Reformed Theology : The New Fad?

A conference was held this week in a quiet little retreat center nestled among the Blue Ridge mountains. The topic of discussion was Reformed Theology. Specifically, what role Calvinism has played in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention and what role should it play in years to come. The conference was called, "Building Bridges" and was led by many well known pastors and convention leaders including, Dr Danny Akin, Dr. Al Mohler, Dr. Tom Ascol, Dr. Tom Nettles, Dr. David Nelson, Thom Ranier, David Dockery, Ed Stetzer, J.D. Greear, and others. Now that the dust has settled there are some specific things, according to reports, that we can definitely take away from this "meeting of the minds".


1. The Doctrines of Grace (Calvinism) have played a prominent role in the development of Southern Baptist Convention.

2. That the convention contains members who vary greatly on their views of the Doctrines of Grace. And that is okay!

3. That the trend for younger theologians and pastors in the convention is in support of the Doctrines of Grace.

4. That holding firmly to the Doctrines of Grace does not kill evangelistic fervor but in many cases has the opposite effect.

5. That the Doctrines of Grace are not a cause for concern or will be the death knell for the SBC.

6. Regardless of your position on the Doctrines of Grace that SBC churches need to do a better job of confronting the culture and evangelizing its communities.

To get more in-depth coverage of the conference click on the following links:

Calvinism On The Rise In Southern Baptist Life - Christian Post

Calvinism Examined In Its Baptist Context - Baptist Press

I Am Thankful For Brokenness

At this time of the year, I think it is fitting for us to consider the many things for which we have to be thankful. Of course, near the top of the list should be gratitude for salvation, health, provision, and friendship. There is one thing, you might even say an unusual thing, that I am most thankful for this season. I am thankful for brokenness.

I am thankful for the Lord granting me my wish for a spirit of perpetual brokenness. I am convinced that there is no other way to experience soul rest, joy, and contentment. It is the gateway to true intimacy with Christ and true love and compassion for your fellow man. But just so you know that this is not my idea, let me quote a famous prayer from The Valley of Vision entitled, "The Broken Heart" that states...

Grant me to hear thy voice assuring me:
that by thy stripes I am healed,
that thou wast bruised for my iniquities,
that thou hast been made sin for me,
that I might be righteous in thee,
that my grievous sins, my manifold sins, are all forgiven,
buried in the ocean of thy concealing blood.

I am guilty, but pardoned,
lost but saved,
wandering, but found,
sinning, but cleansed.

Give me perpetual broken-heartedness,
Keep me always clinging to thy cross,
Flood me every moment with descending grace,
Open to me the springs of divine knowledge,
sparkling like crystal,
flowing clear and unsullied
through my wilderness of life.

I pray that in His mercy the Lord will continue to grant me the privilege of perpetual brokenness so that I may know His love and make His love known and that is something to be thankful for everyday.

From all of us here at Two Institutions.Org, we wish you a very
Happy Thanksgiving!

The Missing Link: "Y" It Matters

One of the greatest missing ingredients in both families and churches is the "y"chromosome. It is undeniable that as a gender, men have a much poorer record of providing the stability in families and churches that is required. It is no surprise, therefore, that women are stepping into the roles that God clearly intended for men.

This can be evidence by the trend in ordinations to the ministry in the Church of England. On his blog, Dr. Al Mohler cites sources in the British media that show in 2006 more women than men were ordained to the ministry in the Anglican Church. The Sunday Telegraph of London reported this year that if the trend of ordaining more women continues, by 2025 the number of male and female ministers would be about equal. Now while this may seem irrelevant to us American evangelicals, the record of men in spiritual leadership is not much better. Consider the following by Dr. Mohler:

These are not unrelated developments, of course. The feminization of liberal Christianity grows more and more complete with every passing year. In the United States, the number of women enrolled in Master of Divinity programs now represents almost a third of total enrollment. Among mainline Protestants, the situation is much like that of the Church of England -- only more so. In many liberal seminaries, women students now vastly outnumber men.

The fact of the matter is this, in the absence of God-ordained male leadership the only means of survival for Christianity is through women or so the more liberal denominations claim. Now while I can appreciate the willingness of women to stand in the gap, the root of the problem is a deplorable lack of the y chromosome. Men, it's high time that we step up. If we fail to do so the children that these women leave behind in order to do our jobs will perpetuate this trend for generations.

"Lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut!"

My good friend Steve Wright has a way with words. He has many sayings that I am quite fond of, but this one is easily in my top 5. For my seminary graduation gift over three years ago, my church gave me a copy of The Valley of Vision edited by Arthur Bennett. This is a book of Puritan prayers and it usually makes me feel like the title of today's post. Whenever I need to be reminded of my unworthiness, I pull out this book and get my daily dose of humility. Here is a small sample of one that I read this morning...

"Of all hypocrties, grant that I may not be an evangelical hypocrite,

who sins more safely because grace abounds,

who tells his lusts that Christ's blood cleanseth them,

who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved,

who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives unholily."

-Paradoxes, p. 72

Lately my prayer has been that I would learn to take a more serious look at my sin. If you are looking for a great tool to aid in this discovery, I would recommend this collection. Just make sure that you put the razor blades away and get any depression medicine you may need ready.

The Myth Of The Mega - Church Movement

The formula was simple. If your church was "seeker sensitive" and your programs were based on "felt needs" and you had done your demographics homework then rapid growth was bound to follow; and follow it did. Since its founding in 1975, Willow Creek Community Church has grown to upwards of 20,000 members.

Sadly, the formula that propelled Willow Creek to become one of America's first Mega-Churches is not all its cracked up to be. In an article entitled, "A Shocking "Confession" From Willow Creek Community Church", Townhall columnist Bob Burney cites research done by the Willow Creek Association that demonstrates that all the time, effort, and finances spent on working the Willow Creek formula has produced numbers but not disciples. In the article, Burney quotes Willow Creek's Pastor Bill Hybels as saying:

We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between services, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.

It's obviously going to take some time for the implications of this research to sink in. I applaud Dr. Hybels for his candor in admitting the failure of his formula. This confession obviously demonstrates his character and willingness to be transparent. There is, however, another model that all too often gets overlooked. It was recorded in Acts chapter 2 and was quite successfully implemented by another church growth guru named Paul. No offense to Dr. Hybels or any mega-church leader for that matter but maybe we should recount our history and follow the model laid out for us there. I know it sounds anachronistic and maybe even a tad naive but when it comes to church growth models its hard to beat Acts 2 and "if it ain't broke, then don't fix it."

I love British people!

I love British people. I love their humor. I love their accents. I love the class they exude. I love how any American upon hearing a Brit will immediately try to speak like one. You can take the most unintelligent British person and have them read anything and they will sound intelligent.
Yesterday at Providence we had the honour of having Dr. Michael Green preaching in our services. Dr. Green is and has been on loan to a local Anglican church here in Raleigh for the last two years. He will be going back to Britain at the first of the year. Dr. Green touched on many things yesterday morning and last night, but the thrust of what he was saying revolved around evangelism. One main theme he hit was that evangelism is overflow. If the Gospel isn't overflowing in you, it will not flow over out of you. Here are a couple of other quick thoughts from his message on Acts 11 and 13 titled The Church God Can Use:

• Lay people took the initiative.
• They learned to sacrifice.
• They were not imprisoned in the past.
• They were excited about Jesus.
• They knew teaching and nurturing were vital.
• Their love was remarkable.
• Their worship was dynamic.

Dr. Green is a blessing to the church and he is another of the many reasons that I love British people.

Weekend Update: Riding The Coat-tails Of Frodo and Harry

It's that time of year again. The supermarkets are filling their aisles with stands for fruitcake ingredients. Shopping malls are interviewing male retirees with white beards and jolly dispositions, and Hollywood is distributing several silver screen gems to get you to part with your entertainment dollar. Here at Two Institutions, we like to be out front giving you a heads-up on what to expect before you pack-up the family and head to the discount matinee.

Due out in December is a film billed as a "narniaesque" children's adventure entitled "The Golden Compass". It is based on a series of children's books written by Phillip Pullman who was described by New Yorker journalist Laura Miller as "one of England's most outspoken atheists." The film has already garnered criticism from our Catholic allies in the culture war. Bill Donahue, president of the watchdog group The Catholic League has produced a video entitled "The Golden Compass Agenda Unmasked" which can be found at their website by clicking here.

I have had no opportunity to view the film, but I have watched its pre-release trailer which can be found by clicking here. From a philosophical standpoint, I have some serious concerns about this one especially as it seems to be pitting enligtened witches against an evil repressive "church-like" enemy called the "magisterium". Of course, the depiction of people having "daemon" spirit guides who appear to them as cute, cuddly animals is also very troubling. Whether this move should be viewed by your family is up to you to decide but at least be aware that this movie, from what I've seen, looks a lot more like Mordor than the Shire.