Free from the box!

Lord, have mercy!

2011-04-12T11:28:00.006-04:00

Click to watch Youtube video

You have to see the above video by Jack Schaap who is responding to some of the clips of his preaching shown on the recent 20/20 exposé of the IFB. He defends himself as if he were proclaiming the Gospel in those clips instead of simply being an idiot. I honestly want to cry as I watch this clip. I am reminded of the ongoing struggle in my own life to unlearn all of the bologna I learned sitting under men like this most of my life. I am so grieved over how quickly I can still come across in an arrogant manner and take stands in ungracious ways. The astute reader will be able to see traces of that even in past postings on this blog. My heart is grieved over the way that thinking like this STILL affects my marriage and my relationship to my wife even though I have been detoxing for many years. I am saddened that so many young preachers are looking up to fools such as this man and learning to be arrogant and un-Christlike and pretend that they are doing so as Champions of the truth. I am perplexed as to why my alma matter is having this guy come in and preach on a regular basis now. I am sickened by the silence within the ranks. This man should have thousands of IFB preachers calling him and encouraging him to repent! Any IFB pastor that openly fellowships with this man without calling him to repentance is a disgrace to his calling. He is openly and clearly unqualified to be an elder by Biblical definitions.

For those wondering, I am not an egalitarian. I do believe the Bible teaches there are roles for men and women. What this guy is screaming about, however, does not represent my beliefs or the teachings of scripture. The saddest thing of all is the admitted and blatant arrogance.

Truly ashamed of my past and very grateful for the grace of God,
Tony

Bible College??

2011-01-10T14:09:00.004-05:00

My eight year old son said something very interesting (and pretty funny) last night at the dinner table. In the course of a fairly normal conversation he told my wife that he probably knew more than she did. My wife and I looked at each other and then she replied "Why's that?". Then he gave an amazing answer: "Because you went to Bible college, so you probably didn't learn math.". We laughed pretty hard, but inside I wondered how accurate he actually was when it came to his assessment of Bible college (not my wife). There are many Bible colleges out there that offer quality education and accreditation that are very useful in life, unfortunately, there are many that do not. Let's take a look at some of the major red flags when considering a Bible College...

1. Is it accredited?

This one is important. This means that the institution will ensure a basic level of quality education for the student. It is a system of accountability that is recognized and in many cases necessary for your degree to be considered legitimate.

Example: My wife has her secondary education degree from an unaccredited IFB college. She cannot even substitute teach in the state of Oregon with that degree. It's pretty much worthless outside of some Christian schools.

Here's a good article that helps answer some questions about the importance of accreditation.

2. Is it connected with a particular church?

If this is the case, then you are on the path toward indoctrination and not education. The goal of that church is to make you a nice fit into that church. You are going to be taught the in's and out's of how to reproduce yourself into that particular brand and not taught the benefits of critical thinking and genuine leadership. You will become robotically them instead of having the capacity and encouragement to be uniquely you.

3. Where did the professors get their degrees?

Before you decide on a particular school, look up the professors and see where they were educated. If they all graduated from the same school or type of school then you are, again, on the path toward indoctrination. If they come from various backgrounds then the chances for quality education are increased. You will be frustrated by some, but you will learn to think and you will grow along the way. This is a good thing.

**If they all graduated from the same institution for which they now teach, run away!**

There are many more (and maybe you would like to add your thoughts in the comments), but these three will knock out most independent baptist colleges from consideration. You may have to pay a little more for a quality education that actually means something outside of the IFB world, but it's far better than saving a little money to get your indoctrination papers that mean very little to real world employers.

Most IFB colleges were started because many of the students that they sent off to real colleges weren't coming back IFB (or their particular brand of IFB). Think about it....

Think. Love. Live.

I pledge allegiance....

2011-01-04T01:00:00.002-05:00

A Revealing Backfire

2010-12-13T13:50:00.006-05:00

Just thought this was interesting from the "Noteworthy News Notes" section of the SOTL Nov. 26, 2010 ed. (pg. 4)...

Updated NIV Bible Text Released

The release of the text comes after years of rigorous translation work by the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT). The members of the committee represent the very best in evangelical biblical scholarship. Its members are drawn from various denominations and from some of the finest academic institutions in the world. The CBT solicited and received input from scholars, pastors, missionaries and lay persons and reviewed every proposal, many of which led to revisions to the text.

"It has been a monumental undertaking to update the NIV..." said CBT Chair, Professor Douglas Moo. "We have invested countless hours of study and debate in pursuit of this vision, and we are delighted with the result. With this update, we believe the NIV continues to represent the optimum combination of transparency to the original documents and comprehensibility for the broad audience we serve."

- Christian Newswire

Sounds pretty good right?? I'm personally very interested in getting the new NIV and I couldn't believe this article was in the Sword of the Lord...then I read the 'Editor's Comments'...

Editor's Comments: They keep trying to get it right, but they admit that they have an agenda for continuing to tinker with it as the years go by. Sorry, fellas, we're still not buying!

The article the Sword chose was a brilliant plug for the new NIV! As a Christian who is concerned with thorough scholarship, cross-denominational unity of the body of Christ, and well thought out reasoning; I'm loving what I'm reading. Then, in bold letters, here comes the deflating, accusing, and arrogant retort that is totally devoid of any of the above. What a revealing backfire.

Glaring Inconsistencies

2010-12-10T14:13:00.004-05:00

For reasons which I cannot explain, I have been receiving both Revival Fires and The Sword of the Lord newspapers for several months. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these two publications, they are published by two different 'camps' in the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement on a monthly basis. I can only assume that someone who has been privy to my ascent out of the IFB denomination is getting me these in an attempt to win me back to the movement. I can assure you, whoever you may be, that it has quite the opposite effect.

There are always fun things to read when we receive these in the mail. One time there was a sermon that was built around the assumption that all evil comes from the west because the sun sets in the west (who knew?). There are also interesting sections of the newspapers such as 'NOT FOR LADIES (Just for Men)' emphasis theirs and 'Helps for the Helpmeet'. These probably deserve their own blog post so we'll just leave those alone for now.

This months Sword of the Lord (Vol. LXXVI No. 24 - Nov. 26, 2010) was especially interesting to me. They have been running (for seven months now) an ongoing article entitled "The Case Against Calvinism" where they have attempted to build a, you guessed it, case against Calvinism. They have disparaged the character of John Calvin, written how all five points of the so-called TULIP are evil and claimed that all Calvinists hate evangelism with a burning passion. The problem isn't that they are against what they call Calvinism, because there are many Christians who hold to that way of thinking, the problem is in their amazing inconsistency. In this months issue in the bottom right hand corner of the front page is the seventh installment of their 'Case Against Calvinism'. Fine. It's what's in the upper left hand corner of the front page that is so disturbing. Directly diagonal from their seventh installment of 'The Case Against Calvinism' is a sermon entitled 'Only Trust Him' by none other that Charles H. Spurgeon. AMAZING! I wonder why they didn't publish Spurgeon's sermon entitled 'A Defense of Calvinism' instead? You see, Spurgeon was an unashamed Calvinist. Here are some quotes if you have any doubts, "It is no novelty, then, that I am preaching; no new doctrine. I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines that are called by nickname Calvinism, but which are truly and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus." (Spurgeon's Sovereign Grace Sermons, Still Waters Revival Books, p. 170). And, "Calvinism did not spring from Calvin. We believe that it sprang from the great Founder of all truth." (Charles Spurgeon, Sermons, Vol. 7, p. 298). There is no legitimate denying that Charles Spurgeon was, in fact, a full-on five point Calvinist and he made no bones about it.

What is the big deal? Nothing, other than the fact that the SOTL has spent the last seven months building their case against calvinism (which is fine) only to publish one of the more outspoken calvinists of the 19th century on the same front page as the seventh installment. It is this kind of glaring inconsistency that is prevalent in this separatist movement, but rarely if ever called out within the movement itself because of blind faith in the so-called man of God, or for fear of the consequences of asking questions. It is glaring inconsistencies such as this one that takes these publications (and the IFB movement itself) from simply being arrogant and isolationist to being not credible with anyone outside of the four walls of their denomination.

1+1 never equals 3. No matter how much you print it, or how loud you yell it from a pulpit.

Think. Love. Live.

Trevor W.

The Hymn of the Legalist

2010-09-09T10:59:00.002-04:00

The following Hymn, written by Stephen Altrogge is simply too good not to reproduce here!

Jesus Paid It Some

I hear the Savior say,
“You’re not doing enough;
Work your fingers to the bone,
I will save those who are tough.”

Jesus paid it some
I will do the rest
Sin had left a crimson stain
Now I will give my best

For now indeed I’ll try
To earn your love and grace
I’ll add the works I have
To complete the price you paid.

REFRAIN

And when before the throne
I’ll give my deeds to you,
I’ll hope I’ve done enough
To make you let me through.

REFRAIN (3x just to be sure)

http://www.theblazingcenter.com/2010/09/the-hymn-of-the-legalist.html

A True Hero

2010-07-24T13:28:00.004-04:00

Heroes in the movement I grew up in all pastored big churches (or preached at the big churches) and became their own brand through preaching style, books authored (most of them very shallow and seemingly only written to fill the “I’m important so I must write a book” requirement), or by starting their own Bible college. These were the men you dreamed of being, the men you stood in line for to have them sign your Bible (this memory in particular makes me want to cry), the men who defined success as numbers. I am not writing to slam these men; I’m sure some of them have been sincere – though most were clearly arrogant and drunk on their own self-importance. I am writing with a burning contrast that in my mind demonstrates true greatness.

Yesterday morning, I stood at the graveside of Charles Longnecker. Who? That’s right, you never heard of him or saw him in the limelight. He never preached in a national conference; he never had hundreds of preacher boys acting like giggling girls waiting for his signature in their Bibles. He wasn’t cheered on a big platform, or revered for his pulpiteering abilities. It struck me as I listened to the testimonies of people who experienced his ministry, as I observed ten of his 13 children (one was greeting him in heaven) and over 100 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, that I was seeing true greatness. As we heard entries from his journal in which he was raw and real and humble with his Maker until his dying day, my eyes filled with tears realizing that this man was a hero. No, he wasn’t slick and quick with a superficial smile; he loved his Lord, loved his wife and children, and poured out his life in the service of others.

Let me give some observations before I give his obituary.

He was a humble man. He didn’t pretend to be a humble man. He was. I remember him coming to visit us in Vineland. I remember him treating an arrogant know-it-all young preacher with all of the respect and dignity in the world, even as I’m sure he saw huge areas of concern in my emphasis and ministry. I remember his gentle encouragement to love my wife and children. I remember, to my shame, hoping he’d be impressed with “my ministry” and never fully realizing the great man who listened to my clueless preaching as he nodded affirmation. In fact, I’m sure I didn’t see more than a small town pastor and missionary who happened to be a very nice man and grandfather. Oh to have him back in our church and honor him as the great man he was!

He loved his family and never put ministry above them. What an awesome thing to hear his children share the many ways in which they knew they were treasured and loved by their father. What a wonderful thing to watch personally over the years the love between himself and his precious bride, Dorothy. As I looked around me and saw the family, I realized this man was a hero in ways that ______________ ________________ could never dream of being. (Fill in your own blank, I have dozens of names that could go there). Nothing else matters at the end.

He avoided the excesses of his generation and exemplified balance. He didn’t compromise truth, yet he wasn’t rampaging about side issues. He kept it simple and focused on Christ. He wasn’t hung up on stuff. He knew what he believed, yet he had a meek spirit and knew to treasure the common bond in Christ. This is pretty intensely personal for me. I looked around me and saw the son and daughter who are part of a Pentecostal church (I was secretly saying… man, if they’ll raise their hands I’ll join ‘em!). I talked to the granddaughter who is worshiping and growing in a Presbyterian congregation. I listened to the uncle who is part of an ELCA church sing about the blood of Christ. I peeked over my shoulder at the “reformed” section of the family and then over at the quasi-Armenians and saw UNITY. There were non-denominationals, Baptists, CMA… all CHRIST LOVERS. None were black sheep. All were loved and treasured by a father who chose to show them the love of Christ instead of the love of argument. What could have been the recipe for factionalism and division in the family has only served to strengthen and unite. This is not possible amongst petty minded “heroes.” Only a true hero can have the patience and graciousness to pull this off. While other were burning bridges and screaming “compromise,” Charles Longnecker was busy loving Christ and loving his family to Christ. Other families may have more “doctrinal purity;” I am honored to, by marriage, belong to the Longnecker family.

He finished well. He never made a splash; he just ran his race. He finished his course! He left an incredible heritage and legacy, and he blazed a trail worth following. He’s a hero the only place it matters! He heard his Master say, “Well done!”

So passed Charles Longnecker. A giant among boys. May the name of Christ be praised!

What follows is the obituary of my hero.

Rev. Charles A. Longnecker (May 13, 1926-July 17, 2010) passed away Saturday at his Knoxville, Tennessee, home. He was 84. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was a son of Robert D. and Margaret (Osbold) Longnecker.

Rev. Longnecker served as a missionary pastor with the American Sunday School Union in Wisconsin for 7 years. He then joined the American Mission for Opening Churches (AMOC), and served for 28 years. During this time he pastored two village congregations in rural New York for 7 years, after which he pastored at White's Church, Peacock Corners, and Faith Bible Church, between Lightstreet and Orangeville, for 7 years. He then founded Bible Baptist Church with the objective of teaching the Bible based on Biblical principles. The church met in a former bakery on Everitt Street, Benton, before relocating to a Benton Township location on Route 239 in 1978. Rev. Longnecker served that church for 13 years. From Benton, he and his wife traveled to Kenya as missionaries with CHRISTAR Ministries (formerly International Missions) for 7 years. He was in the ministry from 1952 until 1995 when he retired. He was currently a member of West Park Baptist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee.

He and his wife, Dorothy M. (Ewing) Longnecker, would have celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary on August 10. Surviving, in addition to Mrs. Longnecker, are his sons and daughters-in-law: Mark and Nancy, Daniel and Cheryll, Timothy and Deborah, Joel, Nathan, Eric and Maureen; daughters and sons-in-law: Linda and David Duke, Virginia and Kermit Minnick, Jan and Daniel Belles; Grace and Robert Henrie; Sharon and Robert Wittke; Patti and James Pollock; Jill and Mark Carson; 34 grandchildren and 38 great grandchildren; brother and sister-in-law, Herbert and Wanda Longnecker; and sister-in-law, Joyce Longnecker.

He was preceded in death by brother, Fred Longnecker, and daughter, Gail (Longnecker) Belles.

Hidden in Him

Tony

Dogmaticism

2010-07-19T13:21:00.004-04:00

This is certainly a topic that I find a very difficult one to grapple with. I couldn’t disagree more profoundly with today’s “Humble Hermeneutic” theologians who will not take a stand on anything. Everything is up for “discussion” and being “re-imagined.”

You’re not sure you like the idea of “substitutionary atonement?” Well, what does the cross mean to you?

This approach to Scripture and absolute truth is blasphemous and stupid. There are clearly truths taught in Scripture that are beyond dispute. There ARE absolutes! Sola Scriptura is chief among them. The inspired word of God IS our standard!

On the other hand, I am often troubled by the extremely dogmatic stands taken by many I admire in areas that simply are NOT that clear in scripture. My current example is the dogmaticism with which many hold to the idea of “cessationism.”

I will be the first to admit that you could build a strong and logical case that the purpose of the “sign gifts” has been fulfilled, and that they are no longer in use in the church today. I have come to the place where I would humbly disagree with that argument, but I would respect your right to make it. I think a clearer and more logical argument could be made that outweighs it, but that is not the point.

I am thinking here of the well-intentioned individual who will run to I Corinthians 13 and dogmatically tell us (without any contextual evidence) that it is crystal clear that “that which is perfect” is the Bible and therefore tongues and prophecies have ceased. Most who make this argument don’t merely suggest this as a possibility, rather they rest their case on this strained interpretation of this passage. In a recent friendly exchange on this topic on an online forum I received a private message in which I was kindly informed that I was in over my head. Nothing else was provided. Basically…. “this is the only possible interpretation, sit down and be quiet.” What saddens me is that the individual taking this dogmatic position is someone who has escaped the “box” in many other areas. That scares me! I want to stand STRONGLY for clear truth! I also want to make sure that I don’t read my preferences into the text. There are some areas where dogmaticism IS unwarranted, and where instead we should make our best argument without forcing Scripture to dogmatically say what it in fact may not be saying.

How do we strike a correct balance in this? The only answer I know is much prayer, the leading of the Holy Spirit and the careful, exegetical and consistent application of a sound heremeneutic… which of course brings us to another topic…

Isn’t it about time everyone adopted my heremeneutic? :)

Hidden in Him

Tony

One Million in 24 hours? Why not!!

2009-09-28T10:01:00.003-04:00

Ok, so we talked about the left for a post there, the lunatic right quickly draws us back. I don't want to be harsh, but there are some times when you have to call a spade a spade. The youth group of First Baptist Church in Hammond wants you to join in and help reach 1,000,000 souls in 24 hours. No, it's not a sad joke! You can register here and be a part of this historic occasion. Honestly, I'm tempted to echo what I said in my last post and say that these guys aren't on my team either. Can you imagine for one moment how many people will be pushed to repeat a prayer, then be told they're going to heaven after hearing a watered down "gospel" presentation? You can't make this stuff up! I will go on record and say, without a doubt more harm will be done than good on this date. WAY more harm. There may be a few, who by God's grace, in spite of the crazy method, do in fact come to Christ, but the vast majority will be 10 times more the children of hell. Lord, please forgive us!!!

I'm sorry, this stuff just burns me up!!! While I'm at it, I am SICK AND TIRED of hearing reports from Hispanic countries of hundreds repeating prayers after some public presentation of the gospel. (Sorry for the rant!) News flash!!! Catholics repeat prayers!!! That's what they do!!! All of the time!!!!!!! I grew up among these people! I AM ONE!!! DO NOT TELL ME you preached in a public school or public place and hundreds raised their hands that they accepted Christ by repeating your prayer. If you do, you are unwittingly an enemy of the Gospel!!! Thank you very much, but my dear Hispanic brothers and sisters do not need that type of evangelism. Please keep that to inflate your numbers here!!! You want 100 hispanic "conversions?" Easy as pie. Get me 100 hispanic people together and I will get them to repeat a prayer, with a much clearer Gospel presentation than you are giving. I fear God, however, and would do no such thing! Oh, I'll present the Gospel, but I'll leave those manipulative closing the deal, ignorant tactics at home.

I know I'm venting, but few things make me as sick as easy-believism. It is the bane of our movement. We must stop NOW!!!

Book recommendation... "Hard to Believe" by John MaCarthur

Hidden in Him!
Tony

Danger on the Left

2009-08-04T23:43:00.003-04:00

Shane Clairborne - NOT my team mate!

This blog as a whole is focused on a journey from legalism to grace, therefore of necessity deals with the background that we have lived and that we have transitioned from. I am grateful for having been taught the Word of God as a child and for the many wonderful, Christ-loving people along the way. I am VERY concerned about the cheapening of the Gospel, the legalism, the one two three, repeat after me, no Lordship and no repentance mess that has decimated the heart of Christianity, but that has been covered in many posts. I want to spend a little time today speaking about the other side. To every one of us who have come out of legalism, there is the very real danger of swinging all the way over to antinomianism and a “cheap grace.” I believe this is just as dangerous, if not more than what we left. I have hinted at this in past posts and will amplify on it more in the future.

What really has me a little upset right now are some serious challenges to the Gospel and absolute truth on the left flank of Evangelicalism. I’m not talking about the clueless buffoons in the prosperity Gospel. Their “pimping” of Jesus and shallowness is appalling and is worth it’s own post. Joel Osteen and his crowd are not my target today. I am really worked up about the emerging church movement and Gospel deniers such as Rob Bell, Brian Mcleran, Tony Campolo, Shane Clairborne, and my list could go on for a while. Give me a King James worshipper over these fools any day. May this post put to rest the accusations we sometimes get that we ignore the shenanigans in Evangelicalism. These men are changing the Gospel, and I have NO qualms calling their names and calling them heretics. I am SICK and tired of people who love Christ admiring these men. We are NOT on the same team!!! They are promoting a “Universalist” mentality that the Gospel completely contradicts!!!

I renounce some of the crazy battles of my past! I will not fight over pants on women, style of music, the length of a woman’s hair or communion with wine or grape juice. I have no desire to be embroiled with fights in minor areas with my fellow believers. I can even choose to look past bigger disagreements such as eschatology, spiritual gifts, church government, mode of Baptism, etc. This, however is a man who will roll up his sleeves and FIGHT for the Gospel!!! The truth that all men are sinners and rightfully condemned for their sins (not societal injustices, but individual sin against God) is a truth I WILL fight for! The truth that Jesus Christ, God incarnate, born of a virgin died a substitutionary death on the cross atoning for the sins of all who believe is a truth I WILL fight for! I will NOT let you change the Gospel into righting society and feeding the poor! You will not use middle class guilt and self-righteous appeals to selected, out of context Biblical texts to change the Gospel on this preacher!!!

Let it be clearly said, the danger presented to the truth of the Gospel by pious and humble sounding Gospel deniers like Shane Clairborne is 10 times greater than any of the stupidities of my former movement. This is one preacher who in throwing off some of the unbalanced nonsense of my past refuses to accept the redefining of the Gospel that is all the rage with the “New Monastics” and the “Emerging Church!” They can crawl right back into the hole they emerged from as far as I’m concerned!

Let the record show, I am out of the box, but I’m not jumping into the cesspool!

Hidden in Him,

Tony

The Sin of Denominational Pride

2009-06-05T11:22:00.005-04:00

Ok, I want to be very careful here, so let me start with a disclaimer. I am not against anyone who considers themselves a part of a denomination. I am not against being convinced of certain distinctions or taking a stand based on convictions. If you consider yourself a Baptist, Presby, CMA, whatever, and have your reasons for that association, my beef is NOT with you. I am writing specifically about the need of some to trumpet our “roots” in what seems to me a prideful and non Christ-like spirit.

I have decided not to highlight publications to keep this post from seeming like an attack on an institution or person, which it is not. However, I have recently read articles and been directed to websites that are dedicated to trumpeting the idea that we as “Baptists” are the real deal. You won’t need to look far to find a ton of this material. We were never part of the Catholic church “bless Gawd,” we aren’t Protestants, we ALWAYS stood against error! Do we even think through what we say? First of all, we didn’t do jack squat. We have been saved by the grace of God!!! We deserve to be in hell! We somehow have something to boast in because someone somewhere supposedly stood for truth? Lord, have mercy! There is in statements like this a thinly veiled disdain for these “lowly Protestants” who were foolish enough to be a part of the Great Harlot and who “prostituted” themselves with her while we have remained pure (and humble.) Those poor “Protestants,” they’re the red-headed step-children in the family of God. If they only would have had it together like us “Baptists.” Do I need to continue with the sarcasm to show the sheer stupidity of such statements? Of course, Baptist “martyrs” are to be held in higher esteem than run of the mill martyrs who died for Christ. Let me get this straight… do we really think there is more than one team? For crying out loud! NONSENSE!!!!

For the sake of argument here, let’s take for granted that the whole “Trail of Blood” thing has validity (and I do NOT concede that.) How stupid to think that somehow the actions of people hundreds of years ago should be something for me to boast about. The “Johny come latelys” to the truth aren’t as special or important. We need to continually remind ourselves and others that we Baptists are “special.” I think you get the point. It’s sick! It’s wicked, that’s what it is!

Galatians 6:14
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

I Corinthians 3:3-9
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

“It’s not about pride, Tony, it’s about honoring what these people lived and died for…”
Really? Let me be honest. If any of them died for the sake of the word “Baptist” or a denomination, they are unworthy of honor in the first place. If they died for Christ, then HE deserves the glory, not a denomination.

This has been percolating in my heart for a while now. I think these attitudes are wicked. I think it makes God sick!!! He isn’t building one church and a whole bunch of other sub-churches, he is building ONE body! It’s not about my denominational name; it’s about HIS name!

Final disclaimer… I am NOT advocating INTER-DENOMINATIONALISM or the idea of setting aside truth for the sake of unity. I have NO problem however with a mentality that is very non denominational. We stand for truth, but we do so humbly, without a feeling of superiority and without the need to constantly be highlighting great “Baptists” of the past, as opposed to a great Savior!!!

Hidden in Him!
Tony!

Dr. Master's Priorities -- ok...

2009-03-11T23:28:00.004-04:00

Ok, I’m completely perplexed! I’ve seen and read it all now. I do not seek to be ugly in this post, perhaps someone can explain this to me. I just looked over this month’s copy of my Alma Matter’s publication, The Baptist Vision, and had a couple of things jump out at me. One, is that Peter Masters, the Calvinist Pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle is listed as an Editor of the Baptist Vision. That’s cool, I can handle that, in fact I can applaud the fact that brethren can choose to agree to disagree and still seek to honor Christ. I happen to know that Calvinist leaning students at Crown aren’t treated with the same deference reserved for Dr. Masters. Recently, it has been affirmed again at Crown that Calvinism is not a welcome teaching, which is obviously their prerogative. Again, this begs the question of what Dr. Masters is doing as an editor of the Baptist Vision, but that is really not the point of this post.

On page 9 of the Baptist Vision Dr. Masters has some comments on Spurgeon’s sermon on “The present financial crisis.” Allow me to reproduce his final paragraph.

“A parallel spiritual situation is the policy of many evangelical (and reformed) leaders who are building churches on a foundation of entertainment, contemporary worship and worldly lifestyles. The reputations of such churches (including reformed mega-churches in the USA) will collapse horribly in the coming years, just as the churches of the big names of nineteenth-century evangelical compromise collapsed to liberalism.”

If you go to his website you will find that he specifically calls out John MaCarthur as one of these poor misguided souls who dabble with compromise in music.

I’m not interested in debating the merits of Dr. Master’s opinions, at least not in this post, and He is more than welcome to them. What blows my mind is that MUSIC STYLES are worth calling out a Pastor by name and predicting his and Piper’s and Mahaney’s churches will collapse horribly because of said musical compromise, even as he as a Calvinist is a co-editor of a quasi-Arminian’s pamphlet. What’s wrong with this picture? Of course, music style is so much more important than what you believe about the Gospel, right?

My only point in this post is that certain side battles are elevated to a level of importance that is almost laughable! When you will call out someone who agrees with you 100% on the Gospel because of his music, while you hold hands with someone you disagree greatly on the Gospel because his music is as boring as yours you have redefined hypocrisy, or at least have some serious issues with your priorities. All of this, of course, is my humble opinion, especially the "boring" part. May God help us make much of what really matters and quit the trivial nonsense!

Hidden in Him!

Tony

End Times Madness

2009-03-10T09:57:00.007-04:00

Well, here we are again, another day, another prophecy. If you had not heard, David Wilkerson (think - the Cross and the Switchblade) is out with a very specific prediction of calamity, especially up in my neck of the woods. See it here. I think I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. John Piper's response. What is it with our modern day movement and the lunacy over end-times? I see people SO obsessed with this stuff, and not in a productive way!!! Regardless of your view on Eschatology (mine has changed alot!) isn't it getting old to be continually embarrassed by our own false prophets? Pull out your copy of "88 reasons the rapture will be in 1988" if you're not sure what I'm talking about! (Actually you might want to sell it on the internet as they're fetching a king's ransom!) Or maybe you could clean out your basement from all of the MRE's and water cannisters set aside for Y2k. Seriously, we gotta do a movie that combines the hippies from "Thief in the night" with Kirk Cameron and Mr. T. Now that would be the end-times movie to end all end-times movies! Honestly, can we really make fun of the Jehovah Witnesses' prophecies and failures? Even so Lord Jesus, come quickly, and spare us any more of this lunacy!

In all seriousness, I do believe that God's judgement is being seen in our country and around the world! The response from His people ought to be to seek Him and His kingdom, not to work ourselves up into a frenzy. Some hard times will be good for us!

Hidden in Him!
Tony

Conflicting Causes?

2009-01-19T18:17:00.004-05:00

I have been very concerned again recently with how often it seems that those on “my side” say and do the most perplexing things. It seems like the Biblical injunction to be wise as serpents yet harmless as doves is turned on it’s head with no thought given to the consequences before a lost and dying world. The most recent example was a quote I saw from a Pastor who stated how excited he was to celebrate General Robert E. Lee day. The statement was made today (MLK day) and was defended as simply the choice to celebrate a Godly man instead of a “womanizer.”

Frankly, the above statement shocks me. Either the person in question is monumentally stupid, or he’s monumentally stupid. The other option which I wont consider would be blatant racism. We don’t live in a vacuum! The things we say and do have REAL consequences! Why are we picking such absurd battles to fight? The facts are that most of America respects Dr. King (rightly or wrongly) and that he is seen as the “patron saint” of the civil rights movement. This is VISCERALLY personal for multiple millions of Americans. So, let’s suggest replacing that celebration with one for a Confederate General (irrelevant that he was a great Christian, in this context the Civil War is a powder keg) and then defend it as simply honoring a more deserving man. Why is it that we would risk alienating and needlessly hurting SO many people who we would otherwise want to reach for Christ? I digress…

The same thing seems to be happening all around me. I attended a “ One Man One Woman” rally in Trenton and held my placard up high only to lower it and wish I could shrink into the crowd as I heard some of the foolish things said from the platform. The same could be said in the abortion battle, the war against Christmas (as my good friend blogged about) and many other battles we choose to engage in.

I think we need to ask ourselves some serious questions! Do our causes conflict? Am I really willing to expend all of my ammo and slam shut all of my open doors fighting side battles, and not on the MAIN thing? For the sake of the Gospel, let’s pick our battles more carefully!

P.S. The picture is intended as satire. Could it be that in their eyes we look even more stupid?

Hidden in Him,

Tony

Gazing on His beauty or do-do religion?

2009-01-09T01:02:00.004-05:00

I have been captivated at the beginning of this year by my need to simplify my Christian life again - return to basics, if you will! The Lord has brought this home for me in several ways, one was on a prayer and fasting day we held at church. It was really cool to sense the Holy Spirit direct us to Psalm 27. As we meditated on it and shared with each other, it was obvious that He was speaking to us. Very specifically, we were riveted on verse 4.

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

What was wild about this was that it was the exact opposite of what I was leaning towards at the start of this year! There is a TON of work to be done! As always, there are incredible needs in the ministry as well as the burden of our church plant. I felt the pressure and the “need” to encourage (push) our people to DO more. In fact, I was strongly leaning towards a theme for the year centered around the idea of “rising up to the task” or some such call to work. I don’t discount the need for more workers and more effort, yet it seemed as if God was calling me to recomputed and be reminded about the goal! THE ACTUAL GOAL!

Think of David… gazing on His beauty… what a picture! You can’t gaze in a hurry! You can’t gaze on His beauty while you busily do things for Him! We’re quickly reminded of Mary and Martha.

What does He really NEED from me? Was He impotent and unable to accomplish His chores, therefore He made me so I could help Him out? Did He not have the angels who could DO things for Him? Why do we so quickly boil the Christian life down to what we DO for Him. We may not actually SAY that, but in practice we so quickly DO that! We allow the Christian life to become “duty” and a check list of what I am accomplishing for Him. Is it possible that in my hurried scampering about He calls me to stop and gaze at his beauty?

Let’s get a definition.

Gaze - to look steadily and intently, as with great curiosity, interest, pleasure, or wonder.

Am I doing that? Do I have the time to do that? Is my life and my service characterized by awe, wonder and pleasure? As a Pastor, even if I am able to push and prod my people to “do” more, if there is no gazing going on has anything really been accomplished? At the end of the day is He going to be in awe of the work of my hands when I had no time to be in awe of HIM? Don’t we get this turned around so quickly?

I am reminded of all the “doing” of my legalistic past - all of the check-lists that were hoisted upon me and that I gladly piled on others. Was God impressed? Was I changed? Was ANYTHING of actual value produced or were we simply impressing each other with our “do-do religion.” Of late I have run across people I grew up with. People who were screamed at, yelled at, pushed and prodded to measure up… and today so many of them couldn’t possibly be further from those “lists.” My heart breaks to survey the landscape littered with broken and hurt people who never knew the pleasure of gazing on His beauty and now have left legalism only to embrace license and even more emptyness. I remember well the emptiness in my relationship with Christ even as I checked of every box on my list. What a joy it was to experience His grace, yet, I can so quickly fall back into that mode! We’re driven by accomplishment, by doing something. It fools us into a greater sense of self-worth. “Surely God must be glad He has me on His team.” “If every one in this church did as much as me…” If you’re honest, you’ve thought it to.

We proclaim boldly that justification is by faith alone, yet in practice we seem to believe that sanctification is by works. II Corinthians 3:18 seems to disagree.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

How does the change come? Beholding/gazing on His face, the Holy Spirit changes us into His image. All of my doing for Him means NOTHING unless it flows from GAZING upon Him. We might all agree with that in theory but in practice we feel we must see results, so we drive ourselves and others into harried little “Marys” and in the process suck the relationship right out of it! If it doesn't FLOW from Him it doesn't please Him! It can't! Is it possible that all of my running around in circles is actually counter-productive?

My church doesn’t need to “do” more, we need to gaze on His beauty. I have this funny feeling that more will actually get accomplished! For those who immediately say… It can’t be that simple, we have to DO something, I present Paul’s arguments in Romans! It IS FAITH alone, however faith that will not remain alone. I submit that a heart that is gazing on His beauty will be moved by His Spirit to DO in His power and for HIS glory! I submit we quickly get it all backwards. Have you been gazing on His beauty of late? He’s pretty awesome!

In His grace

Tony

I'm Grateful!

2008-11-25T00:19:00.004-05:00

I have SO much to be grateful for! God's grace on me as a sinner is chief among those things! I am so undeserving and continuosly amazed that He would love me! Why would He chose to use me for anything, much less ministry? Blows my mind! I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and two amazing children. We are two weeks away from our third. I AM BLESSED! As to the topic of this blog... I am blessed that God in His mercy chose to open my eyes to how AMAZING He is, and that He has allowed me to trade in formalism and deadness for a love relationship. He has seen free to free me from the fear of man and fill me with JOY in serving Him! He has blessed me with an amazing church and wonderful friends! You couldn't drag me back with wild horses! I am a BLESSED man!!!

Tony

The Kingdom!

2008-08-27T13:04:00.006-04:00

There has been a radical shift in my view of the Kingdom of God. I’m not really going in the direction of pre, post or a-mill with this post, though I have found that my view in that area HAS affected the way I see things today. I am more aiming towards how I view the body of Christ in the world today. My background (with the exception of a church or two that I attended) was incredibly strong on the proposition that the LOCAL church is all that really matters. The idea of “universal church” or my term “the Kingdom” were anathema. There were whole sermons preached (screamed) about this. We were fiercely independent. We were on our own, reaching the world for Christ. We were happy for other IFBX churches in other places, but that was about all we could muster even a smile for. Every other church in our town was really considered the enemy. Forget other denominations, heck, we were against most other Baptists! Because they failed to line up with us in some small area we really viewed them with disdain. If it looked like they were “successful” we would attribute it to “compromise” and being all about entertainment with no doctrinal substance. Forget “Bible” churches, “community” churches or other denominations. They were sell-outs, turn-coats, and not worthy to be even considered part of us! We really functioned as if we were on an island! An example that may seem extreme, yet it’s true… There was a church a block from ours that was named “Hilltop Community Church.” We renamed it “Hell-bottom” and it was referred to as this even by the church staff. I do not pretend that most IFB’s would act this way, this was one of the more radical churches I was a part of, yet the same general attitude was present in most churches I was exposed to.

All of that to say that there is such joy where the Lord has me today! I care deeply about core doctrine and I am unwilling to trade it in, yet I see a wide body of Christ, the Kingdom, and I can rejoice with what Christ is doing in so many different places and in different ways! I am THANKFUL that Christ is preached! I have become good friends and an admirer of several men who are Orthodox Presbyterian. I greatly respect the pastor of the local Christian Missionary Alliance and feel they are doing a wonderful work for the Lord in our community. I see HUGE benefits for the idea of being non-denominational as are some of my friends in “Bible” or “Community” churches. There are very good, Gospel preaching Methodist Pastors, I could go on and on! I am THRILLED to be part of the Kingdom! Our base church in Vineland is planting daughter a church in Bridgeton in association with the once hated Southern Baptists, and I’m having lunch on Friday with the Pastor of the local non-denominational church who wants to help us. We are naming the church ‘Emmanuel Bible Church’ though technically we would be “Baptist.” I wouldn’t trade where I am to return to where I was if you offered me the world. I was a paranoid little self-righteous Pharisee, who couldn’t see the beauty of God’s tapestry and the wonderful people who love him ALL around me! I’m so excited to be a part of the Kingdom!!! What is the coolest part of it is being able to be THRILLED when the CMA across town is growing, or when my OPC friend down the street is being blessed by the Lord! THEY are NOT my enemies!!! Praise the LORD for having my eyes opened in this area! You only have to go back about two generations to see most Orthodox Christians considering themselves one in Christ. Praise the Lord He is not building 50 denominations, rather, one KINGDOM!!!

I know that for some of our readers this all seems like stating the obvious, but many more will read these lines and identify fully with a mentality that looks down on EVERYONE! I believe that there are very few things more sickening in the eyes of the Lord than the Phariseeism in some of our circles. I remember the old quote when asked “What would you be if you were not a Baptist?” the cute reply was “I’d be ashamed.” I’m ashamed I EVER said that! Denominational pride is just as wicked as any other form of haughtiness or pride that God hates. We are to boast in Christ alone!!! It’s ALL about HIS Kingdom!

Disclaimer: Before anyone rushes to accuse me of broad-brushing, I would point you back to our permanent disclaimer and reiterate that I am simply describing MY experiences.

YES, there are things worth separating over! No, I’m not advocating throwing off the clear teachings of Scripture. No, I could never consider myself “inter-denominational” but am very comfortable with the idea of being “non-denominational.” I’m sure this wont be enough of a disclaimer, but please don’t read into the above paragraphs more than is actually there. I would gladly address any questions.

Tony

Eyes Wide Open

2008-08-12T23:38:00.009-04:00

Check out this amazing exaltation of God's grace and glory in the life of one most of us would have deemed hopeless. God is truly able!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,402483,00.html

When God opens eyes to the truth of Him it changes everything and no religion can stop the beautiful flow of grace from the changed!

Jesus, make us all brave for Your Name and Your glory!

Think. Love. Live.

Trevor

A Sad Distinctive...

2008-08-07T17:51:00.004-04:00

I was reading through the 'Institutional Distinctives' of a prominent and distinctively IFB college. About halfway down the second distinctive this stunned me:

Students who wish to be accepted at ______ _____ _______ College must come from a church of like faith and practice. We want to make it very clear to all of our students where we stand; therefore, we will not be able to accept charismatic, "Bible" church, "Christian" church, non-denominational, or inter-denominational students.

I cannot help but wonder what the goal of the college is. I'm sure they are wonderful people who desire to be pure and holy and right, but it just got me thinking. Does it not seem that the whole point is to take people who believe exactly as they believe and take 4-6 years to make sure that they come out with cap and gown believing the exact same thing and grounded in such a way that they never dare change (i.e. grow or mature or think or innovate etc.).

The most telling thing about this whole system is the fact that they simply cannot accept students from a charismatic church, 'Bible' church, 'Christian' church, non-denominational church, or inter-denominational church. I'm not trying to hate or spew venom, but in light of passages such as Mark 8:38-41, John 17, Ephesians 4:1-16, etc. this is extremely sad and, I'm afraid, a very clear commentary on the state of this movement. The saddest part of this distinctive is the beautiful, glorious, global, charismatic, Christian, Bible, non and inter-denominational Body from which they are distinguishing themselves. It's not surprising, but it is heart-breaking.

A sad distinctive indeed.

Think. Love. Live
Trevor

All Too Common

2008-08-05T17:48:00.017-04:00

The following article entitled 'What Are Some of the Common Marks of the Cults?" is from the CRI website (equip.org) and is written by Hank Hanegraaff. I added the bold type for clarity.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE COMMON MARKS OF THE CULTS?

One of the most devastating experiences someone could face is to have a loved one involved in a cult. What are some ways we can know that a certain group is in fact a cult?

The devil always hides behind a mask; and he seldom carries an ID card. If this statement is true, it is of utmost importance for us to discern a cult when we see one.

The first mark of a cult is its manipulation of Scripture. The Bible is twisted to fit the leader or group’s interpretation. Private interpretations are forbidden because the leader of the cult is the only one, of course, who is able to understand God’s voice properly. Their teachings distort the historic, orthodox claims of Christianity.

Second, many times cults manipulate people’s minds. There is little concern for individual thought and development. Education is usually discouraged while the convert is bombarded with the cult’s doctrine and literature. Members are called to leave or neglect their old family and life-style for a brand new one.

A third mark is the manipulation of time. Since salvation comes exclusively from the teachings of the group, in many cults members spend much of their time working for their organization. Family, school, leisure, sleep, and even food are most often neglected.

Finally, cults typically manipulate reality. They tend to have an exclusive “us”/“them” mentality in which society and old associates are all out to get them. Anyone outside of the group is suspect.

If a religious group exhibits one or more of the marks mentioned above, that group may well be considered a cult. Jesus Christ said that in the last days many false prophets would arise and deceive many (Matt. 24:11,24). To avoid the deception of the cults, we should be rooted in the teachings of the historic Christian faith, and receive Jesus Christ, God the Son, second Person of the Trinity, as Lord of our lives.

On the marks of a cult, that’s the Bible Answer Man Perspective. I’m Hank Hanegraaff.

Now, I'm not saying that the typical IFB church is in any way a cult (see disclaimer), but I would like to point out how personality-driven, churches that are caught up in extreme fundamentalism can certainly display some of the very same characteristics that are found in many cults.

First Mark: "Manipulation of Scripture". While many cults make up their own interpretations of Scripture or even write their own 'new' so-called revealed Scripture, many extreme IFB churches are certainly guilty of manipulating Scripture to fit their desired goals. Take dress standards for example. Many will take Duet. 22:5, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God" to try and make it mean that no women should be allowed to wear pants. This is simply not Scriptural. This verse is a declaration to keep the sexes clear, not to make a certain type of dress illegal in the church. Women can wear pants and be extremely feminine and modest. This kind of manipulation simply leaves context, culture, and common sense out of the discussion entirely for the sake of control.

Another example is using I Samuel 24 as a 'proof-text' for extreme pastoral authority. In I Sam. 24, David cuts off the corner of Saul's garment and then laments, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed." I have often heard this used by Pastors to ward off any questioning or arguing over his policies by saying that he is the man of God and no one is to stand up and question his 'God-given' authority (I have been warned with this passage and also the 'she-bears' passage more than once). David was also God's anointed and Saul was anything but a Pastor. This has nothing to do with Pastoral authority and is, once again, a manipulation of Scripture in order to increase power and control of a congregation. Nowhere in Scripture is a Pastor given absolute authority over a church . This is a clear manipulation of Scripture and, if nothing else, certainly looks cultish. There are plenty more, but for the sake of space I must continue. Maybe you have your own example you would like to leave in the comments.

Second Mark: "Manipulate People's Minds". I have been involved and educated in IFB circles and I have learned one thing through the entire experience: To be a good IFB. The colleges and seminaries in extreme fundamentalism do not encourage outside thought, independent thinking, or anything close to an eclectic look at Scripture. In many cases, these things are feared and not allowed anywhere near the campus. You can only listen to approved music, read approved books, use the KJV, dress a certain way, cut your hair a certain way, etc. One quickly learns to be a great follower of the extreme IFB way of thinking, but very few learn to develop into true leaders. The college I attended did stretch out a little by inviting a Presbyterian (I believe he was baptized baptist at one point late in life) to speak a few times for which they took all kinds of heat. In many extreme circles, education in any other college besides the approved colleges is simply unacceptable and will inevitably lead to what they call 'compromise' which is a key word for questioning and thinking. Where most Christian colleges and seminaries have a very eclectic staff that will challenge your presuppositions, encourage deep thought and meditation, and mold great leaders and innovators; many extreme IFB colleges simply have a staff full of people that all believe the exact same thing or else they will no longer be employed. In many cases this is not education, but rather indoctrination and manipulation. You can draw your own conclusions.

Third Mark: "Manipulation of Time". I have seen this time and time again with a guilt-driven, extreme fundamentalist style of ministry. "If you don't come out on Thursday night and go soul-winning then you are not being a good Christian." "If you don't go to church three times a week you're not going to thrive as a Christian." "We need someone to work and if you don't then you must not care about what God's doing around here." "We're having a revival this week and if you're not here every time you then you're not right with God." "The Bus ministry needs workers and if you're not doing anything on Saturdays then it's your shame that these kids won't be here." etc... The paid staff often have their time abused the most. They are asked to sacrifice time with their families as they work 80-100 hours a week trying to help the Pastor look as good as they possibly can. Their time is manipulated so that the church will 'grow' so that the pastor looks good. It has been my experience that many times the pastor is not willing to do himself what he commands of his congregation and staff. This is an abuse of people's time and the pastor's 'power'. This is indicative of cults and not true Christian churches.

Fourth Mark: "Manipulate Reality". Mr. Hanegraaff points out that many times in cults there is an 'us/them' mentality. Again, this is one thing that strikes so clearly when looking at many extreme IFB type churches. They are breeding grounds for this idea that they have it exactly right and anyone/everyone else are either sadly wrong or maniacally against them. Many sermons are produced with very little Biblical backing that talk of how they are the standard-bearers and anyone who is not the same is different and dangerous and must be avoided at all cost. Many times this leads to isolationism and the 'everyone's out to get us' mentality that begins to look so very cult-like. They begin to look at other Christians that have different standards and listen to different styles of music and read out of a different versions as the enemy and not as Christian brothers or sisters. Many times in these extreme fundamentalist churches 9 out of every 10 sermons will deal with separation and standards as they do everything that they can to keep their flock in their fold. It's a sad and dangerous mentality that leads to cult-like tendencies.

Conclusion: The intent of this post is not to try and prove that all IFB churches are cult-like in any way because that is certainly not the case (again, see disclaimer), but to point out that some involved in extreme fundamentalism have trended dangerously close to this mentality. This is a warning to anyone who thinks that they may be caught up in a spiritually abusive or even cult-like situation. Start asking questions and if you're not getting Biblical answers then get out. Being a Christian is not about being manipulated into doing the will of man, but is the beautiful joy and complete pleasure of gladly doing the will of the One who rescued you. True Christianity is a beautiful and glorious relationship and looks nothing like the harsh religion that characterizes cults and glorifies men.

*edited to better reflect my views on 8.6.08

Trevor

The Problem with Anonymity

2008-07-26T22:45:00.008-04:00

I hear many people in certain religious circles talk about how they are not ashamed of anything and how they take so called 'stand' after 'stand', yet they seem to be ashamed of their own comments here on the blog. I honestly do not care whether or not you put your name by your comments and I sincerely appreciate the fact that you take the time to read and reply, but if it's worth your time to write something then by all means let us know who you are. Especially if you're going throw a couple of hand-grenades and accuse us of things that we obviously have never done or never written. If you don't feel the necessity to do so then that is fine, but here are a couple of reasons that I believe you should...

1. It Gives Your Comments More Credibility.

If you say something that you feel is worth the time and effort then you should say it in such a way that you are not ashamed of placing your name at the end of it. If you do not place your name on it then that speaks volumes about the comment and perhaps about you. It says that you are ashamed of what you said because of the tone or the spirit in which it was said, or it says that you are afraid of the ramifications that your comments may bring. If for either of these reasons you are posting anonymously, then no one is going to take your comments with any seriousness and rightfully so. So add your name and add to your credibility with the other readers.

2. It Shows What Your Saying is Worth Saying.

I'm not saying your comments will have any worth whatsoever if you place your name by it, but it will say that you genuinely believe what you wrote is worth the time it took to write it. This will also add to the credibility as mentioned in point #1. If you are truly sincere and seriously concerned about something then you should put your name on it and let everyone know that you really believe in what you are saying. Whether you're penning down your random thoughts, trying to ask sincere questions, or trying to help in one way or another, adding your name to your comments will let everyone know that you believe in what you wrote. If you don't think it's worth putting your name by it then why would anyone think that your comments are important enough to take seriously.

Now, you may have some very real and legit reasons not to place your name by your comments, but in those cases the sincerity usually shines through in the spirit of the post. If you just want to throw out rude comments and try to accuse us of saying things or meaning things that obviously aren't true, then feel free to leave your name, but I believe we all understand the reasons that you do not as outlined above.

All that being said, let me apologize for my absence on both the blog and on the forum. It has been a crazy month or two for both me and Tony, but now we are back and looking forward to picking the pace up once again and attempting to glorify our great God and Lord, Jesus Christ. May we magnify Him in all we say, do, and write. May what we take time to write, as children of God, be said in such a way that we are not ashamed to place our name at the end of it.

Trevor

Book Review - Crazy Love

2008-07-23T15:26:00.006-04:00

My life has been a hectic mess as we are involved in alot of things right now. I feel as if even my time with the Lord has become hurried and has missed the depth of before. A week ago someone handed me a copy of Francis Chan's "Crazy Love." I was immediately curious as I have greatly appreciated the ministry of Brother Chan. I was able to be in a conference with him in '06 and hear him for a week, then at Passion '07 I saw the Lord use him powerfully as he challenged all of us on being Laodicean Christians. This book is very much in that vein. I have been challenged, humbled, encouraged, broken and left wanting more of my Savior as I have torn through these pages. This is the kind of book that could be used in a small group setting, etc to stir some serious conversation and soul-searching. Francis' heart beat is so foreign to our idea of Christianity that it does seem a little "crazy." But he's not just talking the talk! You have to check out this article in the most recent edition of WORLD magazine.

Sermons in the sun

Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, Calif., has a problem not unlike many fast-growing evangelical bodies: It is running out of room.
The 4,000-person suburban congregation hopes to construct a new facility soon on 138 acres of private land just west of the city limits. But building plans for the proposed 3,000-seat sanctuary defy church conventions. The blueprints include no foyer space or coffee bars, no windows or doors, and no walls or roof. Cornerstone intends to hold services outside.
The idea of constructing a massive outdoor amphitheater in lieu of a more traditional brick-and-mortar structure developed out of church leadership meetings on financial stewardship. Lead pastor Francis Chan, a resolute advocate for simplicity and generosity, has instilled the virtue of frugality into his congregation and staff. Chan has downsized into a 1,000-square-foot home for his family of six in the interest of devoting more personal resources to caring for the poor.

Check out his website as well:

http://www.cornerstonesimi.com/

And the website for the book:

http://www.crazylovebook.com/

With Francis Chan, Nashville '06

Tony

We're Still Here!

2008-07-02T16:41:00.002-04:00

Just a little note to let everyone know that we are still here, but it has been a very busy month for both me and Tony. I'll be out of town for portions of the next two weeks and Tony is in the middle of a large project at his church that is taking up much of his time. As all of you know, with the sensitivity of the subject matter here, we want to take our time and be very measured in how we write and what we write about. We will be back very soon. Thanks

Trevor

Permanent Broad-brushing Disclaimer

2008-06-08T22:58:00.002-04:00

Though we have tried to repeatedly express on this blog that we do not in ANY way seek to project the idea that all Independent Fundamental Baptist are the same and that many do NOT share some of the characteristics that we at times discuss, I’d like to piggy-back on Trevor’s last post and put up a permanent disclaimer that we can reference in the future when someone feels we are broad-brushing the entire movement. It is clear that the “movement” is in no way shape or form a homogenous entity. There are many different segments or camps within it, and there are even some who really are Independent and not really a part of any sub-group within the “movement.” Anyone would be foolish to seek to impugn this entire “group” as if they could truly all be bunched together. We want to clarify that we do NOT EVER wish to project unto all of these dear people whatever topic we may be dealing with.

For example, on the subject of the King James Bible, within this group you will have a WIDE variety of positions ranging from the far right (Ruckman/Riplinger type ideas) to a semi-middle of the road position (David Cloud/Crown College, etc..) to a very open position (BJ crowd, etc.)

Obviously when dealing with the King James issue on this blog we realize that there would be many IFB’s who would in fact agree with us or at least not be very far from us. I could give example after example, whether it be standards, preferences, even doctrinal positions such as Calvinism, etc.

Another observation would be that even though some IFB’s would strongly disagree with some of our positions they would do so in a gentle and kind spirit characterized by a Spirit-filled and loving response. These are WONDERFUL people! God bless them! If you are one of these IFB’s, man, I don’t care if you disagree with me on almost everything, I’m proud to call you my brother or sister in Christ and I have NO problem with you. At the end of the day, I am NOT under the illusion that I am right in all areas. If you are characterized by a loving and gentle spirit you ARE lifting up Christ, regardless of where you stand on eschatology or music preferences! I am FOR YOU! Please, never feel attacked by this blog!!!

The purpose of this blog is NOT to attack anyone, but to lift up Christ! We DO wish to encourage and bless those who may be under some of the oppressive and legalistic segments of the “ugly right” within the movement. We have traveled a difficult yet exciting journey as God has done some amazing things in our lives, yet we remember the many times we felt all alone as we wondered where we even fit as we saw certain “beliefs” fade away in the light of scripture. It was the encouragement of some amazing people that God brought into our lives that blessed us on many occasions. All we seek to do here is chronicle our journeys and lay out random thoughts of what God is doing in us. We would love to see this blog and forum grow into a place for people to connect with others and be greatly encouraged as we hunger after God together. Sadly, some WILL feel the wrath of dogmatic and angry people as they make this journey. We wish to encourage them with the knowledge that we have survived that and they can as well. We don’t serve man, we serve God!

I have wonderful friends who I treasure greatly who are firmly IFB and who disagree with me in many areas. My brother-in-law is strong KJV, the whole package. I appreciate his kind and gentle spirit. I have no beef with him and am grateful for his love for the Lord and his humble and meek spirit. I am SO grateful that I can love and appreciate these fine men and that they can return the friendship. For complete clarity, we are NOT anti-IFB. We are anti arrogant and un-accountable pastors, leaders and tyrants, we are against ugly dogmaticism in non-essentials, we are against any Christian being stripped of his/her ability to study the word and obey the Holy Spirit. We are COMPLETELY against blind allegiance and loyalty to men and movements! We wish to exalt Christ with all we are!

Tony

It's Not About the IFB...

2008-06-07T20:10:00.006-04:00

I just wanted to throw something out there. I just spent the morning at a wonderful IFB church in the city above me. My kids actually play baseball in their church league. My father-in-law is the co-pastor there. They have standards of dress, music and they are strong KJVO, but one thing that stands above all of those things is the fact that they love the Lord! I love them. We have differences, but the love of Christ transcends those differences and where there is agreement we speak freely and where there is possible contention we simply don't find those peripheral issues worth the contention they may cause and we simply don't go there. I totally respect them and the standards that they have and when I am there I abide by every single one of them. If I have shorts on I don't go in their buildings and if I attend a service at their church I wear a suit. They know I'm 'different', but they respect me and love me as a Christian as I respect them and love them as lovers of Christ and worshippers of God. We golf, we play, we hang out, we bowl, and we have sweet fellowship in the name of our great Jesus! I had a wonderful conversation with a person on their staff this morning about some of these issues (and bear in mind that they are strong IFB. They attend pastors school in Hammond every year). You know what he said to me? It's stunning...

He said, "You're my friend above all else and that is not going to change." How awesome and how Christian is that??!!?? Sure we differ in some contentious areas, but we both love Jesus and at the end of the day that's all that really matters!

What's my point? It's this...

This blog is not about the IFB. It's not about bashing anyone or railing on a certain denomination because we are mad (in spite of the baseless allegations that have been made). This isn't a blanket broad brush of everyone and every church that is a part of the IFB movement. There are many wonderful Christian people who love Jesus above all else and are KJVO with dress and music standards etc. We, here at 'free from the box' have zero problem with them and have no beef with them in any way shape or form. As a matter of a fact, there are many wonderful people that we have and will continue to learn from who proudly display that banner, but are lovers and worshippers of Jesus and not worshippers of men or a movement.

What we are trying to help people see is that there is freedom from religious zealots who want to make you think that you are wrong because you think, because you differ on peripheral issues, or because you dare ask questions. We want to let people know that they are not alone when a tyrannical pastor makes them think they will never find another job in the ministry because they are no longer KJVO. We want to shine the light on the glory of Christ and let people know that the Christian world is huge and beautiful and socially and culturally diverse. We want to let lovers of Jesus know that it's o.k. not to agree 100% on every single thing. We want to give Christians a voice and an opportunity to ask questions and get answers in a safe and loving Christian environment.

We have seen the ugliness of people who love issues more than they love people and who boldly claim their conditional friendship based on 100% loyalty to a movement, and this is what must be questioned and must be called out and that is why this blog exists.

We're not mad at anyone, but we do have an agenda...to glorify God. I love my Christian brothers and sisters in Christ from every denomination, culture and country. We all serve a great and gracious Savior and when you've been changed by the power of His imputed righteousness how can we base friendship on whether or not one wears a suit and tie or listens to a certain type of music? It all pales in comparison to being radically changed by the cross of Jesus Christ! We've been made new! We are all fallen and unworthy but for the grace of God! May that be the tie that binds as we encourage those who are caught in the trap of men who would rather be loyal to men and movements than to love the children of God unconditionally.

Trevor