DownshoreDrift

What follows is strictly my opinion, nothing more. It is not what I want to see happen or hope will happen. But, I do feel like a rupture is drawing near if some things are not cleared up. The building storm in the SBC is going to sweep a lot of people with it, in my opinion. MSNBC has picked up on the Klouda Incident. We continue to have the IMB issues hanging over our heads. Marty Duren warns of a Great Divide that threatens to shatter the SBC into many different groups of traditionalists and reformers. We have declining baptisms and financial mismanagement or waste in our entities (see NAMB fiasco - actually all of our agencies are guilty of waste in one form or another). Trust is being lost amongst rank and file baptists and we are wondering how far this will all go.

Lately, I've been reading people say that those who are bringing up problems are the ones causing division. They are singing the song, "Can't we all just get along?"  Dr. Malcolm Yarnell asks this of David Rogers, the son of Adrian Rogers and IMB missionary to Spain on David's blog. An anonymous commenter on Wade Burleson's blog says that

The Klouda case has split the conservatives in the SBC. Sherri Klouda being hired under Ken Hemphill (former president of Southwestern) who by all means is a conservative and now being forced out by Paige Patterson who claims to be a conservative. Now it appears that SBC'ers are going to be chosing sides - Ken Hemphill or Paige Patterson. ISN'T THE DEVIL HAVING A GREAT TIME?

"Isn't the Devil having a great time?" Where was that argument when missionaries were denied service because they spoke in tongues or were baptized in another denomination? When Sheri Klouda was fired from a teaching position at Southwestern teaching HEBREW just because she is a woman? (My Hebrew teacher at GGBTS was a woman and she was wonderful. She did not have spiritual authority over me in the church, but she taught me a skill that I much appreciated.) Where was that argument when NAMB wasted millions of dollars on frivolous expenditures all in the name of "promoting the gospel?"  When a healthy church slips into decline because it cannot get it's focus off of itself and it's own desires? When we are focused on every little thing in the world instead of Jesus and the living out and proclamation of the Gospel?  I guess that argument can go both ways, depending on how you look at it.

As the debate over the future of the SBC continues, many are lashing back at the reformers by saying that they are messing things up for everyone else by bringing up problems. The expectation is that everyone should accept every decision made by those in authority without question, whether we feel it is Biblical or not. The idea that each of us are to go to Scripture and read it for ourselves is giving way to a papist demand for conformity in all things, primary or secondary.  During the Conservative Resurgence, all tactics seemed to be fair game and many reputations were ruined, but even principled dissent now is seen as out of bounds.  Defenders of the status quo are saying that dissent should now be taken through proper channels and protesters should "work within the system," so that those in power can decide if they will respond to disagreement or not.  I agree with working within the system, but it has been shown again and again that the "proper channels" tend to clog up a bit when requests are made that are not agreeable. Simply discussing issues that affect all of us on blogs is apparently no longer o.k. I guess it is better to plot a takeover in secret, like our current leaders did 30 years ago.

All in all, I do not see how this disagreement regarding the parameters of cooperation and the nature of dissent can end up positively in the SBC. There is a Missional Resurgence occurring and those of us who are taking part in it want to make sure that the SBC will be a place that we can do the work God has assigned us without worrying about constantly having to navigate through unneccessary obstacles. We want to make sure that we can ALL participate in global missions. We want our Cooperative Program money spent wisely and not wasted. We want our denominational agencies and entities to function correctly and to follow our statement of faith and their own operational by-laws. We want ALL Southern Baptists to be represented in decision making and not just a few. We hope that the SBC is large enough for cessationists and continualists, Calvinists and non-Calvinists, traditionalists and others, etc., etc. For this, we are called "political" and oppositional. We are told to be quiet and just enjoy the parade. We are told to give money, but do not ask for accountability.

Sigh. With all of these things going on, the biggest issue for me remains the IMB policies restricting missionary appointment because of private prayer language and baptism differences. Those issues directly relate to world missions and are most important to me in this whole thing. Much of this other stuff has been happening for a long time, and I never raised much of an eyebrow. I just kind of expected it. But, now that I am more aware, I am noticing the other things as well. I'm still waiting to see if participation in the ministry of the SBC is worth it in the long run. I'm not talking about withdrawing from the SBC, but rather, just not being personally involved with anything that goes on with it. Will there be a positive response in this conversation, or do we just need to take our energy and ideas elsewhere? Personally, I'm leaning toward the latter, but hope springs eternal, so I wait, watch, and listen. At the end of the day (and all throughout, actually), my hope is in Jesus Christ, because I know that the mission of God is much bigger than the SBC and anything that goes on amongst us. He remains on His throne and He continues to answer all who call upon Him. May He be glorified and the rest of this fade away.   

I ran across an interesting quote today from a respected Christian leader. Let me know what you think:

I fear for the future of authentic faith in our country. We live in a time when the common man in our country is thoroughly influenced by the current climate in which the cultural and educational elite propagates an anti-Christian message. We should take a look at what has happened in France and learn a lesson from it. In that country, Christianity has been successfully attacked and marginalized by these same groups because those who professed belief were unable to defend the faith from attack, even though its attackers’ arguments were deeply flawed. We should be alarmed that instruction in authentic faith has been neglected, if not altogether eliminated, in our schools and universities.

Is it any wonder then that the spiritual condition of our country is of little concern to those who don’t even educate their own children about true Christianity? Their conduct reflects their absence of concern, not only for the state of Christianity in their own country, but also for the need to communicate the message of Christ to those in other parts of the world who have not heard this truth.

Some might say that one’s faith is a private matter and should not be spoken of so publicly. They might assert this in public, but what do they really think in their hearts? The fact is, those who say such things usually don’t even have a concern for faith in the privacy of their interior lives. If you could see their hearts, you would find no trace of authentic faith. God has no place among the sources of hopes, fears, joys or sorrows in their lives. They might be thankful for their health, success, wealth and possessions, but they give no thought to the possibility that these are all signs of God’s provision. If they do give credit to God, it is usually done in some perfunctory way that reveals that their words have no sincerity.

When their conversations get really serious, you will see how little of their Christianity has anything to do with the faith taught by Jesus. Everything becomes subjective. Their conduct is not measured against the standard set by the gospel. They have developed their own philosophies, which they attempt to pawn off as Christianity.

Who do you think said this? James Dobson? Jerry Falwell? Pat Roberston? John MacArthur? Josh McDowell? Any of the SBC culture warriors like Richard Land and other leaders?

According to psychologist Cliff Arnal, the answer is yes. Saints fans would probably agree. You might have seen this on MSN today, but I thought it was interesting. He uses a formula that takes into account the following:

Arnall’s so-called formula looks like this:  [W + (D-d)] x TQM x NA.

All of the letters and symbols apparently represent a sort of mathematical code to track the following:

W: How bad the weather is at this time of year.

D:  Amount of debt accumulated over the holidays minus how much is paid off.

T:  The time since the holidays.

Q: Amount of time passed since New Year’s resolutions have gone south.

M: Our general motivation levels.

NA: The need to take action.

Read the rest of the article HERE. His formula has been attacked as bad science, but I thought it was kind of interesting and can see his point. This is a time of year when it is cold and dreary and there is little extrinsicly to look forward to. Depression is a very real thing for people, and I can understand how it can get worse this time of year.

But, as Christians, we have joy that lives within us! The Bible tells us to "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." Whenever bad things happen or I'm having a bad day, I say, "Well, I guess this is the "always." If I can start to praise God, even in the midst of depressing or difficult times, I begin to get God's perspective and I realize that every day is a day that He has made and He has beautiful things in store for us each day. We should be the most optimistic people on the planet, because this world is not our home and God is always working to redeem and make things new.

So, as you run into people today, take some time to spread some encouragement and point them to Christ who fills us with hope and joy as we look to Him. They just might be struggling today and need it.

My sister sent me a great article from the Orlando Sentinel about the New Orleans Saints march to the NFC Championship Game and what it means to the city. I thought it was interesting and I resonated with it greatly.  If it is possible for sports to mean more to people than just the simplicity of the game on the field, this is it. I know that it is all just projection of hopes and dreams onto something that is really quite meaningless and silly, but it is no more meaningless than anything in the human experience. We appreciate art, music, film, literature, and travel. All of those things are gifts that have the ability to lift the human spirit and speak to us of things Beyond that are more pure and beautiful than we can imagine. Sports has that capacity as well, when done correctly. It usually misses the mark, but it might get fairly close this weekend. This "game" has the potential to lift the spirits of a city and region and remind them that anything is possible. That is something that is pretty cool in my opinion, and worth reflection.

And, beyond the metaphysical stuff I was just saying, Go Saints!!! 

Paul said, in the Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 2-4,

2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

This passage makes me think of many of the problems that have erupted in the SBC recently. It also makes me think about how we do church and live out our lives. Is Christ our focus? Are we passionate about Jesus, or about ministry? Do we love Christ, or love our churches, positions, and ministries? When I frequent Christian web sites and blogs, I rarely see Jesus mentioned. There was a paper put out recently by Dr. Malcolm Yarnell of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary that many of you have already seen and commented on, where he gets all excited about the Baptist Renaissance at Southwestern. He mentions "baptists" 68 times in the article, and Jesus or Christian only 7 times. I know that the point of the article is how great it is that SWBTS is getting back to it's strictly Baptist roots, but if we are taking time to exalt our denomination, church, or ministry in a way that leaves out Jesus or uses Him to accomplish our own purpose, we are in error. If only we could have a renaissance of simple and pure devotion to Christ in the SBC or in our churches. Or, in our hearts.

What else has grabbed your attention? What are you using Jesus for? To have a better life? To grow your church and/or ministry? To give you what you want? To help you with evangelism or missions (those things, as good as they are can miss the point if we see Jesus as a means to an end)? Is He looked to so that you can prove your theological points? That would at least be something, because we rarely even refer to Christ in all of our religious talk, unless to say we are Christians or we are doing this to honor Jesus Christ. I wonder how honored He really is, when we use Him to further our own ends.

Jesus cannot be owned by us. We cannot use Him to make ourselves feel better, to have a better family or personal life, or to have a more successful ministry. He is not to be used to win theological arguments. He is to be worshipped because He is worthy of our praise and we are to be devoted to Christ alone. Jesus is not a method for church growth so that we can feel better about ourselves and be "successful" or "effective" in ministry, nor will He give our blessing to our triumphal pronouncements of how right we are on everything. Devotion to Christ demands humility because we begin to understand how amazing He is and how dependent upon Him we are - for everything.

Our church is growing right now at a fairly rapid pace. And, I don't know why. Of course, we have wonderful people who love the Lord, but what I mean is, there is no method that we are using. I can't look at 3 steps to church growth like I was taught in seminary and in the books I've read and explain why people are getting saved, growing in their walk, inviting others to church, and gathering in small groups to disciple one another. I've tried to figure it out and I can't. Well, there goes the book I was going to write and the church growth conference! All that I can say is that we continue to lift up the name of Jesus and trust the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of our people. He is doing it. God is at work all around us and people are responding. They are taking submitting their own lives to the Lord and something supernatural is happening in their lives, that is actually natural for the Christian. We are just simply looking to Jesus and letting Him do what He wants. It is quite liberating, actually.

I guess I am learning that we cannot own Jesus. We can't get Him to work for us, no matter how many prayers we pray or how much we obey so He will bless us. The New Covenant requires that we live our lives in RESPONSE to His gracious initiative.  It means that we are free from striving and trying to earn God's blessing because He has truly paid the price for our sins and He gives us new life in Him. He was free, yet took our burden, so that we could be free. Do we believe it? Or, do we continue to construct our own burdens that we try and lift so that somehow, someway, God might bless us. Well, He already has - in Christ. But, we are too busy running after other things to notice.

I leave you with some poignant lines from a Rich Mullins song, "You Did Not Have a Home,"

Well you had no stones to throw
You came without an ax to grind
You did not tow the party line, No wonder sight came to the blind
You had no stones to throw
You had no stones to throw
And You rode and ass' foal
They spread their coats and cut down palms
For You and Your donkey to walk upon
But the world won't find what it thinks it wants
On the back of an ass' foal
So I guess You had to get sold
'Cause the world can't stand what it can't own
And it can't own You 'Cause You did not have a home
Birds have nests, foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless man
You had the shoulders of a homeless man

May we all be reminded of the simplicity of devotion to Christ in all things. May He receive the glory.

I know I've been talking about football a lot lately, but it's that time of year when everything is coming to a head and my teams have done well. The New Orleans Saints play in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs Saturday night at 7pm against the Philadelphia Eagles. I'll be watching and, hopefully, cheering loud.

Being from New Orleans, the Saints are bigger than just a sports team. They are a metaphor for the city. "Wait till next year," has always been the mantra for a team that loses far more than it wins and for a city that care forgot. The Saints are embedded into the fabric of New Orleans in a way that outsiders cannot imagine and, whether they are winning or losing (mostly losing with only one playoff victory in their entire history), they are a constant topic of conversation.

Often, the more spiritual among us look down at sports as being a topic not worthy of our conversation. I agree that sports can become an idol as I alluded to in a comment on a previous post, and you have to keep it in perspective. Being a Saints fan helps you do that. You are so used to losing, it doesn't upset you that much. But, I know that during my difficult teen years my Dad and I talked about the Saints and LSU when we didn't talk about anything else. We still call each other during every game and talk through it on the phone. It's a point of contact that often leads to other, more significant topics.

For all New Orleanians, and people from the Gulf South, the Saints are HUGE! I've followed the Saints since I was 6 years old and remember watching games with my Dad and Papaw after church on Sundays. I remember going to games in the Superdome in the late 80's and early 90's when I was in high school. The place gets so loud, you would think a jet engine was sounding off right next to you. People cheer every first down and defensive stop. They sell out every game. They never quit believing that things are going to turn around and the team is going to start winning. That's why, a playoff run in the year after Katrina devastated the region is so remarkable and timely.

To turn this topic in a spiritual direction, I know that when I am in New Orleans, I can quickly build relationships with people who don't know Christ by talking about the Saints. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone wants to talk about it. And, in contrast to the polarization of Alabama, where there is defensiveness if you are not an Alabama or Auburn fan, everyone loves the Saints. That doesn't mean that I'm going to ask someone if they saw the game and then ask if they are going to heaven or hell. It does mean, however, that through conversations over time, sports can be a common denominator that draws us together. Those relationships can lead to other things because you actually become friends with people and see them as more than targets of evangelism. They are peope with hopes, dreams, loyalties, and allegiances. When you share those things with them, there is a common ground that we often don't experience in our religious ivory towers. 

So, tomorrow night, you know where I'll be. Hopefully the Saints will win and advance to the NFC Championship Game. But, if not, New Orleans will accept it and say "wait till next year," like they always do. And, whether they win or lose, the City will continue to chant, "Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints?" 

Like everyone else, my wife and I always talk about how we don't have any money. This is primarily because we compare ourselves to others. In reality, we are very well off. We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in a decent neighborhood and TWO minivans. Our 4 children are well fed and clothed, and take part in ice skating lessons, basketball, and private preschool. They got everything they wanted for Christmas. We take vacations out of state and travel regularly, sometimes internationally. We are wired technologically through cell phones and the internet. When our son got cancer last year, our health insurance picked up the tab for him to get some of the best healthcare in the world, and his life is being saved from a fatal disease. We don't just have everything we need, we just about have everything we want. Of course, advertising and envy of our neighbors causes us to be disatisfied and want more, but we are really fine.

Paul Littleton got me thinking about how we are treating the poor around the world. Did you know that almost all Americans are in the richest 5-10% of the world's population? To see exactly how wealthy you are, CHECK THIS OUT. We pay inordinate amounts of money on entertainment (vacations, movies, football coaches :)), and in reality, few of us are in real need. Before I travelled to India a couple of years ago, I thought that there was real poverty in America. Of course, there are children here who go to bed hungry and do not have proper care, but that is usually related more to the lifestyle choices of their parents or some type of unexpected hardship. The grinding, unrelenting poverty of the Third World is foreign to most of us.

We have it so good, and we are so blessed. Yet, we take it all for granted. We talk without ceasing of how we don't have money. We complain about finances. We want more and we want it now. When will this stop and when will we address it for what it is? Idolatry. Jesus said we can't serve two masters. I am as guilty as anyone. The consumerist culture we live in causes us to think that we will not be happy unless we have the next best thing. Christian Spirituality requires us to look at our possessions and our lust for wealth in a different light. We are to be givers, more than receivers. We are to help our brother in need. We are to care for the poor, the sick, and the forgotten. What are our attitudes toward the phenomenal wealth that we have accumulated? How often do you compare yourself to others instead of thank God for what you have?

I'll have some ideas later on some concrete things you can do to make a difference, but for now, have you ever thought that God blessed you with incredible wealth, not for yourself, but so you could be a blessing to others?

Today was my 5 year old son Peyton's first basketball game. He did great! He played really tough defense and was named the Defensive Player of the Game for his team with 5 rebounds and tight defense on his man. It was really fun! After that, I took him and my three year old boy, Kieran, to the park (Shakespeare Festival) for some exploring and picture taking. I'm pretty new at the photography thing (so cut me some slack), but I thought I'd put a few of my favorite ones up. Hope you had a great weekend. It was sunny and in the 70's here!  Really nice day! (Click on the picture for the larger size.)

After an agonizing day where I had to hear about LSU's former coach Nick Saban taking the Alabama job (see previous post), I got to thoroughly enjoy the absolute beat down of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl! See the story HERE.  If LSU had gained 4 more yards at the end against Auburn (and if the officials, well, nevermind . . .), LSU might be playing on Monday night against Ohio State. This team had a great offense and defense and they were a pleasure to watch. I now have to suffer through 8 months without college football! Ugh! Fortunately, I still have the New Orleans Saints in the NFL playoffs next week. Who Dat?

Anyway, what an awesome game! JaMarcus Russell was incredible, and though he is probably going pro, I wish him the best and can honestly say he is one of the best QBs LSU has ever had. Did you see the sick 58 yard TD pass to Brandon LaFell in the third quarter? Unbelievable. LSU fans have criticized him a lot over the years, but he was resilient and kept battling back. He's a classy, humble guy. If you remember, he was the guy who housed Fats Domino along with 20 other people in his apartment after Katrina. Good kid. He also said he was going to get with his family and pray about whether he needed to turn pro. I hope for the best for him.

Notre Dame moved up and down the field in the first half to the tune of 261 yards, but the second half was another story entirely. LSU outgained them 333 to 30! With all the talk about how great a coach Charlie Weiss is, it was Les Miles and his staff who made the adjustments. Plus, extreme talent won out in the end. LSU now has back to back 11 win seasons and top 5 finishes! Way to go Tigers! Next year, maybe they'll win the whole thing.

Well, this definitely takes the sour taste out of my mouth concerning Saban. I still think it was lousy of him to leave Miami after only two years and to go to LSU's rival in the SEC West after repeated denials that he was not going to be the Alabama coach.  There has to be a better way to handle that type of situation. But, I've quit expecting anything else, unfortunately.

Alas, tonight, the season ends sweet as Sugar. Geaux Tigers!

Being a huge LSU fan, I was looking forward to today when LSU plays Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. But, our former coach made an interesting move. He signs on with a major rival, Alabama, after only two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. And, he does it after repeated denials of interest in the job. Here are his words:

Nov. 27 - "No, I haven't. I don't care to be. I don't want to be. I've got a job to do here. My focus is on our players, this team, us getting better, us playing good winning football here. I'm not interested in any other circumstances or situations anyplace else. This is the challenge I wanted. I had a good college job, so why would I have left that if I was going to be interested in another college job?"

Dec. 3 - "I'm not going to continue to respond to rumors and innuendo, which this obviously is. I'm committed to a group of guys here and a football team and a football staff, and we're working hard to get this season right. It really challenges your professionalism and integrity to even talk about it. People throw it to the wall, see what sticks."

Dec. 7 - "They called [agent] Jimmy [Sexton] and said, 'Is Nick interested?' and Jimmy said, 'No.' And Jimmy asked me on several occasions and I said, 'No, I'm interested in staying here. I'm flattered that they may have been interested in me, but it really never progressed because we never let it progress. It's ridiculous. I haven't even talked to anybody and all of a sudden somebody's coming here to interview me."

Dec. 11 - "I in no way wanted to indicate to [Sports Illustrated's Peter King] or anybody else that there was any possibility of [having interest in Alabama]. I have no intentions of going anywhere. Hell, they might not want me here after this season. Did you ever think of that? I've addressed this enough. When does this become a dead story?"

Dec. 21 - "I guess I have to say it: I'm not going to be the Alabama coach. I shouldn't even have to comment on this. I think I've said this over and over again. What they do with their position is their business."

Jan. 1 - "I'm committed to doing my job well here. This is my job. That's what I've done all day, and that's what I'll continue to do."

Jan. 3 - "Where do I sign?"

Update: Pat Forde, at ESPN.com has some very harsh words for Saban in describing The Lying Game:

"Integrity" is out. "Character" is out. "Teacher" is out. "Leader of men" is out.

They're not going to tell the truth to us, but we can tell the truth about them. It's this: They'll say anything to get recruits on campus, and they'll say anything to get media members off their backs when angling for a different job. And the panting attempts by school administrators, fans, other coaches and many media members to portray them as men of superior moral fiber needs to stop.

They're coaches, that's all. That makes them part of a pack of lying liars who only lie when their lips are moving -- and Saban's lips have moved most recently.

As an LSU fan, it will be frustrating to see our former coach on a rival's sideline. But, what do you think about making repeated denials about a job and then taking it? What do you think about signing a contract and then bailing out in the middle of it? What character lessons can we learn here? As a fan, how do you respond to a coach or school that says one thing and does another? Does that prick our conscience any? The easy answer is, "that's how things work - get used to it." I know that, but I wonder, as Christians, how we can speak prophetically to a culture that allows for this and to schools and fans that accept it, as long as they are on the winning end. I know that Alabama fans will see all this through Crimson colored glasses, as I did when he came from Michigan State to LSU. But, at the time, I thought his reasons were good. Now, I see things differently (my own bias at work). If this is how things work (and it is), is it any wonder that trust in our society is at an all time low? For that matter, it goes both ways (just ask Mike Shula), but I thought this was an interesting object lesson, to say the least. What do you think?

I encourage you to check out Strider's post on the causes of poverty. He says that they are primarily relational, and quotes Walking With the Poor by Bryant Myers (excellent book). He points to Jesus as being the primary answer to the global poverty problems of the world. Of course, food, water, and medicine are necessary, but you have to go beyond the immediate and get to the root causes of why people are in the situation they are in. The real issues deal with culture, worldview, and spiritual condition. As I've ministered with the urban poor over the years, rarely have I found someone who truly did not have resources. Often, people have broken relationships and have made horrible decisions (especially in America). In other lands, there are definitely cases of oppression and real lack of resources, but even those situations have root causes that must be dealt with.

In short, we should always give a cup of cold water, shelter, clothes, and food to eat. But, we should not stop there. We should also offer the hope and deliverance that comes from being renewed in Christ. Check out Strider's post. It is it very insightful.

Some other resources along these lines, from a secular perspective are Culture Matters (Harrison and Huntingdon, ed.), Underdevelopment is a State of Mind by Lawrence Harrison, and The Wealth and Poverty of Nations by David Landes.  They work off of Max Weber's thesis in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism where he says that capitalism emerged in the West because of the underlying cultural and spiritual ethic of Protestantism. Fascinating thoughts. Jesus really does make a difference for the whole person.

I'll write more on this later . . .