Al Mohler comments on the fact that Dr. Frank Page (SBC President) once affirmed that women should be allowed to be pastors. In Dr. Page's 1980 Ph.D. dissertation, he argued for the abolition of all distinctions in the role of men and women in the church. Mohler explains that this was the prevailing view in the SBC at that time, which led him, too, to accept this position as a seminary student in the early 1980s. Get this: Mohler actually went so far as to help lead a protest of the 1984 SBC resolution on women in ministry. So how did Mohler come to change his mind on this crucial issue, … [Read more...] about Al Mohler (Years Ago) Changed His Mind on Women as Pastors
Theology
Cotton Mather on Preaching
Cotton Mather, who died in 1728, wrote this in the Preface of his book Student and Preacher, a declaration he termed "Directions for a Candidate of the Ministry:" The great design and intention of the office of a Christian preacher are to restore the throne and dominion of God in the souls of men; to display in the most lively colours, and proclaim in the clearest language, the wonderful perfections, offices and graces of the Son of God; and to attract the souls of men into a state of everlasting friendship with Him. (As quoted in Between Two Worlds: The Challenge of Preaching Today by John … [Read more...] about Cotton Mather on Preaching
The Feminization of the Church
Holly Pivec in the Spring 2006 issue of the Biola Connections magazine pens an outstanding article entitled The Feminization of the Church: Why Its Music, Messages and Ministries Are Driving Men Away. She cites numerous Christian leaders, like Patrick Johnstone (Operation World) and David Murrow (author of Why Men Hate Going to Church). Nancy Pearcey is another who touches on these themes in Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity. Some excerpts: "93 percent of senior pastors in America are men, according to evangelical pollster George Barna. But, the majority of … [Read more...] about The Feminization of the Church
Calvinism vs. Arminianism Debate — available on DVD
The controversy among evangelicals surrounding the issue of who does what in salvation is among one of the most long-standing, sometimes heated debates in all of church history. Books and monographs related to this topic have been proliferating in recent years as a result of a widely noted resurgence in Calvinistic thinking, particularly on the part of younger scholars. Certainly there is evidence for this in the Southern Baptist Convention, for example. Given the strong interest on this issue, Appleseed Ministries hosted a debate between Tom Schreiner and Bruce Ware (representing the … [Read more...] about Calvinism vs. Arminianism Debate — available on DVD
Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and the PC(USA)
Albert Mohler does a great job holding his ground in response to The Christian Century. At issue is Mohler's concerned response (here and here) to the PC(USA)'s 217th General Assembly's alternative suggested titles for the Persons of the Godhead (which included "Rainbow, Ark and Dove," "Speaker, Word and Breath," "Overflowing Font, Living Water and Flowing River," "Compassionate Mother, Beloved Child and Life-Giving Womb," "Sun, Light and Burning Ray," "Giver, Gift and Giving," "Lover, Beloved and Love," "Rock, Cornerstone and Temple," "Fire that Consumes, Sword that Divides and Storm that … [Read more...] about Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and the PC(USA)
PC(USA) Assembly and the Trinity
In an earlier post, I mentioned that some Presbyterians had been contributing to "...the degradation of the Trinity into trite platitudes such as 'Rock, Redeemer, and Friend.'" I was referring to the 217th General Assembly meeting of the PC(USA) last month in Birmingham, Alabama. Read more about the strange developments here. Excerpt: Pastor Parker T. Williamson, CEO of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, says the PC(USA) is showing contempt for historic church teaching with these substitutions. "The understanding of God as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit in this divine communion … [Read more...] about PC(USA) Assembly and the Trinity