Are Calvinists Better Evangelists?

I want to extrapolate on a conversation underway on TFTG. Dr. Dever asks Dr. Duncan if Calvinists are better evangelists based on these statistics:

14.8% decline in the United Church of Christ

11.6% decline in the PCUSA

6.7% decline in the United Methodist Church

5.7% decline in the American Baptist Churches

5.3% decline in the Episcopal Church

5% growth in the Southern Baptist Convention

18.5% growth in the Assemblies of God

21.8% growth in the Christian and Missionary Alliance

40.2% growth in the Church of God

42.4% growth in the PCA

57.2% growth in the Evangelical Free Churches

Dever then asks:

"In light of your post on not losing a grip on the gospel, would you suggest that Calvinists are better evangelists? Is that what these statistics suggest? To what do you attribute the PCA's much more rapid growth?"

I would suggest that (1) the denominations which have showed decline are generally more liberal in their theology. The fact that people are leaving these denoms is no surprise to me because why would people come to church to get worldly ideas when one can just get those from the world itself? Also, (2) The denoms that have showed growth are the ones that profess the inerrancy of Scripture. However, why have the PCA and the EV Free churches grown so much? I would say that because they are relatively new, the growing curve will be pretty steep, however both of these two denoms as a whole practice SUFFICIENCY of Scripture, meaning that they preach and teach the ENTIRE Word of God and let the Spirit convict and move their congregants and do not teach "self-help" psychology.

This finding begs the question, "Why have Southern Baptists only grown 5%?" I would surmise that most SB churches DO NOT practice the sufficiency of Scripture. And what I mean, is that I doubt most pastors in the SBC preach through entire books of the Bible, preach doctrinal series, and generally strive to have a biblically-minded church. There is a big difference between stating that one believes the Bible is the Word of God and actually practicing this belief.

In conclusion, being a Calvinist does not make you a better evangelist, but placing yourself under the authority of Scripture, and witnessing faithfully for the glory of God (and NOT the for the glory of ourself), will result in denominational growth. Lost people can discern between godly intentions and ungodly ones.

With that said, growth does necessitate success. One only has to look at Joel Osteen and the Mormon Church. They are growing, but are they growing because God is blessing them?

Ross's Seminary Experience

I know that I’m a little behind here, but I would like to put my $0.02 in about the seminary experience. Now don’t forget, I’ve only been in seminary for one full semester, so my thoughts perhaps will change as I go further along.

1. What is the best thing about seminary education (particularly at Southeastern)?

So far, I would say that by being a full time student Seminary has enabled me to devote more time to study which I wasn’t able to do previously. I think that with seminary, as with most endeavors in life, you get out of it what you put in. The aspect of the Southeastern experience that I’ve only began to benefit from is the unique apologetics track here. Since this is the field that I want to study and eventually teach, I’m glad that this specific track is available.

2. Where, in your opinion, is the system lacking?

Drew already hit on a one aspect that I wish could be improved – the size of the classes. It has been difficult for me to cultivate a relationship with the professors of my classes, especially when they have 50 students and probably don’t even know my name.

I believe there is another difficulty in the Seminary system in general, but I’m not sure what I would propose to improve the state of things. My experience at seminary has been that there are two basic classes of folks (broadly speaking). The one class really wants an in-depth study of the material that is being taught, whereas the other group just wants to pass the class so they can get the MDiv to hang on the wall so they can get to preachin’. This is similar to Charlie’s differentiation of the academic track and the ministry track, but there are tangible differences. I think that many folks who are on the ministry track still want to learn all they can in the classes, so I definitely wouldn't want to include these folks in my second group.

I supose that my frustration stems from the simple truth that there is still a bit of underlying anti-intellectualism in some corners of Baptist life. So perhaps I would agree that something should be tweaked in the track system, but I’m not sure that this would fix the problem.

I also would like to see a little more flexibility in the class selection process. Being that I want to take the “scholar’s track” I wish that there were more elective opportunities. Without naming specific classes, I believe that some of the required MDiv core classes could be changes to electives, or at least combined in some way to give more hours for specifying your educational experience.

3. How has God used seminary in your life to teach you more about Him?

I think that my constant struggle has been not to equate intellectual acumen with spiritual health. So to be here and see the professors as examples of people who have the head, heart, and hands all in line with the Lordship of Jesus has been a great help.

4. If you could start seminary all over again (uggh...that's an unpleasant thought), what would you do differently?

I think it’s a bit too early for me to answer this question, so I’ll pass on this one :-)

Excursus: C.S. Lewis on man's standing before God

I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office this morning and read a short paragraph in Mere Christianity that I had read before. It is, however, very revelant to us and our culture in particular.

On the other hand, we know that if there does exist an absolute goodness it must hate most of what we do. This is the terrible fix we are in. If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are in the long run hopeless. But if it is, then we are making ourselves enemies to that goodness every day, and are not in the least likely to do any better tomorrow, and so our case is hopeless. We cannot do without it, and we cannot do with it. God is the only comfort, He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most want to hide from. He is our only possible ally, and we have made ourselves His enemies. Some people talk as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again. They are still only playing with religion. Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger-according to the way you react to it. And we have reacted the wrong way.

I think Lewis' words have great application in our day. Many people believe God is the great friend. That He just wants to love them. Don't worry about what you do, God doesn't care. Well, Lewis couldn't have disagreed more with this assertion. God does care and is offended by our filthy rags. There are those disguised by their sweetness that are leading many down the path to destruction based upon this message of God absolute goodness. They ignore God's holiness and justice. Our message is not intended to be a sweet or kind message. It is one of confrontation. At least at first, then people began to realize who they are and the message becomes sweet to us. Lewis understood grace and the gospel. Do we?

Drew's Seminary Experience

You asked for it, you've got it.

What is the best thing about seminary education?

The great worth of theological education is that when it is done rightly it should fuel and inform worship for the good of Christ's church. That's my thesis. I have not been disappointed at Southeastern in this regard; each class and the faculty is consciously church-focused and ministry driven. Flowing out of that, I have found that there is great benefit in the process because the nature of theology breeds conflict (by this I mean godly discussion and debate). I've always found a humorous analogy in the animal kingdom that relates to we young seminarians. When two young bucks (male deer) first begin growing their antlers, they often spar with one another. I guess this is to "get the feel of them." Seminarians, armed with the fiersome antlers of knowledge, spar with one another continually, testing out new doctrines and theological approaches to "get the feel of theology." If this is done with a spirit that recognizes we have much to learn from one another, this is healthy and wholesome. Sometimes I do fear (and fall into this trap) that a significant amount of debate on campus is pride-driven. Who is the greatest emerging theologue? Who can outsmart whom? Just an observation.

Where, in your opinion, is the system lacking?

I do have a couple of soapboxes about seminary education, both in general and more specifically at Southeastern. First, more specific to Southeastern. The class sizes are far too large and I believe that this hampers effective theological education because it forces formal lecture to be the pedagogical method of choice. Dialogue and variety have been shown to be effective teaching tools, but the sheer amount of students in most SEBTS classes stifles this. Not to advocate one seminary over another, but my class this winter term at RTS-Charlotte had 25 students, and I was informed that this was about average. I found this to be a refreshing experience.

My second concern is that even though seminary church-focused and ministry-driven, there is a real disconnect between the churches and the seminary with regard to how young aspiring pastors are trained. Many local churches around here are simply swarming with seminary families, and there is no real way of mentoring these young men and women. A focused plan from the seminary and the churches to work hand-in-hand to train not only the minds but also the hearts and hands of the students would, in my opinion, be of great value for the Kingdom. As a further plug, I believe that God has taught me far more about humility through the mentorship of my pastor than I have in the classroom, no matter how godly my professor is.

How has God used seminary in your life to teach you more about Him?

God has shown me the enormity of Himself in seminary. It did not take me long to discover through my classes that His truth is much more than I ever gave Him credit for. Some parts of the Bible are simply difficult, and I am learninng to bow in humility before His incomprehensibility at times. Deuteronomy 29:29 is a great reminder of this.

If you could start seminary all over again (uggh...that's an unpleasant thought), what would you do differently?

This is a difficult question to answer, because I have to realize that God's providence is what has brought me here and what keeps me here. It's tempting so often to dream about what it would have been like to be at a seminary that would matches my theology more closely, but God has brought me (and kept me) here for a reason, as my pastor often has to point out to me. So, even though I am the one who proposed this question, I decline to answer it. Sorry gentlemen.

Excursus: Martin Luther on Preaching

This commentary on preaching is taken from Luther's The Freedom of a Christian (1520). The context is discussing the appropriate relationship between faith and good deeds.

I believe that it has now become clear that it is not enough or in any sense Christian to preach the works, life, and words of Christ as historical facts, as if the knowledge of these would suffice for the conduct of life; yet this is the fashion among those who must today be regarded as the best of preachers...Rather ought Christ to be preached to the end that faith in him may be established that he may not only be Christ, but be Christ for you and me, and that what is said of him and is denoted in his name may be effectual in us.

I know that most of us will be teaching or preaching in the next few weeks. As I keep this in mind for my preparation, my prayer is that God will impress this always on all of our hearts.

Michael's Seminary Experience

Great discussion topic, Drew!

What is the best thing about seminary education?

There are two answers to this question, from my perspective. First, it has been a fresh breath of air to come here and not be deemed a stupid, brainless fundamentalist. My past educational experience dealt only in relatives. There were no absolutes in their world. However, here I get to deal in reality and absolute truth. It is awesome! Second, I feared coming here because of my reformed background and bent. I worried that Southeastern would simply feed me the company line (SBC) and tell me to like it or leave. That hasn't been the case at all. In fact, most of my teachers have allowed me to test, reason, and discover for myself. The only doctrine that they have been dogmatic about is the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture, which I completely agree with. This experience has been a blessing to me. The teachers are kind and gracious. They simply want us to base our decisions on the absolute truth of Scripture.

Where, in your opinion, is the system lacking?

I have to agree with Charlie, but for a different reason. The track system must create a M. Div. in theology. It is absolutely frustrating that a theological institution does not include a track that would focus on theology.

The languages are another area that I would agree with Charlie on. It is good and right to have a cursory understanding of Greek and Hebrew. However, one professor, in particular, has told us that he uses language helps in preparation to preach. By the way, he is an accomplished scholar, writer, and a darn good preacher. I think you guys know who I am referring to.

This point is going to show where Charlie and I are simply different people. I would like to see a little less practical curriculum. I enjoying reading and writing. It is the medium by which I learn the most. For others, this medium is less helpful. Some prefer to learn through experience. I, however, learn more on my own. I hope that this won't hurt me in the future, but it could.

How has God used seminary in your life to teach you more about Him?

This answer will connect with the last point of the last question I answered. First, seminary has made me undoubtedly a much better Bible student in two ways. First, I understand how to read it. Second, I actually read on a daily basis now. This leads me to my second point. Seminary has increased my level of discipline (which is still pitiful at best). God is refining my life in ways I never imagined He could or would even want to. Third, I have observed the apathy of some of my fellow students and vowed to never think of ministry in these terms. I am sure all of us have met the guy in our class who sleeps through class or doesn't show up or doesn't care about his grades as long as he graduates. It is doubtful that this attitude glorifies God and lasts long once actually in the ministry. That is exactly why only 1 in 10 of seminary students are still in the ministry after ten years of service. I will always pray for each one of you guys because I think, no I know, that God wants to use each one of us in amazing ways. We only need to bow our will to His and be obedient children.

If you could start seminary all over again (uggh...that's an unpleasant thought), what would you do differently?

Like Charlie, not too much. I would avoid certain teachers in retrospect. Also, I would have read more diligently in my first two semesters.

Charlie's Seminary Experience

Q: What is the best thing about seminary education?

A: Well, I feel that the best thing about seminary education is the once-in-a-lifetime experience of being able to sit at the feet of so many gifted, and well-studied scholars. Most of my professors have their own little niche that they are "experts" in. I do feel that the faculty at Southeastern is extremely well-rounded. Time after time I've heard chapel speakers mention how distinguished SE's faculty is...and they are right.

Q: Where, in your opinion, is the system lacking?

A: One way I feel that the seminary experience should be tweaked is in the track organization. I feel that there should be a real ministry track and then a "ph.d" or "scholar" track. Instead of making guys who are going to go into ministry and never set foot in a ph.d seminar learn 15 hours plus of Hebrew and Greek, offer more classes that will prepare them for what they will be experiencing in ministry. The scholar track could beef up more on the languages and other scholarly things, such as a class on how to do research.

Equip the pastors with a semester of each language and teach them the basics and teach them how to use technical commentaries for their preaching. If they choose to study more Greek or Hebrew on their own, then let them. However, no preacher, unless he goes on to write a language textbook is ever going to have the ability to sit down and translate Scripture witouth helps. Practicality is the issue. There are those few preacher-scholars who may get their ph.d's but they are in the minority and the scholar track can be for them. I still say make preaching classes a requirement for the scholar track, but replace the practical ministry aspects with research and language classes. I'm sure the world of academia would disagree with me on this but that is to be expected.

Q: How has God used seminary in your life to teach you more about Him?

A: The main way God has used seminary in my life to teach me about Him is to trust Him. Sometimes one can lose track of what the goal of seminary is: preperation to send one out into the world and pastor the flock. However, so many people enter seminary and do not finish. In this way, seminary is like a proving ground. God tests our faithfulness through this time. If one cacn make it through seminary, he can most likely make it through many ministry situations! Seminary without a doubt has the capability of teaching the pastor how to think critically and strenghthen his faith. Of course, the reverse may also be true, if one goes to a seminary that is not dedicated to the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture.

Q: If you could start seminary all over again (uggh...that's an unpleasant thought), what would you do differently?

A: Not too much. I feel that every step of the way for me has been in God's plan - even when I spent my first semester at Southwestern. I guess, while I was there, I could have spent more time studying and less time playing Playstation but I was fresh out of college and 1,000 miles away from home and still single.

Seminary Experience

Here's a fun topic: Let's talk a little bit about our own personal experiences of seminary. These are some specific questions to help guide the discussion:

1. What is the best thing about seminary education (particularly at Southeastern)?

2. Where, in your opinion, is the system lacking?

3. How has God used seminary in your life to teach you more about Him?

4. If you could start seminary all over again (uggh...that's an unpleasant thought), what would you do differently?

Let's try to keep specific professorial names out of this, okay gentlemen? :) Happy hunting!

The Virgin Birth: Important or essential?

After reading Millard Erickson's chapter on the "The Virgin Birth," I found myself questioning some long held beliefs. Let me begin by stating my view. First, the virgin birth did happen. It is a part of the canon of Scripture and I hold to the authority of Scripture; therefore, the virginal conception of Mary did take place. Second, I hold to the full deity and full humanity of Jesus Christ. Without his full humanity (since this post will be, in part, addressing the humanity of Jesus), the incarnation and the atonement would have been incomplete as well as ineffective for us. I state these things so that I will not be deemed a heretic.

With that being said, the rest of the post will hash out Erickson's understanding of the virginal conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary. Here are the key points of Erickson's section on the theological meaning of the virgin birth:

1. Jesus did not have to have any parents because God had set the precedent of creating man from the ground, as was the case in Adam. Therefore, it would not have been impossible for Him to do the same thing in Jesus' case.

2. Jesus could have been the child of two parents. He argues that insisting that Christ could not have had a human male parent would smack of Apollinarianism, which is simply put the belief that Jesus had a human body, but a divine soul. (Here, I think Erickson has not made a strong enough case for himself because this interpretation could lead to adoptionism)

3. God's part in the virginal conception was to provide the necessary male component, which was both at the same time fully human and fully divine.

4. The fully human and fully divine natures do not depend on the virgin birth.

5. Erickson, then, moves on to answer questions about original sin. He states the virgin birth was not necessary to protect Jesus from a sin nature. There are to logical conclusions that occur if our sin nature is caused by conception.

A. The father is the source of depravity.
B. Depravity is directly related to sexual intercourse.

6. It is, in fact, the power of the Holy Spirit that protected Jesus from acquiring a sin nature (Luke 1:35).

7. The virgin birth is not a first-level doctrine due to the surprising omission of it in the evangelistic sermons in Acts.

8. It is possible, therefore, to be ignorant of the virgin birth and still be saved.

On the positive side, Erickson lists four reasons that the virgin birth is an important teaching.

1. It reminds us that our salvation is supernatural. It was initiated by God; therefore, there was a complete lack of human effort in producing our Savior.

2. Consequently, it reminds us that salvation is fully a gift of grace from God.

3. It is evidence of the uniqueness of Jesus as Savior.

4. It is another evidence of God's power and sovereingty over nature.

Valentine's Day

Today was Valentine's Day. Forget honoring the martyred St. Valentine and the love letters that he wrote his "valentine." How was everyone's night? My wife made the best meal that she has made in a while. We also exchanged the customary cards and I got her a stuffed bear holding a box of Snickers. Isn't that sweet? Anyone have any stories? Keep 'em clean.

Pride & The Fear of Man

Here is something that God has taught me over the past twenty-four hours: A prideful heart will perpetually be gripped by the fear of man.

The background for this revelation was the two Bible studies I led yesterday. The first was middle school Sunday School and the second was an adult small group. At the close of each session, I felt disappointed, guilty, and insecure because of the disparity between my own expectations for my teaching ability and its actual performance. My heart was gripped by fear of being "discovered" as less than the great leader, teacher, and preacher I obviously am convinced that I am, or at least conclude that I will be. Fear of rejection by middle schoolers and later adults (who in truth I care more about impressing) struck a chord within me because it reveals that my heart is ruled by pride!

The gospel offers the only escape from this vicious cycle. John Stott, writing in The Cross of Christ, remarks, "The proud human heart is there revealed. We insist on paying for what we have done. We cannot stand the humiliation of acknowledging our bankruptcy and allowing somebody else to pay for us." (162) The Gospel teaches me one thing: In my own strength lies no power for any everlasting good. That same Gospel is also a beacon to radical self-renouncement, as demonstrated in II Cor. 12:9, in which God asserts that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I cannot allow myself to stop reading this passage here, however, for Paul's reaction is crucial to understanding this radical self-renouncement. "Therefore," he writes, "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses [!], so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I hope you guys learn what I did before you have to crash. Pride and fear are cruel masters, but the Gospel is freedom!

Soli Deo Gloria

The Issue of Evangelism

Over at Together for the Gospel, Dr. Mark Dever brings up a very interesting topic: evangelism. Here is a snippet:

"When people ask me what they can pray for me and our church about, I very often ask for prayer that we would see more conversions. I thank God for the conversions we have seen, but I would like to see more, for God's glory! I'm not, however, a big fan of the big conversion numbers that are reported by some evangelical churches. I don't believe them. I think they discourage real evangelism and true conversions and actually make our towns and cities more difficult places to evangelize.

I remember one friend telling me years ago that their church had had over 200 baptisms in the previous year. I was stunned! I asked him "Is the town changed?" He didn't understand. "What do you mean?" he asked. I told him that was about as many conversions as Edwards saw in the Great Awakening in Northampton. As I kept asking questions, it became clear that he didn't really know the people, he didn't know if they were still (months later) going to his church, the church (with a couple of thousand in attendance) was not noticeably larger, and those being baptized were mostly children of the church (another topic). My point is, 200 baptized was just normal business for them, and it made no difference. I pray for conversions that make a difference!"

This begs the question: What are we really doing when we "evangelize?" Are we just "growing chruches," and gaining new members? What happens to these people after they join the church or become baptized/accept Christ? Is there meangingful discipleship? Is there a person, especially in large churches where the pastor is busy, who is responsible for discipling this person and making sure they participate in meanginful, regenerate church fellowship with the body of Christ? If not, we may be doing these people a disservice. When one becomes a follower of Christ, he is making a covenant with the Lord that he will turn from sin's power and become a slave to righteousness. Are the people who are being saved really turning from the world, dying to self, and becoming dependent instead on God? To join the body of Christ and not participate in the commands of our Lord will leave this person living in sin, and likewise a miserable existence. Evangelism is serious business; not numbers business.

What is Success in Ministry?

The best book that I've read this semester is Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, by Kent and Barbara Hughes, Tyndale House: Wheaton, Ill, 1987. Here is a little review:

In the world of full-time ministry, pressure is constantly applied to the pastor to “succeed.” Where does this pressure come from? The pressure that the pastor feels may come from his own expectations, as well as expectations from his peers, predecessors, and even his own church family and staff. Unfortunately, this pressure can lead to pastoral stress, burnout, and even premature retirement. Kent and Barbara Hughes’ work, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, is a refreshing read for any person who is involved in full-time ministry who has suffered from the expectations of being successful.

The first part of the book recounts the Hughes’ own struggle of trying to live up to their own expectations. Kent Hughes tells of his early life as a pastor where he was motivated and ready to win the world for Jesus. But after a few years at a small church plant, Hughes felt that he had become a failure. Why had he become so despondent and convinced of this fact? He had become depressed because Hughes, like many pastors and churches, defined success in terms of numbers. If one has a church with less then one hundred members, then obviously the pastor is not a man of God and that God is not blessing the congregation. However, a church with thousands of members is obviously being blessed by God and the pastor is living in the center of God’s will. Thankfully, throughout the rest of the book Hughes dissects this theory and re-defines the notion of success.

After explaining how his wife helped him hang on by hanging on to her faith, Hughes then spends the rest of the book defining success and encouraging the reader. Hughes' main point in this book is that "success" is not defined by numbers, a growing church, or man's view of you. Success is defined as faithfulness to the call of God to preach and teach His word. After all, Isaiah was told by God that his audeince would dwindle and dwindle until there was nothing left but a stump. What was Isaiah's response? He was faithful, and thus successful in the eyes of God. I thank God for a book like this.

So many books, so little time...

Because "the early bird gets the worm," added to the pagan adage that "might makes right," I'm going to chase Michael's rabbit.

Outside of assigned texts for class, probably the best extra-biblical work that I'm enjoying now is Leland Ryken's The Word of God in English. It's a fabulous critique of modern translation theory, and Ryken's pen is particularly poignant when he writes of the necessity for modern translations to reflect the literary beauty of the Greek manuscripts in English syntax. This is sounding like a book review, isn't it? Well, if you get four nerds on the same plot of cyberspace then they're going to see who has the fanciest sliderule and the shiniest pocket protector, right? Here's a quick slice from Ryken, identifying the societal conditions that facilitated and fueled the shift to dynamic equivalency (NIV, NLT, TNIV, etc.) in the late 1960's:

1. A lack of alternatives to the King James Bible at a time when it was badly showing its age.
2. An antiestablishment and antitraditional spirit that welcomed translations that seemed novel and modern.
3. A loss of appreciation for, or even ability to recognize, literary excellence.
4. A new preference for colloquialism over formality in written discourse.
5. A general laziness that has increasingly resulted in an obsession with making virtually all pursuits, including Bible reading, easy (Ryken, 15).

That's the best extra-biblical read I've seen lately. I highly recommend this work!

What should be the next topic?

Here are some suggestions:

a) English Bible Translations - which is best and why?

b) Evangelism - why do we not do it?

c) What are our great spiritual struggles?

Second question - What are you reading?

I guess a good question to ask of everyone is what are you reading? You don't have to limit this to in class reading. What book of the Bible have you been reading lately? Are you enjoying any extra-curricular reading? Also, what is the best book you have read in the past year or so and why?

I'll be happy to start. Right now, I'm reading several interesting books. I have just started reading Cur Deus Homo by Anselm. I am also working through Millard Erickson's Systematic Theology (the focus right now is on the natures of Christ). I am really enjoying Jerry Bridges' work, The Gospel for Real Life. My wife and I are working slowly through Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. Also, I am involved in a survey/Bible study on the last four books of the Pentateuch. It is actually a study on the life of Moses, but as we all know that involves a majority of the Book of the Law. However, I must admit that I am lacking greatly in the area of Bible knowledge. There are still substantial sections of Scripture that I have not read and examined. But I guess that something we'll have to remedy, now isn't it (any Braveheart fans out there?).

In the last year, the best book I read was probably J.I. Packer's Knowing God. The reason I enjoyed it so much is because it mixed necessary depth and conviction. It caused me to think about and rethink some of my conceptions. I realized that much of my quest for knowing God actually consisted primarily of "head" knowledge. Unfortunately, I spent most of time trying to acquire this head knowledge in the hopes that it would bring me closer to God, which of course it failed miserably to do. Packer helped me to shift my focus from a head knowledge to a heart knowledge. He nailed me with this: "If we pursue theological knowledge for its own sake, it is bound to go bad on us. It will make us proud and conceited. The very greatness of the subject matter will intoxicate us, and we shall come to think of ourselves as a cut above other Christians..." His point is simply this, that if we approach the study of God and consequently God Himself in this way the experience will be hollow and empty. We will simply miss what we desperately need. He puts it this way, "Our aim in studying the Godhead must be to know God Himself better...As He is the subject of our study, and our helper in it, so he must himself be the end of it. We must seek, in studying God, to be led to God." (p. 21-23) Knowing God forced me to consider this, and therefore, created in me a new heart for my studies. Instead of duty, my studies became worship (a concept and discipline that I am still developing in my life).

As a side note, I would also commend J.C. Ryle's Holiness and Richard Weaver's Ideas Have Consequences to anyone who hasn't read them. Ryle has the ability to convince utterly his listeners and readers of the depth and horror of their sinfulness. I didn't always walk away from the book feeling better about myself, but I think that was the point. I did, however, walk away from it with a greater understanding of God's holiness and a larger Savior. Weaver is commendable because it provides excellent insight into the condition of the modern man. It is a good explanation of how we got to where we are despite the fact that it is somewhat dated.

Ross' journey

Well, I don’t want to hold up the conversation here, so I guess it’s my turn. I grew up in a Christian family. We went to the small Baptist church where my dad went when he was growing up. He was a deacon and the song leader (we didn’t have enough folks to have a “music minister”) and my mom taught Sunday School and headed up VBS every summer. The first time I ever really remember understanding the gospel message was right before my sixth birthday, and I accepted Christ without hesitation. I knew that God loved me, that I was a sinner, and that Christ died for my sins. So I was happy to accept Jesus into my heart.

But one thing about me growing up was I always had questions. I remember talking to my pastor, wondering how people were saved before Jesus came to earth. I also remember being blown away by the concept of God having always existed…Then I moved on in to the second grade. Seriously, I’ve always had a lot of questions about my faith, but the questions weren’t usually answered sufficiently by those who I would ask, or often I would just hold my questions in fearing that there would be no adequate answer.

I went to a Baptist college planning to become a history teacher, or perhaps a professor if I had the gumption to stick with the education process. Being at a Christian institute of higher learning, I for the first time encountered others who knew a whole lot more about, well, EVERYTHING, but especially the things of God—apologetics, doctrine, etc. It was here where my love for apologetics and philosophy took shape. I wanted to know if what I had always been told was really the case, so I read whatever I could get my hands on and discussed with anyone who was interested in similar things.

For a time in college I had a crisis in belief when I encountered some hard core Reformed theology (for those who don’t know, I’m the non-Reformed Baptist that Drew mentioned in the first post). I actually almost reached a point where I outright rejected the Christian faith because of this struggle, but God showed me, through my study of the Church Fathers and contemporary theologians and apologetics like Geisler, Craig, and Moreland, that this perspective was not the only rationally consistent way that Christians have understood their faith* I say that not to start controversy, but to explain where I’ve been and where God has brought me. Since then, while not embracing RT, I have come to a better understanding of the position and have a greater appreciation for it.

Anyway…. I felt around my senior year of college that God was leading me to the realm of academia in some form or another. I mean, most people don’t have the desire to read Philosophy of Religion textbooks for fun, so I figure that I should serve the Lord with the passions that he has given me. My perfect ministry position would be to teach apologetics/ philosophy at a Christian college somewhere, and also help the local church in equipping members to become defenders of their faith to a world that is progressively loosing any trace of the Judeo-Christian worldview.

So now I’m here at Southeastern preparing for whatever God has for me in the future. Hmm… I guess that about sums me up!

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* I know this may be disputed :-)

Drew's Journey

I grew up in a military family and as a result our family moved frequently. To be exact, we were relocated ten times in eighteen years and so my family never became significantly involved in the life of a local church. Because of this, I grew up in an environment where I was never consistently exposed to the truth claims of Christ.

In the summer before my tenth-grade year, my family was moved by the Army for the final time to Huntsville, Alabama. Since this was our last destination, my parents decided it was time to do “the right thing” and accepted a coworker’s invitation to Willowbrook Baptist Church. After a few weeks of attending Willowbrook and hearing the Gospel consistently taught, I finally understood how Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness applied to my life. Furthermore, I learned that it actually forced me to make a decision about how I wanted to live my life. Looking back on this time, it is clear that God was drawing me to Himself. This unfolded immediately before my sixteenth birthday in October of 1997.

After coming to Christ during my sophomore year of high school, I struggled during my first years as a believer. My senior year was a major turning point in my life, where God used a significant relationship with my youth pastor to draw me away from myself and to begin ministering to others. Even at this time, I did not consider vocational ministry as something that lay in the path ahead, but rather a “spiritual hobby.”

God began to call me to vocational ministry during my time at Auburn University. I joined a fraternity and as the sole believer in the chapter, it quickly became my ministry. Through ministering in the context of relationships, God gave me a passion for sharing and living Christ in the small things with people. This period was also challenging for me spiritually, but I learned how to love and get outside of my Christian bubble and engage friends who do not believe in a respectful, kind manner.

Since embracing Reformed theology and becoming a Presbyterian during my first year of seminary, I have developed a passion for the primacy of the local church in all areas of ministry. (Not that you have to be Presby/Reformed to have this passion--this was simply my experience). Recently I have begun an internship with my church and am now serving in a variety of areas, including gaining experience in teaching and preaching the Bible. It is my hope that this time of preparation and learning will be used mightily by God to refine and shape me into a man He is willing to use for His glory.

As far as the future is concerned, you may know more than I do! Collegiate ministry has been brought up by others recently, and going on staff with a church is attractive, as well. In the long-term, perhaps God will open up some doors for church planting. Currently I don't have anything concrete, and therefore I'll just concentrate on getting through Dr. Schemm's weekly quizzes.

Here is my story

Well, my story is not the stuff of compelling novel, but it is mine and I love it. I will begin at the beginning. As a child, I lived in home where God was not first or last or really any time. My parents were young professionals who worked alot and did the best they could for me. They loved me, but we all knew something was missing. In the meantime, my parents were sending me to a YMCA, which actually was my early training ground so to speak. God used a number of people there to influence me. These people loved me and taught me about the love of God. One day, we had a Christian organization come to show us a video about the evils of the music industry (in retrospect, the video was way over the top but I digress). I remember feeling a need to rid myself of this same type of evil. That day, I prayed to accept Christ. I was nine years old. I remember calling my mom and telling her. I didn't know what to expect. She was so excited that she began to cry on the phone with me. From that point on, our lives were really never the same. My mom, sister, and I began to attend a small Presbyterian church (PCA) down the road from our neighborhood. Within a couple of years, my father also starting coming to church with us. It has been an amazing experience to see the lives of people so close to you change in such dramatic ways. At some point in those next few years, each member of my family either committed or recommitted their lives to Christ. My father even was called to be a deacon. At the age of twelve, I was confirm by the session at my church and baptized (I was sprinkled). I owe so much to this church and the godly pastor who feeds this wonderful flock.

Well, I suppose I need to move on. After my early walk with the Lord, I began a struggle that would last throughout high school beyond college and graduate school into my first year in seminary. During these years (my dark ages), I pretty much found myself in one sort of sin or another. At that time, however, I kept hearing the call of my Lord. I knew that my life was headed in the wrong direction. Also, during this time, I met and began a relationship with my girlfriend, now my wife. It is amazing the effect a godly woman has on a mediocre man. It seems that 1 Peter 3:1-6 is true after all. What a shocker, huh?! Back to my story, while in graduate school, I realized that God wanted me to serve Him. And, by serve Him, I mean in a different way. By no merit of my own, God in His sovereignty called me into the ministry. You would think that my lifestyle would have changed, but it didn't. However, two very important things have happened to me in the past eighteen or so months. First, God has used some great friends, some loving teachers, an awesome church, and His powerful Word to convict me of my dreadful sinfulness. Second, God made me very ill. One day, my wife and I were driving around town when all of the sudden I began to feel very lightheaded. Several times, I got very dizzy and almost passed out. At the same time, I began to get very hot then very cold all within the matter of two or three minutes. Upon arriving at home, my left foot began to go numb. At that point, my wife (who is a nurse) began to really worry. She loaded me up into the car and drove me to the nearest medical clinic. The doctor saw me and told me that I was showing the signs of a stroke. She checked my blood pressure and it was 180/102 (which is dangerously high). It turns out that I have abnormally high blood pressure for a twenty-six year old man. However, I think God was teaching me that life really is short and I only have a limited time to serve Him; therefore, I better make the most out of it. Since these events, God has really taught me alot. He changed me in unbelievable ways. Ironically, in His cosmic and wonderful sense of humor, God gave me a job at a local YMCA, where I get to teach kids at His love for them.

Finally, I believe that God wants me to shepherd His flock. I will be heading into some type of pastoral ministry following my completion of seminary. I can't wait to get to teach God's Word on a regular basis.

Charlie's Testimony

I grew up in a Christian family that were members of a Southern Baptist Church. Some of my earliest memories that I have are of my father reading me Bible stories out of a children's illustrated Bible. I came to know and love those stories and I can still picture Joseph's coat of many colors. Because of this up-bringing, I came to accept Christ at the tender age of 7. I sought out my parents and told them my desire and they took me to the pastor to examine if I knew what I was doing. I was baptized a few months after.

When I got to high school, after a few years of just living my life for myself, around my junior year, I developed an urge to study the Bible on my own and really pursue knowing God. I became active in my youth group as well as Young Life. Young Life had a profound impact on my life. My Young Life leaders were a real influence on me and modeled to me what a Christian man was like. At this time the thought of full-time ministry was bouncing around in my head.

In the fall of 1997, I entered college at the University of South Carolina. I immediately got involved with FCA, my church's college ministry, as well as the local Presbyterian church's college ministry. I really enjoyed all of those ministries and made great and wonderful friends through them. I also was involved in a fraternity, however, and some of my fraternity brothers were also believers. We assumed that we would hold each other accountable during this time and we did mostly until our junior years when we became the legal drinking age of 21. A beer here and there is not bad, and we experimented. A year and a half later, I had pretty much developed a drinking habit. I drank most every day and night. As a result, I was convicted and stayed out of church-related activities. I still felt the call of Christ to come back to more of a relationship with Him, but I subtly pushed that call to the back of my mind.

However, God never gave up on me and got my attention. In 2000, God allowed me to get mononucleousis, which left me completely drained and my immune system is still recovering. Shortly after my stint with mono, I came down with pneumonia. I remember laying in my bed one day, sick, as I finally cried out to God: "'I give up!" I decided to quit my habits and pursue God with all of my heart. This took some time. It took me a few months to dwindle my drinking habits down. Eventually, the desire to drink went away. Drinking was a huge stumbling block for me serving God, so it had to go. Fortunately, throughout this time God had blessed me with a wonderful girlfriend (who now is my wife) who had a strong faith in Christ and prayed for me every day that I would become the Christian man that she would marry. She did this for about 2 years.

During my last semester of college, I got back involved with my church's college ministry and the call to ministry kept creeping back into my head. I talked to my pastor (the same one that baptized me) and I graduated college and went to Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. I stayed there for one semester and then my wife and I both decided to attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

I had no idea what going into full-time ministry was about. I was very green and felt like a new Christian. It's now been almost 3 1/2 years since I entered seminary and both my wife adn I will graduate this May. I know realize that being called into ministry is a both a privilege and a responsibility. I thank God for pursuing me and calling me into this life-changing work. I know that there is nothing else I could do in life except teach and preach the Word of God, as well as love His church. I look forward to where God's will takes me next as I continue the journey of serving Him.

What's Your Story?

So Michael, Charlie, & Ross (if we can get you set up), I thought it would be helpful to get some background info for each of us. My questions for you are these:

1. How did you come to Christ?
2. When and how did you first sense that God was calling you to ministry?
3. What type of ministry do you believe that God may be directing you to at this point?

I'm looking forward to hearing all of you guys' stories. Have a good one!

Introduction

So here's the deal. Three (possibly four-we're working on it) friends, all seminary students. One Presbyterian, one quasi-Reformed Baptist, one traditional Southern Baptist, and [hopefully] a non-Reformed Baptist. Four traditions, one heart for Christ.

Guys, correct me if I'm wrong, but what we're shooting for in this blog is to have an avenue to encourage, rebuke, dialogue, and generally keep in touch now and for the future when God calls us to separate ministries. Wow, that was a run-on sentence if I've ever seen one. To you readers, feel free to comment.

Soli Deo Gloria!