Censorship at SWBTS

I haven't delved too deeply into SBC politics on my blog, though I do occasionally comment on such issues on the blogs of others. I do find it disconcerting when Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson makes the decision to restrict free access to a message delivered in chapel because he has determined that it might harm the churches. I can't imagine such censorship and restriction of information having taken place in my years at the seminary under the presidencies of Drs. Naylor and Dilday. When dissent is silenced and access to opposing viewpoints is restricted, the nature of theological education as inquiry and investigation is supplanted by indoctrination in the "official party line," and woe be to those who would dare criticize their interpretations.

Disaster Relief Chainsaw Crew

I met today with a task force of interested individuals that is helping the BGCM to outfit a trailer with chainsaws and safety equipment necessary to respond to disasters both here in Missouri and beyond. We're still in the planning stages of this endeavor, but the Lord has blessed us with some folks who have previous experience in this type of disaster response and their input has been invaluable. One of the real blessings is that this type of willingness to cooperate and offer assistance is taking place in spite of some "Baptist political differences" that might have otherwise sabotaged our efforts. I've discovered that those who are committed to working in disaster relief efforts are far more concerned about the needs of the individuals that they will be helping than about the religious labels someone else might wear. Far that, I'm extremely grateful to God and pray that their tribe may increase.

Blog Name Explanation

It's not my intent to insult the intelligence of any theological students or church history buffs who might wander by and read this post, but as my blog was recently referenced by a coworker in a monthly email newsletter distributed by the BGCM, I felt that some might visit my site for the first time and wonder about the significance of the title "Radical Reformation Fan."

The Radical Reformation refers to a smaller movement within the greater Reformation movement that has traditionally been identified most with the work of Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and others in either the Lutheran or Reformed traditions. The Radical Reformers (also known more popularly as the Anabaptists) went beyond the Magisterial Reformers (as the above men are labelled) by insisting on the need for a separation of the church from the state. Both Luther and Calvin tied the success of their reforming movements to the support of the German and Swiss states respectively. The Anabaptists contended that the state had no right to impose a system of beliefs on anyone and insisted that only an uncoerced faith was a legitimate expression of belief in Christ.

The Anabaptists also took the daring step of initiating believers' baptism in January of 1525, less than 8 years after Luther had tacked his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenburg Church. They argued that only true believers could understand the significance of the ordinance and demonstrate their commitment to the lordship of Christ by submitting to baptism. Many of the other basic beliefs that we maintain today as Baptists can be traced back to the Anabaptists.

My love for Anabaptist history was whetted by a church history professor I was privileged to study under at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary--Dr. William Estep. His book, The Anabaptist Story, contains many moving accounts of the sacrifices that these radical reformers paid for their beliefs--many of them having suffered martyrdom. The sad fact is that they were persecuted not only by the Roman Catholic Church, but also by Lutherans and Calvinists. My wife and I took a Reformation study tour to Europe with Dr. Estep when we were still in seminary and it was one of those unforgettable experiences in life. While his book is out of print, it is still possible to find a copy of it in seminary libraries and even some church libraries. I would commend its reading if you can find it.

Dying Well

The story is told of a man who approached John Wesley one day, seemingly at random, and asked the famous evangelist how he might come to faith in Christ. Wesley explained to the man the way to become a Christian and the man trusted in the Lord for salvation. Wesley then asked the man why he had sought him out specifically to ask him how to be saved. The man replied, "Because I have observed that your people die well." I've often thought about that response in the years since I first heard that story. It has come to my mind repeatedly in these past three years as I have been privileged to serve as associate pastor to a large group of senior adults. I have witnessed repeatedly the same phenomenon that this unnamed man saw in the followers of John Wesley: Christians know how to die well.

I performed a funeral service this afternoon for a lady I had only known a few months. Wilma had been struggling with cancer for several years, but she faced it with undaunting courage and faith. We spoke several times in recent weeks about her approaching death, and she always responded cheerfully that she was ready to go home whenever the Lord called her.

Many of the services I do are for folks I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the course of the entire time I have been with this congregation. Such will be the case on Wednesday as I do the eulogy for another of God's dear saints--a man named Nathan. Nathan was 94 years old and was a faithful member of our church until the end. He attended prayer meeting on Wednesday evening before passing away on Saturday afternoon. Nathan kept up with several missionaries around the world, composing handwritten letters to them to encourage them in their work. He took a personal interest in my family, cutting out newspaper clippings of our sons' awards and accomplishments and passing them along to us with his congratulations. When I lost my father, Nathan wrote letters of encouragement to my mother, and never failed to ask how she was doing when we were together.

Nathan was an adopted grandfather to a lot of the children of the workers who serve at John Knox Village, the retirement community where he lived for many years. He spent time telling them stories, loving them, and sharing his wisdom. Nathan also was in charge of securing entertainment and speakers for our monthly senior adult gatherings of the Joy Club, and already had folks lined up for the next several months when he passed away.

Heaven's gain is earth's loss this week as our church bids farewell to two distinguished followers of the Lord. They would both decry any such attempts to praise them, as a hallmark of both Wilma and Nathan's life was their humility. But the Scripture admonishes us to give praise to whom it is due, and these two choice servants of the Lord deserve our respect and commendation for a life lived well. They surely have already heard the voice of their Master say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Outstanding Trip

I arrived safely home from Guatemala yesterday afternoon after spending 8 days in a very beautiful country--both in terms of natural beauty and the people who live there. It was my privilege to teach 33 students, the great majority of them who serve as pastors, during a weeklong course on Theology, Culture, and Mission. We focused together on some areas in which the churches need to address the overwhelming needs they confront in society as they are carrying out the Great Commission. I was very encouraged by the enthusiastic response with which the course was received and by the high level of participation and interaction present.

In meeting with Guatemalan Baptist Convention leaders to discuss the partnership agreement with the BGCM, they shared with us a proposed plan for working in some of the westernmost regions of Guatemala that have received less outside assistance in terms of volunteers teams than other areas. They invited us to offer a centralized 2-day training event for pastors in that area every 6 months during the next 3 years, as well as seeking to match up individual Missouri churches with Guatemalan churches to carry out some hands-on projects. It was a very positive experience.

On Sunday, we were able to participate in the 60th anniversary celebration of the work of the Guatemalan Baptist Convention. Some 800 or 900 were present from many of the 50+ Baptist churches of the capital, and the theme was built around the faithfulness of God in the past, present, and future. Three different messages of 10 minutes each (is that possible for a Baptist preacher?) dealt with this theme. I had the opportunity of bringing the final reflection about God's faithfulness in the future and basically said we could trust God to be faithful in the future because of His faithfulness in the past, because the Bible assures us that He is faithful, and that He promises to be with us in the future (Jer. 29:11-14a).

We got to do some sightseeing as well and thoroughly enjoyed the ancient city of Antigua and the beautiful Lake Atitlan with its 3 volcanoes. I had mixed emotions as we left--glad to be heading home on the one hand, but sorry to bid farewell to some outstanding brothers and sisters in Christ whom I have grown to love and appreciate in these days.

Guatemala Bound

Sunday will find me on an airplane winging its way toward my destination of Guatemala City. I begin teaching a week-long intensive course at the Baptist Theological Seminary there on Monday morning. The course focuses on the need to engage in wholistic ministry as we seek to reach others with the gospel. I've previously taught this material on 2 different occasions at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary in Mexico City. I'll be joined on Wednesday by the executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Missouri to meet with leaders of the Guatemala Baptist Convention as we further explore and flesh out plans for missions projects as a part of a three year partnership agreement between our respective conventions. We'll be traveling to the southwestern part of Guatemala to the city of Quetzaltenango over the weekend before returning for a worship service in Guatemala City on Sunday evening that will celebrate the convention's anniversary and focus on God's faithfulness in the past, present, and future.

If you happen to stumble across this blog in the coming week, please say a prayer for the Lord to bless the time spent ministering in Guatemala. Thanks.

Don't Try This On Your Own

On August 2, 1990, Sven-Erik Soderman, driving an Opel Kadett at Mora, Sweden, set a world's record in stunt driving. Soderman reached a speed of 102.14 mph while driving his car on two side wheels. Personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable driving a car 100 miles per hour on 4 wheels—much less on two. Have you noticed though that people have different comfort levels with risk-taking? That’s evident whether you’re talking about people’s investment strategies with their money, their willingness to climb a tall ladder, or their attitude toward approaching certain animals like snakes or spiders. While I’m not advocating that we become daredevil drivers, I think we could all stand to move outside of our comfort zones and speak up and share our faith in Christ with others whom we bump into every day. The world desperately needs to hear the Good News that we possess, and I’m convinced that God has placed us in the sphere of influence that He has for a divine purpose. Let’s risk a little embarrassment to communicate God’s love.

Grandkids' pictures

Well, after the update on the family to satisfy Guy Muse's curiosity, his wife Linda requested to see pictures of the grandkids. I don't know where my brain was when I failed to include them the first time. I think I just flunked Grandparenting 101. This is my attempt to earn a passing grade for the course.

Family Update

Guy Muse had requested that I provide an update on the family on this blog, so I'm trying to accommodate him. My wife and I will celebrate our 31st anniversary this next week on August 3rd. Annetta Marie teaches both Spanish and drama at Harrisonville High School, about 20 minutes south of where we live in Lee's Summit, which in turn is a suburb of Kansas City, MO. Our oldest son, Jason, turns 29 this Friday and we're heading down to Branson, MO this weekend to celebrate with him and his wife, Jen, as well as our 2 grandchildren. Kelsey is 21 months old and is a very bright and attractive little girl. She has an immense vocabulary for someone so young. Andrew was born on May 23rd of this year and is a delightful baby. Jason is a family practice physician who lives in Warrensburg, MO, about 45 minutes to the east of us. They are very involved in the First Baptist Church there and have also been instrumental in beginning a Crisis Pregnancy Center to help young women who are contemplating an abortion.

Joel, our second son, is 25 and serves in the US Air Force. He is stationed at Langley AFB in Hampton, VA and works in intelligence. He will be visiting with us for a couple of weeks vacation at the start of August and we're really looking forward to the time with him. Joshua, 18, just recently graduated as salutatorian of his high school class of 500+ students. He missed being valedictorian by .002 of a point because he took some unweighted choir classes. He is a National Merit Scholarship winner and received a presidential scholarship to Missouri State Univ. in Springfield. He is interested in studying political science and is talking about a couple of years with the Peace Corps in Africa after graduation. Jonathan, 13, will be in the 8th grade this year. He is a talented musician who plays the violin and is teaching himself piano as well. He is involved in Boy Scouts and has completed all of the merit badges required to be an Eagle Scout. He still needs to do his Eagle project to earn that honor. He also loves playing with our dog and cat, as well as video games.

It took us awhile to adapt back to life in the States after being overseas for so many years, but we've enjoyed being able to visit family, and it's especially nice to be able to babysit the grandkids from time to time. The ministry here at church is going well, as well as my part-time responsibilities with the Baptist General Convention of Missouri. I'll be traveling to Guatemala from Aug. 6-14 to teach a course at their seminary and to meet with convention leaders about some future missions projects.

Thanks for indulging these personal reflections.

Adult VBS

I'm immensely enjoying my week as we're involved in our third annual Adult VBS. We have chosen to do this somewhat on the order of the January Bible Study, but have opted for June the last 3 years as the weather is more predictable. We break our time frame up into 2 blocks. In the first 40 minutes or so, we have a special feature followed by refreshments and then the Bible study. I'm leading a study of the book of Colossians this year, having studied Ephesians last year and Romans the first year that we did this. On Monday evening we viewed a DVD that was produced by the cousin of one of the members of FBC Bay St. Louis, MS where our church has sent 3 construction teams to assist in rebuilding efforts. The footage showed the magnitude of the destruction as well as some stark contrasting before and after photos. Last night (Tuesday) 7 different trip participants shared their experiences and it was a powerful, moving time as they struggled to express the deep emotions they felt on having a hand in helping people put the pieces of their lives back together again. Tonight, we'll have a very talented singer who is a member of our church give us a concert, and tomorrow we'll wrap up with a study conducted by a chaplain and her husband on dealing with fear and loneliness. If your church hasn't experimented with an Adult VBS format, I'd encourage you to consider doing so. It has been a blessing for us the past 3 years. We've averaged about 90-100 each evening, a pretty good crowd for a mid-summer weeknight activity.

Gulf Coast mission trips

While I haven't had an opportunity to visit extensively with the adults who participated in the most recent construction trip to Bay St. Louis, MS (they just returned last night), our church did have the blessing of hearing from our youth group this evening about their trip to Biloxi. They did an awesome job of sharing God's love and encouragement with those who need hope in a number of different venues. They worked in backyard Bible clubs where at least one youngster made a profession of faith and several others asked probing questions about salvation. They also sang in a detention center, at a soup kitchen, at a number of churches, and even made a surprise visit to put on a program for the volunteers at Bay St. Louis. I wish you could have seen and heard their excitement tonight. Seeing the photos of our predominantly white youth loving on and hugging African-American children in the FEMA trailer communities of Biloxi brought tears to my eyes as I reflected on the fact that the gospel really is color-blind. Great job, youth! Thanks for being the hands and feet of Jesus this week in Mississippi.

Gulf Coast Update

I had to pinch hit as preacher this past Sunday in both morning services and again on Sunday night as more than 80 of our congregation are gone this week to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Our pastor is leading the third adult construction mission team to Bay St. Louis. 26 of our adults gave up vacation time to help the folks in Bay St. Louis and Waveland get back into their homes. They have been doing painting, electrical work, sheetrocking, and removing fallen trees.

At the same time, 43 of our youth and 14 adult sponsors have been working in Biloxi, conducting backyard Bible clubs in FEMA trailer communities as well as doing a large number of concerts. They are singing in area churches, in a county youth detention facility, and in a soup kitchen in Memphis on their way home. They also traveled over to Bay St. Louis one evening to do an impromptu concert for the 250+ volunteers who are serving there this week. We received word this morning of one decision to trust Christ in one of the backyard Bible clubs and at least 4 other boys who had serious questions and sat and dialogued with youth and adult leaders about their spiritual condition.

My prayers go with those of you traveling to Greensboro for the SBC annual meeting this next week. I'd love to be able to sit and visit with many fellow bloggers and trust that the fellowship will be sweet, the gathering not too politically charged, and that some positive changes will be forthcoming. Blessings on you!

Memphis Declaration

I've continued to follow with considerable interest the blogging going on in the SBC blogosphere, especially as it relates to missions. I appreciate very much the spirit that was exhibited by the signers of the Memphis Declaration in their stated resolve of the need to repent of many of the most grievous actions committed by those who were in the vanguard of the conservative resurgence movement. I would wish (though I'm certainly not holding my breath) that this same spirit of reconciliation could spread throughout the SBC like the uncontrollable grassfires that have swept so many parts of our nation in recent months. I hear many bloggers saying that while they cannot speak for others, they subscribe to the spirit of the declaration. Unfortunately, there are those who view the signers as possessing a political agenda on the one hand, or worse still, who continue to insist that the actions of the leaders of the resurgence were praiseworthy and that these individuals should continue to command our thanks and respect. The path to reconciliation will not be advanced by those who continue to vilify conservative Baptists who do not happen to share their exact interpretations of doctrines which are non-essential in terms of salvation. Jesus' high priestly prayer for the unity of His followers in John 17 is trampled underfoot by those who create unnecessary divisions in their zeal to appear more devout than the Pharisees.

Katrina Relief Report

Well, I've almost managed to catch my breath if not my sleep after the week-long trip to Bay St. Louis, MS to help rebuild homes destroyed by Katrina. A dozen of us from church left on April 8th and returned April 15th. We engaged in all kinds of construction/rebuilding projects. One team of four wound up painting the interior of 4 different homes in as many days. Two of our number worked in the kitchen to feed the 180+ volunteers from such diverse places as Miami; Oak Grove, VA; Sumter, SC; and Greensboro, NC to name just some of the places of origin. The other 6 of our group at times worked as one team and at times split into 2 groups of 3 as they worked on sheetrocking, mudding, and finishing walls in 3 different homes. Everyone whose home we worked in had a story to tell of how they survived the storm or what they found when they returned home after evacuating elsewhere. It was therapeutic for them to share their story and we did our best to empathize and encourage as we worked. The overwhelming response of the residents of Waveland and Bay St. Louis to our presence there was one of extreme gratitude. Even total strangers would approach us on the street and ask if we were volunteers. When we replied that we were, they thanked us profusely for coming down to help them.

Pictures don't do justice to the level of destruction suffered along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It will be years before the area is back to normal, but over and over again the folks expressed their appreciation for Christians and especially Baptists who were laboring in their hometowns to help them get back to normal.

We spent our last day working on the home of a lady who is dying of cancer and wants to go home to die. Several other groups have been pitching in to help her as well. A huge thanks goes to FBC of Bay St. Louis for their generous spirit in hosting such huge numbers of volunteers and for putting the needs of their community ahead of even their own church repairs. Thanks too go out to Georgia Baptists who are helping to staff the office and coordinate the efforts of so many volunteers. The Lord will certainly take note of your sacrificial efforts.

Heading for Bay St. Louis, MS

I'll probably not be posting for several days as I'm leading a group of 12 from our church on a mission project to Bay St. Louis, MS to assist in rebuilding homes that were damaged or destroyed by Katrina. I'm not sure that our group is emotionally prepared still for the extent of the damage there, despite having seen pictures of it. We'll be leaving this Saturday, April 8th and returning the following Saturday to be home in time for Easter services. One of the highlights in addition to the opportunity of serving will be getting to spend time again with the pastor and his wife of the FBC there. We served together for many years in Argentina and I'm looking forward to being together again. For any who stumble across this post this week, our group would appreciate your prayers for our safety as we travel and work, for our productivity, and for our witness.

BGCM Meeting a Great Success

We had a wonderful gathering at our church this past weekend for the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Missouri. Outstanding messages were brought by Wallace Hartsfield, pastor of the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Kansas City; Alan Stanford, general secretary of the North American Baptist Fellowship of the BWA; Albert Reyes, president of the Baptist Univ. of the Americas and immediate past president of the BGCT; Carol Childress of WorldconneX; and Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy Graham. We also heard great testimonies from Don Sewell of mission work taking place around the world. Don heads up mission partnerships for the BGCT. I was delighted to be able to host the executive secretary and vice-president of the Guatemalan Baptist Convention during their visit here for the BGCM annual meeting. We are looking forward to working closely with their convention in a number of missions projects during the coming three years. I am planning on being in Guatemala in August to teach a course at their seminary as well as explore together with some other BGCM representatives the needs that our convention might be able to assist them in meeting. We're grateful for their sweet spirit and willingness to partner with us.

Celebrating at least for one day a UT win

I thoroughly enjoyed the high drama and tension of the sweet 16 games last night. The icing on the cake was that UT managed to sink a 3 pointer with .8 seconds left to win it outright and avoid going into OT with West Va. I'm still hoping against hope for concurrent national championships in 3 major sports--baseball, football, and basketball. That's a feat that's never been accomplished and would be a feather in Texas' cap (or maybe attached to one side of Bevo's horns?) Hook 'em Horns! My second son's bracket picks are still looking pretty good. He has UCLA winning it all and they managed an incredible comeback from a 17 point deficit to eliminate Gonzaga.

Gearing up for BGCM annual meeting

Our church is privileged to host the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Missouri on March 31st and April 1st. We will be announcing a number of important new partnership agreements, including those with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, with WorldconneX, with the North American Baptist Fellowship, and with the Guatemalan Baptist Convention. The BGCM will have an opportunity to showcase its commitment to its First Priority strategic plan of serving churches through 4 Great Commission initiatives--leadership development, church health, church planting, and missions mobilization. For more information about the BGCM and its upcoming meeting, visit the organization's homepage on the web. Among the featured speakers at this year's meeting are Dr. Albert Reyes, immediate past president of the BGCT and the president of the Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio, and Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy Graham. If you're in the Kansas City area that weekend, consider joining us for some great worship, inspiration, and a focus on missions.

Big 12's sole survivor

I found myself in the odd position this afternoon of rooting for Texas A&M against LSU. With OU and KU already being eliminated in first round action, that left just the Aggies and my Longhorns from the Big 12 in the big dance. Now it's up to the 'Horns to represent the conference. I don't have great illusions about their success as they have been very sporadic this season, but I would love to celebrate national championships in 3 major men's sports in one calendar year. For those who might not remember, UT won the College World Series in Omaha last summer and of course beat USC for the national championship in football in January. I officiated the funeral service at noon today for one of the 2 ladies I mentioned in my previous post on ministry to the dying.

Ministry to the dying

One of my main responsibilities as associate pastor of our church is working with a wonderful group of senior adults in our congregation. They are one of the finest bunch of folks you could ever hope to meet. Many are a part of the builder generation that helped shape our country during and immediately following WWII. I view this group with a tremendous amount of respect for their unselfish contributions to our nation and our church. It's tough to bid farewell to them when the Lord promotes them by calling them into His presence, but that's a part of life and ministry with this age group. One of the men I've been visiting at the care center for almost 3 years now passed away this morning. He flew more than 50 missions as a bomber pilot in the European Theater of Operations in WWII. He was an outstanding deacon in our church and a Sunday School department director before his health began failing a number of years ago. His legacy is evident in his 2 surviving children (having lost a son in Vietnam). The daughter began a ministry of clowning in the care center to encourage the residents there and his son will be returning this summer to Belarus on a mission trip after having experienced the Lord's blessings on his ministry there last year. Two other dear saintly women are lingering near heaven's door today as well. I had a great visit with them both this morning and was moved by one's declaration that "things don't matter; people matter." That's a message we all need to heed.