Maranatha Sunesis

Pride and Apologies

Larry Oats — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:26:36 +0000

I recently made an off-handed comment about a conservative evangelical in a public setting. A short while later I received an email from a colleague at another institution, noting the inaccuracy of my statement. His email was the result of an email from a colleague at a third institution, “sharing” my comment with him. While [...]

President Obama and Gay Marriage

Larry Oats — Sun, 13 May 2012 02:12:42 +0000

How disappointing to hear the President of the United States declare his support for same-sex marriage. He has indicated that his position on marriage has evolved. Even more disappointing was his declaration that Jesus supports his position. The President’s liberalism goes well beyond his politics, if he really thinks that this is a biblical position! [...]

Controversy over “Immersion”

Larry Oats — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:42:46 +0000

From the earliest days of the British and Foreign Bible Society (founded in 1804) and the American Bible Society (founded in 1816), Baptists supported and encouraged the translation of the Bible into numerous languages. A conflict eventually developed which caused the Baptists to withdraw from fellowship with these interdenominational Bible Societies. In the 1830’s the [...]

Burma Sees More Freedom

Larry Oats — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:39:03 +0000

Myanmar, better known to many as Burma, closed its borders to much of the world after a military coup in 1962. There were numerous Baptists in Burma at that time, and they were reflective of American, and to a lesser degree, English Baptists – fundamentalist Baptists and liberal Baptists. That distinction continued until the government [...]

Judson and American Baptist Missions

Larry Oats — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:29:24 +0000

When Adoniram Judson left America as its first foreign missionary, only the Congregationalists were supporting missionaries. Adoniram and Ann Judson were not the only missionaries sent out by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Accompanying the Judsons were Samuel and Harriett Newell and Luther Rice. The Judsons were not the only ones in [...]

Adoniram Judson and Baptism

Larry Oats — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:54:56 +0000

Adoniram and Ann Judson along with the Newells sailed from Salem, Massachusetts, on the 19th of February, 1812. Judson spent part of the journey in a study of the question of infant baptism. He understood the baptism of new converts to be the plain command of Scripture. “But how,” thought he, “am I to treat [...]

What We’re Reading – Coming to Grips with Genesis

Larry Oats — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:48:59 +0000

Terry Mortenson and Thane H. Ury, eds. Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2010. Although written from a creationist point of view, this work is not a book on science. It is a hermeneutics and theology book, centered on understanding primarily the meaning of [...]

Kudos to the Catholics

Larry Oats — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:33:51 +0000

It’s not very often that I would commend the Roman Catholic Church. I disagree with much of their theology, their practices and their attitudes, but in the last couple of weeks, I commend them, along with a number of other religious groups that I may have little or no affinity towards, for their willingness to [...]

What We’re Reading – Gospel Powered Humility

Maranatha — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:13:09 +0000

BOOK REVIEW William Farley. Gospel Powered Humility. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2011. I recently finished reading Gospel Powered Humility by William Farley. If you think for one minute that pride is in check in your life or ministry, or if you ever find yourself inwardly entertaining the notion that you have pretty much [...]

America’s First Missionary Sacrifices

Larry Oats — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 08:23:40 +0000

Sitting in a small cabin on board the ship Caravan were six young people. Two were the well known Ann and Adoniram Judson. Two were young men on board only to say goodbye to the others. The last two were Harriett and Samuel Newell. The former Harriett Atwood was the youngest of the group. Her [...]