by Bret Capranica | Jul 6, 2005 | Southern Baptist Issues, Uncategorized
Challies.com reviews an article by Jim Ellif on the discrepancy in many Southern Baptist congregations (Southern Baptists, An Unregenerate Denomination): the number of members verses the number of attenders. This has always been an issue in my mind. Why do we allow hordes of non-attending members to remain members? Honestly, we are not the only denomination that does this, we just brag about our membership rolls more vociferously. In addition to Jim Ellif’s article, I would recommend reading Mark Dever’s article, “Why We Disciplined Half Our Church.” While we jump on Southern Baptist Churches who brag of meaninglessly high membership numbers, shouldn’t we also be wary of those who boast of large crowds but amazingly small membership in comparison? Is it a healthy church that has 15,000 in attendance on a weekend, yet has only 3,000 to 5,000 on the membership roll? If the crowd on Sunday is inordinately larger than the number who have officially joined themselves to the congregation, have we adequately communicated the necessity of the local church? Have we consistently and clearly communicated the responsibilities of Christians to one another? Just a...
by Bret Capranica | Jul 2, 2005 | Southern Baptist Issues
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a moderate-liberal breakaway group from the Southern Baptist Convention, is beginning to show its face more clearly with every passing year. At this year’s convention, the Fellowship revised its constitution and bylaws, removing from their purpose statement clauses that directly referred to Jesus Christ. Interestingly, the news report from CBF’s web-site gives little detail regarding the changes. Baptist Press (the SBC new organization) provides quotations of the past and new article’s wording: Under Article II of the CBF’s previous constitution, the purpose of the Fellowship was described as that of bringing together Baptists who desire to call out God’s gifts in each person in order that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be spread throughout the world in glad obedience to the Great Commission. The revised article in the constitution describes the Fellowship’s purpose as that of serving Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission. Further, the CBF has removed language that formerly referred to the authority of the Scriptures. Again, the CBF report does not mention this. Baptist Press notes: The revised article also does not reference the authority of the Bible without the aid of creeds, as did the original. Instead, the revised article cites the CBF’s belief in soul freedom, Bible freedom, church freedom and religious freedom. Freedom to believe anything one desires. Freedom to think anything you would like regarding the Bible and regarding Jesus or the lack of Jesus’ necessity. The CBF is finally beginning to become more open about its liberal lean. The CBF will be a good fit for the modern drift toward pluralism...
by Bret Capranica | May 31, 2005 | Ecclesiology, Seeker-Sensitive
Dan Southerland, “the leading expert on implementing the Purpose Driven paradigm in existing churches”, writes a recent article published on the popular “pastors.com” website, entitled, “Seeker semantics.” According to Pastor Southerland, there is a chief difference between “Seeker Driven” churches and “Seeker Sensitive” services. “Seeker Driven” are those weekend church services that make “winning the seeker” the main goal. To accomplish this goal and emphasis “they’ve added contemporary music, topical teachings, videos, drama and multi-media – all of which are good methods – to their focus on the seeker. Since the goal of the weekend service in such models is to reach the seeker, worship time is reduced, performed music is used more than participatory music, and the teaching is kept ultra light in its topic and tone.” Southerland offers no examples of current “Seeker Driven” churches and the tone of his article assumes that Purpose Driven Churches are NOT “Seeker Driven” churches. “Seeker Sensitive” services, according to Southerland, are distinctly different from “Seeker Driven” churches in that, “The purpose is still for the family of God to meet together, to worship and to be fed.” “Seeker Sensitive” church services have merely changed their awareness of who is present and they adopt appropriate manners for seekers who may be present. This is fascinating! Why? Because Dan Southerland, “the leading expert on implementing the Purpose Driven paradigm in existing churches”, has just re-written the best selling Purpose Driven Church (PDC) paradigm. Consider Rick Warren’s comments in PDC: “Each week at Saddleback, we remind ourselves who we’re trying to reach. . . . Once you know your target, it will determine...
by Bret Capranica | May 24, 2005 | Ecclesiology, Seeker-Sensitive
Our local Inland Empire newspaper (The Press Enterprise), published the referenced report yesterday about a local congregation that will do anything to “reach” people, including giving away a new $25,000 Harley-Davidson Road King. The 6500 member Crossroads Church in Corona gave away the motorcycle in the name of the gospel. “I guess they feel the bike has significant value in the people they’re trying to reach. … Barry McMurtrie is a no-nonsense kind of a guy. He’ll do anything to reach people, but he’ll also make sure they have the opportunity to know the Gospel. When he opens his Bible, there will be no misunderstanding.” The bike was given away not to a visitor, but a year-long member who won the bike through having his name pulled from a hat. Obviously with the seeker driven emphasis among contemporary American churches, this latest show should not be surprising. In fact, the article notes that such a feat is being replicated across the country. “The River at Tampa Bay in Florida gave away a Humvee in January. On New Year’s Eve 2003 Abundant Life Christian Center in La Marque, Texas, raffled off a Harley-Davidson Sportster and a Chrysler PT Cruiser to visitors and members. And Christ’s Church of the Valley near Phoenix appealed to unchurched young adults by giving away two tickets to a sold-out U2 rock concert to people who visited the church’s Web site.” All of this is done in the name of Christ and promoted as a means of attracting people to hear the gospel. However, with the gimmicks used to attract the lost, one has to wonder...
by Bret Capranica | May 20, 2005 | Church History, Ecclesiology, Seeker-Sensitive
Do we need another reformation within Christianity? Rick Warren says we do. However this time, the new reformation needs to be one not based on belief, but on behavior. In a recent gathering of over 12,000 people in Dallas, Warren spoke about how the Reformation of the sixteenth century divided the church, but how a new reformation centered on planting churches, developing servant leaders, feeding the poor, curing the sick and educating the uneducated will unify the church. And with whom will we be unified? The meeting was a gathering of “Baptists, charismatics, nondenominational evangelicals, and others [I wonder who these folks are] at Dallas’ Reunion Arena for a Global Day of Prayer rally May 15.” Warren commented about the first reformation and the new reformation, “The first one was about creeds; this one’s going to be about our deeds. The first one divided the church; this time it will unify the church.” Warren led the assembly in “praying against the global giants” that lead to fear, loss of direction, and lack of purpose, noting spiritual emptiness is the greatest giant.” This push for a global response of the Church to issues such as health, education and poverty is a necessary one. My concern is that we are approaching such issues without a common conviction about what is actually most basic: the gospel. To link arms with religious groups who do not agree on the content of the gospel in order to cure societal ills is eternally meaningless. In my estimation, Warren’s approach is picking up the ball where the Promise Keepers left off: unity without theology. He seems...
by Bret Capranica | May 20, 2005 | Ecclesiology, Seeker-Sensitive
What will the results of Rick Warren’s blockbuster book The Purpose Driven Life (PDL, over 20 million copies sold) look like? George Barna has conducted a recent review of what “Purpose Driven” currently looks like in America. From the article: More than four out of every ten adults – 44% – said their top priority in life is having a satisfying family life. This was nearly three times as popular as the second-most common response and more than four times as prolific as the third-most popular reply.” Despite Warren’s opening appeal in PDL that “it’s not about you,” I found much of the remainder of the book to be “much about you.” Thus Barana’s research, showing that “The second-most common life priority, listed by 18% of all adults, was that of understanding and carrying out the principles of their faith,” should not be shocking. As a matter of fact, even Barna’s concluding comments about his survey indicate that he also believes that faith is really a means to live a better life. His survey states, The survey results raise some questions, however, about the faith commitment of many church-going and born again adults. One must wonder,” he continued, “if the struggles evident in so many marriages and parent-child relationships are connected to the fact that people are generally more interested in pursuing a fulfilling family life than in understanding the principles for meaningful living that may help shape such a family experience.” Does “Purpose Driven” (capital “P” “D”) result in being God-centered? Barna’s research suggests it does not. We live in a culture that sees God as valuable as...
