission to make “A Gospel-Centered Warning to Young Zealous Theologians” available online. I’ve reprinted it below. I hope you find this material as helpful as I have. I also hope it encourages you to purchase a copy of Gospel and read the whole book. For those of you who are pastors or other ministry leaders, Gospel would make a great book for a church staff to read and discuss together.

“A Gospel-Centered Warning to Young Zealous Theologians”

By J.D. Greear

I’ve noticed that many of us who grasp this concept of “gospel-centeredness” can have a tendency to be more excited about the “theory” of gospel-centeredness than we are about the gospel itself. At least I’m that way. I have gotten pretty good at identifying non-gospel-centered preaching, and can pretty ably point out the shortcomings of certain ministries. The point of gospel-centeredness, however, is not the shrewd ability to critique others. The point of gospel-centeredness is to adore God and worship His grace.

Many of us who love to talk about gospel-centeredness seem to possess very little of the humility that should go along with it. You can see that in how self-promoting we are and how ungracious we are with others. It always amazes me that we can be proud because we understand the very things that should lead us to humility.

My mind has often burned hotter with the latest theological trend than it has passion for the God who gave Himself for me at the cross. Knowledge that does not lead, ultimately, to love and humility is “worthless,” Paul would say. What really counts, he says, is not knowledge by itself, but the love that our knowledge of the gospel should produce (1 Cor. 12:1–3).

One of my fears in writing this book is that it might contribute to a growing self-righteousness among younger theologians who feel like understanding gospel-centeredness makes them more special in the eyes of God (oh, the irony!) than those who can’t articulate it, and who judge everyone else by whether or not they use the same terms that they do.

Recently, I talked with a little old lady who had been my Sunday school teacher at the very traditional church in which I grew up. She said, “You know, as I lose more and more friends to heaven, I often wonder what it is really like up there and what I should be looking forward to. I know they say there are streets of gold, but that doesn’t seem to excite me very much. The one thing I really want to do is see Jesus.” This lady has never heard of John Piper and has no idea what the Gospel Coalition is, but she has been changed by the gospel. She loves Jesus, and that is the whole point of gospel-centeredness.

There are many little old ladies serving in church nurseries who may not understand how to articulate the theories of gospel-centeredness or have the ingenuity to dazzle our minds with psychological insights, cultural observations, and Christocentric interpretations of obscure Old Testament passages. Their hearts, however, burn with love for Jesus and overflow with gratefulness for His grace.

Their humble, gospel-rich love for God is worth more than all the books you or I can write on this subject.

So don’t be quick to judge them. Be humbled by them. Mastering the theory of gospel-centeredness is not the point. Loving the God of the gospel is.

See J.D. Greear, Gospel: Rediscovering the Power That Made Christianity Revolutionary (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2010), pp. 253–55.

Is the Cooperative Program Worthy of Sacrifice?

by Nathan Finn and Micah Fries

We are concerned. As we look across our beloved Southern Baptist Convention, we see a problem that is significant, and is growing. Sadly, statistics inform us that this is an issue across the entire spectrum of  SBC life, regardless of location or age and type of congregation. This issue is no respecter of persons. Our shared commitment to the Cooperative Program (CP) is on a precipitous decline. We believe this is a great tragedy that bodes ill for our Convention’s future.

Lest you think we’re simply writing to stump for the CP, please understand that we believe there are vital modifications which need to be made to the CP. Micah has started to address some of those concerns here and here. However, despite our views concerning needed reforms, we absolutely remain convinced of the viability, even more so , the continued centrality of the CP as a means of partnering together for mission. Which brings us to what concerns us.

This summer, at the SBC Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Executive Committee President Frank Page issued a challenge to Southern Baptists. After noting that CP giving has steadily decreased over the previous generation, Dr. Page urged every Southern Baptist pastor and local church to consider increasing their CP giving by one percent. He argued that this seemingly small increase would lead to a significant influx of money that could be used for kingdom purposes.

An article in the December 2011 issue of SBC Life elaborates a bit on the effects a one percent increase in CP giving would have on our denominational ministries. Assuming tithes and offerings to local churches remain close to 2010 numbers, about $89 million more dollars would be given through the CP. According to present CP distribution, that would equal about $55 million more for state conventions and $34 million more for SBC agencies. The International Mission Board would receive an extra $17 million, while the North American Mission Board would see an increase of almost $8 million. Our seminaries would receive about $7.5 million more, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission would see an increase of $500,000, and the Executive Committee would gain an extra $1 million.

These dollar increases would have a dramatic effect on our Convention’s ministries. According to SBC Life, “This [increase] would allow the IMB immediately to appoint 375 new missionaries, NAMB to expand church planting support, and the seminaries and ERLC to address numerous maintenance, capital, and moral advocacy needs.” While the article didn’t directly address state conventions (SBC Life is published by the Executive Committee), a one percent increase would have a similar effect on state ministries. We appreciate the heart of Dr. Page’s call for a one percent increase to CP giving and we hope that thousands of churches will consider how they might give more generously to the CP.

Having said that, we want to highlight a theme that is often neglected in current discussions about the Cooperative Program: shared sacrifice. We are increasingly concerned with Southern Baptist pastors and churches who are diminishing their commitment to doing mission together primarily through the CP. We believe a recovery of a sense of shared sacrifice among our churches could lead to an increased commitment to CP giving that, Lord willing, would eventually amount to much more than one percent.

For many years, it was common to hear Southern Baptist leaders talk about the need for churches to sacrificially give to the Cooperative Program. While this language hasn’t totally disappeared, it’s not nearly as common as it used to be. We believe that it is a priority which Southern Baptists need to recover. In fact, we believe that a major reason—perhaps the major reason—CP giving is down is because most churches give to the Cooperative Program conveniently rather than sacrificially. They give to the CP, but only insofar as that support doesn’t drastically affect their budget or their giving to other ministry priorities.

We want to issue our own Cooperative Program challenge. We want to urge churches to consider giving sacrificially to the CP, to be willing to stretch themselves for the sake of gospel advance. Giving sacrificially can easily be neglected when we use phrases that diminish the reality that the CP is an ingenious means of financially partnering for the sake of mission. When we use phrases like “denominational machine” or “bureaucracy” in reference to the CP, it becomes far too easy to dismiss the CP. When we treat the Cooperative Program as a mere program, we neglect the fact that the CP is, in fact, a tremendous method through which we channel funding to take the gospel to the nations.

We recognize that the sacrifice we’re calling for will look different in each congregation. Some churches will forego renovations or building programs, or at least consider spending less money on such projects. We think this would be an appropriately countercultural move in an affluent society. Others will consider training more volunteers to serve in the place of paid staff. We think churches should be doing this anyway (see Ephesians 4:11–12). Still others will consider cutting some of the money they budget for their own ministries. We think most churches have at least one or two projects or programs that, when placed under a microscope, aren’t vital to that church’s wellbeing or gospel advance. Understand that these are just ideas—the sacrifice will be contextual to each congregation.

As younger leaders in our 30s, we want to take a minute to speak frankly to our generational contemporaries. To be candid, some of you have reaped the benefits of the Cooperative Program but you refuse to give generously, let alone sacrificially, to the CP. Like us, many of you have received a college and/or seminary education that was substantially subsidized by the CP. Some of you have served as short-term foreign missionaries with IMB or received NAMB funds to plant a church. You have gladly accepted these moneys, but now you refuse to invest in the very system that has provided you with so much. When we see this attitude, we are grieved. This appears to be, in a best case scenario, the result of ignorance; in the worst case scenario, it could be outright hypocrisy.  In recent conversations with state convention staff and others, we’ve been shocked at the number of churches led by younger pastors who give little or nothing to the work of Southern Baptists through the CP.

We want to urge younger Southern Baptist pastors and church planters to lead their churches to give sacrificially to the Cooperative Program. We want to plead with you to educate your congregations as to how the CP works. We want to implore you to become Great Commission champions in part by becoming Cooperative Program advocates. We want to encourage you to join all Southern Baptists in those ministries we all have deemed important. We want you to take ownership of the shared mission strategy that, by God’s grace, helped enable so many of you to get to where you are today.

We know that many of you have concerns about the stewardship of some CP funds. We know you are concerned the CP is too impersonal. We know you fear the bureaucratic inflation that tempts almost all large organizations, including the SBC. We know you want more money going to evangelism and church planting and less going to salaries and overhead. Hear us say that we share your concerns. But we also believe that those who give are those who earn the right to offer friendly suggestions about ways to improve the Cooperative Program. And while there is room for improvement, we remain convinced the CP is a wise strategy for cooperating together for the sake of the gospel.

The fact is, the Cooperative Program is a significant part of who we are as Southern Baptists. The CP isn’t our only distinctive, or even our most important distinctive, but it is most certainly a defining distinctive of the Southern Baptist Convention and has been so for nearly a century. In light of this, if we may be so bold, we want to call upon our fellow Southern Baptists, and especially younger Southern Baptists, to not be afraid of linking arms with all Southern Baptists as we partner together in this manner of doing mission. This is the Southern Baptist way, and while it may not be a perfect way, we’re convinced it remains the best way. Southern Baptists are committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the full inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture, the primacy of the local Baptist church, and the importance of cooperation for the sake of the gospel. This is who we are. Let’s recommit to partnering together, especially through the Cooperative Program, to advance Christ’s gospel across North America and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

There is quite a bit of talk these days about the future of the Southern Baptist Convention (or whatever it is we’ll be called by the time we get there). Much of it is negative. Some are worried about the number of SBC congregations that evidence declining membership and baptism statistics. Others are worried about the ongoing viability of the Cooperative Program. Some are uncomfortable with certain individuals in either real or perceived positions of denominational leadership and/or influence. Others are worried that a particular theological or cultural agenda will overwhelm and ultimately destroy the SBC. Some are nervous about younger leaders, while others are dissatisfied with more seasoned leaders. And some just pronounce a pox on all the houses within Southern Baptist suburbia.

I admit that I struggle with negativity from time to time. To be totally candid, it’s hard to study Southern Baptists for a living and not get discouraged on occasion. But I study American Christianity in general enough to know that every denomination has its peculiar strengths and weaknesses. Our denominational neuroses are particularly irksome because, well, they’re ours, but the grass isn’t that much greener in other groups—it’s just a different breed of grass. So rather than despairing over the cranky and delusional among us, I prefer to focus on the good. And there is a lot of good.

Back to graduation. One reason I refuse to despair about the SBC is because, as a seminary professor, I have a unique vantage point on the future of the Convention. Simply put, I’m personally acquainted with hundreds of (mostly) younger Southern Baptist pastors, missionaries, and other younger leaders. Their zeal is contagious. Their orthodoxy is robust. Their burden for evangelism and missions is inspiring. Their commitment to the local church is deep-rooted. They are a constant encouragement to me.

Some are worried because they perceive that these younger ministers lack commitment to the SBC. I confess that I’ve met a few for whom this is the case. But by far most of the seminarians and recent graduates I know are strongly committed to the SBC. They believe what we believe. They appreciate our approach to cooperative ministry and missions. They want to be Southern Baptists. Even those students who are “on the edge” are frequently those who were raised Southern Baptist and deeply love the SBC—so much so that the cranky and delusional voices gnaw at them and push them away. They are tempted to give in to the despair.

You need to know that I’m on a personal mission to do my part to prevent that from happening. We can’t afford to lose the next generation. And make no mistake about it—these aren’t denominational apostates who “went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” No, these are folks who want to remain part of us, but (understandably) bristle at some of the frankly outrageous things that some Southern Baptists say and do—occasionally even those who are, or have been denominational leaders. I try my best to convince students and others that the SBC is bigger than any single personality and better than the conspiracy theorists and frankly mean-spirited among us. Many on the ledge come to agree with me, and I’m thankful for every one.

Graduation is a biannual reminder that God is always at work setting apart a rising generation of pastors and other leaders. Among the people called Southern Baptist, he’s doing some exciting things, no matter what you might have heard from a misinformed denominational servant, a malcontent pastor, or a malevolent blogger. God isn’t finished with us yet, and I remain convinced that the course correction that began in the latter third of the twentieth century will continue to bear good fruit long into the future.

I’m thankful for our graduates and for their peers in our sister institutions. I’m thankful that almost all of them are convictional and committed Southern Baptists. I remain hopeful that most of the few who are convictional, but not committed will change their mind as they see the many good things that God is doing in and through Southern Baptists. And I remain very hopeful that our best days lie ahead, should God continue to desire to work through our Convention of local Baptist churches for his glory.

(This post was cross-published at Christian Thought & Tradition)

Reply:

I think the answer to these 2 questions is the same: our fraternal and family orientation.  We gain great strength by being a family or convention of Southern Baptist churches united by a passion for international missions, North American church planting and theological integrity.  Those are the three things that I mentioned in the “Axioms of a Great Commission Resurgence” message which I believe can unite Southern Baptists for the future.  Therein lies great strength.  However, some people wish to bring other issues to the table that go beyond these three.  I think that is problematic.  When that happens, I am convinced we harm ourselves rather than help ourselves.  To say it another way, one weakness of the SBC is that there is a desire on the part of some that we all look alike, act alike, and talk alike.  Some have even suggested that we have our own Southern Baptist liturgy, style of worship and particular way of doing church.  The fact is we have never been like that, and we will continue to be less so in the days ahead.  Any hegemony of style vanished long ago and it is not coming back.  We must resist a carbon copy mindset that is myopic and would keep us from seeing things more clearly in light of all that the Bible teaches.  Where God’s Word draws the lines we should draw the lines.

In that context, I do think that our greatest strength as we move forward into the 21^st century is our uncompromising commitment to an infallible and inerrant Bible and the doctrines that naturally derive from such teaching.  This can provide a way forward in spite of the methodological diversity, an increasing diversity I would add, that characterizes much of Baptist life.  Such diversity is both acceptable and even desired as long as it operates under the Lordship of Christ and within the parameters established by the Word of God.  Therein I believe lies our strength, and therein lies where we need to stand as we move forward in making disciples of all the nations.

Reply:

The easiest way to answer that question is he or she looks like a Great Commission Christian.  In other words, they have a consuming passion to make disciples of all the people groups scattered around the world teaching them to be faithful to all that Jesus has taught.  In that context, a Southeastern graduate will hopefully be a person who loves God well both with the mind and the heart.  It is very difficult to strike that balance, and it is my prayer that those who graduate from this school will have a heart that is passionate for our Lord and His glory but also a mind that thinks in a Christian “world view-ish” kind of way.  We bring no honor to our Lord by having empty heads.  We also bring no honor to our Lord by having empty hearts.  So my goal is that we would be spiritually balanced as we seek to honor the Lord and love Him well with our head, our heart and our hands.  Finally, a Southeastern student is going to be a servant who follows in the beautiful model provided by our Lord Jesus (see Mark 10:45).  We are called to serve the church.  That is the calling I hope will grip the heart of every SEBTS grad.

The Winter 2011 volume (vol. 2, no. 2) of STR has now been issued with the theme “Mission, Discipleship, and Hermeneutics.” The contents and contributors are:

“Mission, Discipleship, and Hermeneutics: Introducing the Current Volume” by Heath Thomas, STR Editor (Assistant Professor of Old Testament, SEBTS)

“A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story,” STR Interviews Michael Goheen

“A Review Essay of Michael Goheen, A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story” by Bruce Riley Ashford (Associate Professor of Theology and Culture, SEBTS)

“Theology in Action: Paul, the Poor, and Christian Mission” by Jason B. Hood (Scholar-in-Residence and Director of Christ College residency program)

“How to Do Things with Meaning in Biblical Interpretation” by Richard S. Briggs (Lecturer in OT and Director of Biblical Studies at Cranmer Hall, St. John’s College, Durham)

“Isaiah 6 in Its Context” by Robert L. Cole (Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, SEBTS)

STR also features several concise, critical book reviews in each issue. Between the Times will keep you updated on the new issues when they come out. But in order to fully appreciate its contents, we invite you to check out the STR website, here, and subscribe to the journal. We think your ministry in and for the church will be encouraged as a result.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself, your family, and your ministry.

I’m a native South Georgian who is currently living in exile in North Carolina, though I suppose there are far worse places to which one could be exiled (Wisconsin comes to mind). I’ve been married to Leah for almost eleven years. We have three children: Georgia (age 5), Baxter (age 3), and Eleanor (11 months). I’ve been teaching courses in church history, historical theology, and Baptist Studies at SEBTS since 2006. My primary research interests are Baptist historical theology, 20^th century fundamentalism and evangelicalism, and the history of revival. We’re also members of First Baptist Church of Durham, where I serve as a deacon and teach a theology and church history class. I’m a pretty obnoxious Georgia Bulldogs fan, but it’s OK because I’m pretty sure God is as well—without the obnoxious part, of course.

2. What was the impetus for editing this book?

Ministry By His Grace and For His Glory is a festschrift, or a collection of essays honoring a senior scholar, in this case Tom Nettles. When I first decided I was interested in church history and historical theology, I was very positively influenced by Dr. Nettles and his ministry. He has taught in these disciplines for many years at schools such as Southwestern Seminary, Mid-America Baptist Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and, since 1997, Southern Seminary. His books Baptists and the Bible (co-authored with the late Russ Bush) and By His Grace and For His Glory are both important (and controversial) books in the field of Baptist Studies. His more popular writings about Baptist catechisms and denominational renewal are very helpful. His biography of James P. Boyce is a wonderful example of a well-researched, edifying biography. His three volume-Baptist history textbook is an excellent resource, especially for those interested in Baptist biography and historical theology in particular. Dr. Nettles is also the consummate “gentleman theologian,” a role model for how to bring together the pulpit and the academic lectern in a way that blesses the body of Christ.

My co-editor Tom Ascol and I were convinced that Dr. Nettles needed to be recognized with a collection of essays that touched upon the emphases of his own ministry. Our contributors include historians, theologians, denominational leaders, and pastors. The portrait of Dr. Nettles on the front cover was painted by his son Robert, who is a gifted artist. We’re very pleased with how the book turned out.

3. In addition to co-editing the book, did you contribute an essay to the volume?

I wrote a chapter titled “Baptists and the Bible: The History of a History Book.” The publication of this book is often spoken of as a key moment in the Conservative Resurgence, but it actually dropped with a thud in 1980. Very few Southern Baptists of any stripe wrote reviews of the book and only two or three Baptist-related scholarly journals published reviews. Even the conservative protest periodicals inexplicably ignored the book. But as the SBC has become more conservative over the past generation, Baptists and the Bible has become much more important. The book’s influence has become easier to document as time has marched on, particularly with the publication of an updated edition in 1999, the death of Russ Bush in 2008, and the volume’s thirtieth anniversary in 2010.

In addition to my chapter, Matt Emerson and I also compiled a bibliography of Dr. Nettles published writings. Matt was a doctoral student at SEBTS at the time we worked on the bibliography. He has since graduated and now teaches New Testament at California Baptist University.

4. What, above all, do you wish for readers to know and/or do because of the book?

Well, I hope that readers will become interested in many of the same doctrinal and ministry priorities that interest Dr. Nettles. For example, I hope folks will learn a thing or two about Baptist history, biblical authority, expositional preaching, the doctrines of grace, justification by faith alone, missions, the importance of catechisms and confessions, believer’s baptism, etc. Though most of the essays are written by either professors or pastors with earned research doctorates, all of the chapters are accessible to most pastors and interested church members. This isn’t intended to be an academic tome, but rather a collection of essays that we hope will educate and encourage ordinary believers. Having said that, the historical essays in particular should be of interest to scholars of Baptist Studies.

 Question: In light of your work with the Great Commission Resurgence, what are some things, other than faithfully giving to our local churches and missions agencies, that we can do to promote giving money to reach unreached people groups worldwide?

Reply:  Rob, I think there are a number of things that you can do that will help promote the Great Commission Resurgence in your particular church. First, do encourage your people to continue to give to the various missions offerings and to increase their Cooperative Program giving. It really is the lifeblood of all that we do together, and the fact that we have seen it decrease so rapidly in the last several decades has been devastating to the work of getting the gospel to our nation and the nations. Second, I believe you can encourage your local association and state convention to send a greater percentage of their monies to the work of the International Mission Board and North America Mission Board through the Cooperative Program. Many are beginning to do this. Third, and most importantly, get on the mission field yourself and lead your people in taking short-term mission trips. I would particularly challenge you to get your men out of America and into an international context. The number of males and females on the mission field is staggering in its disproportionate nature. Recently I was informed that we have almost 700 singles on the mission field. 533 are women. I thank God for every sister in the Lord who has given her life and has the courage to go to the nations that women and children might here the gospel. Note very carefully what I just said. In many contexts around the world a man will only be won to Christ by another man. In Muslim contexts, in particular, women are simply not able to share the gospel with a man. It is unacceptable and therefore it will never happen. I am convinced that the great need of the day with respect to international missions is getting men to stand up and play the man. It is time for men to be the men God saved them and has created them to be. Therefore, I would do all that I could do in my church to motivate and mobilize my men to get passionate for the gospel and for the nations. Further, I would regularly challenge my people from the pulpit to consider that God might be calling them to the international mission assignment. I fear that far too many pastors do not put this challenge regularly before their people. Therefore, it should not surprise us that it takes nine Southern Baptist churches to produce one international missionary. So, these are a few things I would encourage you to do. Finally, you can do as my wife and I have done, and put some SBC agency in your will. We plan to continue to serve the Lord in this way after we have gone to heaven if Jesus tarries His coming. Therefore, I would encourage all Southern Baptists to respond to one of the Great Commission Resurgence challenges by putting some mission agency or theological institution in your will that you might be a part of God’s work even after you have been translated into glory. You will not be disappointed that you did when you stand before our King!

Question 1: How do you envision IMB, NAMB, and local churches working together to reach unreached people groups in the States (college students, refugees, etc)?

Reply: Let me begin by expressing how excited I am about the direction both of the IMB and NAMB.  The presidents of both are men for whom I have the greatest respect and admiration.  Tom Elliff is a father in the ministry to me and a hero in the faith.  Kevin Ezell was my pastor for 8 years and one of my closest friends.  Both men ooze integrity and vision for reaching the nations with the gospel.  They are passionate for implementing the GCR and are already taking major steps to see this happen.

With that said I believe you will see great synergy between the IMB, NAMB and local churches that have a passion to reach the unreached people groups that the Lord has brought to our nation.  I believe you will see the IMB providing, not personnel, but training.  They will let the personnel needs be met by NAMB and the local church.  I think you can expect them to provide training through missionaries who are home on sabbatical who have particular expertise with specific people groups.  I also think you can look for NAMB to provide encouragement, training and even funding as we seek to reach out and share the gospel with those who have yet to hear the name of Jesus in us.

I believe college campuses in particular are one of the greatest mission fields available to us today.  We still have free access to walk on these campuses and share the good news of King Jesus.  That we don’t do it more passionately and pro-actively than we do is to our shame.  However, I sense a growing passion for this very thing.  I know that there are a number of students at Southeastern, who at their own initiative, regularly go to the campuses seeking out internationals to build relationships for the purpose of sharing the gospel. I believe we must become intentional in doing this, and we have a golden opportunity right now.

In light of this reality, we are launching a Between the Times “Q&A with the President of Southeastern Seminary.”  We invite persons to submit questions to “Between the Times” and we will do our best to provide a helpful response.  These questions may come from any particular area of Christian life.  They may relate to Biblical and theological issues.  They can also be related to the life of the local church, the Seminary, the Southern Baptist Convention or the greater evangelical/Christian world.  We do not promise to answer every question submitted, but we will do our best to respond to as many as possible and certainly those that we believe would be of interest to a wide range of readers.  On some occasions I may pass a question on to one of my colleagues who has more experience than I on that particular topic.  That being the case, I may wind up not answering many (if any) questions at all! So, feel free to begin to pass questions along our way. We hope to be helpful and have some fun along the way as well.  For those of us who know, love, and serve King Jesus, that makes all the sense in the world!