We at BtT would like to make you aware of Jerry Rankin’s recent post, “Leaders in Denial, at his blogsite Ranking Connecting. In the post, Rankin argues that some SBC leaders are in denial, thinking that the SBC is in good shape, that it actually has 16 million members, that the “Covenant for a New Century” actually poised us for the 21st century, and so forth. But the reality, he argues, is that the SBC is … [Read More]
Why did Jesus have to die?… and what liberal and some emerging theologians and Muslims have in common
There are multiple things that Christ accomplished for us when he died on the cross. He “paid” our sin debt (Romans 3:25-26), “cleansed us” from defilement (1 John 1:9), defeated the powers of darkness (Colossians 2:15), reversed the curse of death (Galatians 3:13), gave us a model for how to love others and overcome injustice (1 Peter 2:21), and demonstrated to us how much God loves us (Romans 5:8), just to name a few. Theologians … [Read More]
What is the Missional Gospel? Part 4: The Emerging Missional Church
What is the Missional Gospel? Part 4: The Emerging Missional Church
By Keith Whitfield
Brian McLaren announced in 2004 at “The Billy Graham Center Evangelism Roundtable” that “we are in need of radical strategic rethinking of our current strategy as gospel-oriented Christians seeking to follow the Great Commission” (“The Strategy We Pursue,”). He argues that this need is urgent and apparent given the low church attendance by people in our culture, the number of Christian kids dropping … [Read More]
Al Mohler: Cooperative Missions & The GCR
Editor’s Note: The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force is now releasing a series of blogs unpacking various points of their recommendation with greater depth and clarity. Below is one installment in the series.
Cooperative Missions and the Great Commission Resurgence
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President
Reaching the people of North America with the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been a primary purpose of the Southern Baptist Convention since its beginning in 1845. Over the last 150 years and more, Southern Baptists … [Read More]
Ronnie Floyd: The Cooperative Program and Great Commission Giving
Editor’s Note: The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force is now releasing a series of blogs unpacking various points of their recommendation with greater depth and clarity. Below is the first installment.
The Cooperative Program and Great Commission Giving
(Ronnie Floyd)
As people are processing the Great Commission Resurgence Progress Report, some are trying to understand the Cooperative Program and its relationship to Great Commission Giving. Since so much information needed to be shared initially through our report, it is now essential … [Read More]
What is the Missional Gospel? Part 3: The Ecumenical Missional Church
What is the Missional Gospel? Part 3: The Ecumenical Missional Church
By Keith Whitfield
The ecumenical missional church arises from a growing dis-ease with an approach to church that they claim was inherited from Christendom. Their concern with this approach to the church is that it views the church as a place and a “vender of religion.” Breaking from this, they attempt to return to the gospel to set forth a new vision for the church and … [Read More]
What is the Missional Gospel? Part 2: A Brief History of the Term “Missional”
What is the Missional Gospel? Part 2: A Brief History of the Term “Missional”
By Keith Whitfield
The “missional” phenomenon is rooted in a broad movement to engage culture with the gospel. From Vatican II, the ecumenical movement, the rise of the megachurch, and seeker-sensitive churches, to the Gen-X churches of the 1990s, engaging the culture with the gospel is a defining mark of ecclesiology over the last sixty years. In the last twenty-five years, particularly in … [Read More]
What is the Missional Gospel? Part 1: A Survey of Perspectives
What is the Missional Gospel? Part 1: A Survey of Perspectives
By Keith Whitfield
An adjective is causing a controversy. The adjective “missional” has become a popular description of the church and its ministry for many people in recent years. The use of this modifier has attracted concern and criticism from more than a few people.
Some have expressed concern because it seems faddish. It might be. No doubt, there is a certain danger with fads in that … [Read More]
What Advice Do You Have for a Newlywed Husband?
I do a series on my blog called “Ask Anything Friday.” This is a question that was recently submitted, and my response.
If Veronica sees that I am answering this question, she may burst out laughing or post angry comments below. I didn’t do a good job leading my wife the 1st year of our marriage. As I often say, I’ve been married for 8 wonderful years and 1 other one for a total of 9. … [Read More]
Bruce Shelley: A Historian for the People
Longtime Denver Seminary church historian Bruce Shelley passed away earlier this week at the age of 82. Christian History has published a great online tribute to Shelley written by Scott Wenig, who teaches applied theology at Denver Seminary. Shelley is probably best known for his bestselling church history textbook, Church History in Plain Language. I first read Church History in Plain Language when I was in college, shortly after I first began considering a career as a … [Read More]
