Take three minutes and watch the following video. A clear presentation of the Gospel both in song and in the act of Baptism. You can follow David Horner on his blog Equipped for Life.
Peter Lumpkins–SBC-Tomorrow Dr. Bart Barber – Praisegod Barebones Dr. Brad Whitt
Posted by Tim Rogers on April 26, 2012
Posted in Baptism by Immersion | Tagged With: David Horner, Providence Baptist Church Raleigh NC | 1 Comment
Take three minutes and watch the following video. A clear presentation of the Gospel both in song and in the act of Baptism. You can follow David Horner on his blog Equipped for Life.
Posted by Tim Rogers on March 9, 2011
Posted in Baptism by Immersion • Baptist State Convention of North Carolina • Campbell University • Conservative Carolina Baptist • Dr. Jerry Vines • Dr. Paige Patterson • Evangelism • Mount Vernon Baptist Church • Orthodoxy • Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary • Uncategorized | 6 Comments
As this series continues I want to remind our readers of the prompting that brought this about. It is based on scripture but also a life lesson found in the song of the 1978 Country Music hit by Kenny Rogers “The Gambler”.
“You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.”
In the last post I lamented how the current leadership is not what was envisioned when I first started coming to conventions back in 1990. Of course by 1990 the entity leaders in the convention were beginning a downhill journey as SEBTS and others were now enjoying a majority of conservative trustees. I began at SEBTS in the fall of 1989. We still had many of the old moderate professors teaching at the seminary and much of the administration was abandoning ship. As a matter of fact the Admissions Director walked me personally through my interviews with the professors along with Dr. Lewis Drummond and then after telling me I was accepted into the Associate of Divinity program immediately told me he was leaving to go to Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, the moderate seminary that was just getting started. Which brings me to my next point in this series.
Second, the standards that I was taught when I was in seminary. Read more
Posted by Tim Rogers on November 22, 2010
Posted in Baptism by Immersion • Baptist • Orthodoxy • SBC Issues | 7 Comments
In Proverbs 3:3 the Bible tells us to;
Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, Proverbs 3:3 (NKJV)
Something I was taught in seminary by my Evangelism professor was a truthful statement that has stuck with me through the years. With each passing generation, unless the scriptural doctrinal tent pegs are not nailed strong in the ground, the generations behind us will become less and less committed to God’s truth. While God’s mercy is available for every generation it is availble to those who “fear him”.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. Luke 1:50 (NKJV)
Speaking of truth, many in today’s society have started to view truth as relative. Some even go as far as to say; ‘what is truth for one, is not truth for another’. However, we as Christians believe there is absolute truth and the Bible is the only historical document that contains absolute truth. The Bible is not just “our” Holy document, the Bible is God’s Word whether we accept it or not. Some have diluted the word of God by adhering solely to the Historical/Critical (H/C) method to determine what is true and what is not. Of course this was the issue that the Conservative Resurgence battled and overcame. However, there remains churches affiliated with the SBC that still adhere to the H/C method and set their churches doctrine based on that method. One such church is found in the historical FBC Richmond.
Posted by Tim Rogers on October 28, 2010
Posted in Baptism by Immersion • Baptist • Dr. Al Mohler • Dr. Nathan Finn • SBC Issues | 11 Comments
Various times in the past we have debated the usefulness of Dr. Mohler’s Theological Triage system. We have also debated, ad nauseum, Baptism and how it relates to the triage system. But, we have not addressed the Abstract of Principles that closely and it is this document that I desire to bring into the fray. Why? We have two schools that require their Professors to teach “in accordance with and not contrary to the Abstract of Principles and the Baptist Faith and Message”. With that statement one needs to understand that the Abstract of Principles is not a document that the entire SBC has affirmed as doctrinal standards as we have the Baptist Faith and Message, 1925, 1963, and 2000. We have two autonomous entities that have chosen to require her faculty to adhere to the standard of theological teaching that is outlined in the Abstract. While that is an entity’s prerogative, it does not mean that the entire convention has affirmed the document. With this in mind let’s first look at the Theological Triage System.
Dr. Albert Mohler, when expressing his Theological Triage system states:
The truthfulness and authority of the Holy Scriptures must also rank as a first-order doctrine, for without an affirmation of the Bible as the very Word of God, we are left without any adequate authority for distinguishing truth from error.
Posted by Tim Rogers on July 26, 2010
Posted in Baptism by Immersion • Baptist • Dr. Steve Lemke • Orthodoxy • SBC Issues • Theology | 36 Comments
Dr. Steve W. Lemke
Dr. Steve Lemke serves as Provost of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He also holds the position of Professor of Philosophy and Ethics. His article on the “Age of Accountability” was originally published in January 7, 2010 issue of the Louisiana Baptist Message. Dr. Lemke is a good friend and has articulated a doctrine that seems to be taken for granted in today’s younger pastors. Dr. Lemke gives a very reasonable argument and Biblical foundation for this doctrine.
The doctrine often called the “age of accountability” is one of the most foundational Baptist beliefs, yet it is also one of the least understood beliefs. All three Baptist Faith and Message statements (1925, 1963, and 2000) assert that children are not morally accountable until “they are capable of moral action” (Baptist Faith and Message, Article 3). We all know that individual children mature at different rates than do others, so it is difficult to establish a specific age at which all children become morally accountable. It is therefore more accurate to speak of a “state” of being accountable rather than an “age” of accountability. However, apart from mentally challenged individuals, this state of accountability is normally associated with a “coming of age” sometime in adolescence. The life transition from childhood into adolescence and early adulthood is recognized with some form of celebration in almost every culture. In Jewish culture, this coming of age is celebrated at the age of twelve or thirteen with bar mitzvahs (for boys) and bat mitzvahs (for girls). While this recognition is prompted by age rather than personal spiritual maturity, the term “mitzvah” literally means “one to whom the commandments apply.” After their mitzvah, children are held to be morally responsible for their own actions and accountable to follow the Jewish law. This coming of age is hinted at in Jesus’ life in His visit to the temple in Jerusalem at the age of twelve (Luke 2:41-50).
Posted by Tim Rogers on May 22, 2008
Posted in Baptism by Immersion • Baptist • Dr. Bart Barber • Dr. Mark Dever | 61 Comments
When I was growing up my father would tell me to do certain things and I would do them. However, there were some occasions I would not follow my father’s command and I would reap the benefits of such disobedience. Just because I reaped the spoils of my disobedience did not mean that I was placed out in the barn and kicked out of the family. There were some spoils of disobedience that were worse than others. However, being disobedient to my father did not result in my not receiving my father’s inheritance, nor did it result in other blessings he chose to bestow on me.
Some months ago one well known Pastor expressed his conviction so strongly relating to immersion that he expressed those who advocate pedobaptism were in unrepentant sin. There was a huge outcry against such a statement. Within the blogging community of Southern Baptists we had one of our leading bloggers to take up this expression and was castigated as being harsh and divisive. His article The Pernicious Evil of Mere Preference brought about one hundred sixteen comments. While the article presented a thesis that Dr. Dever was correct in his assessment that a pedobaptist was in unrepentant sin, some commenters tried to hijack the comments in a direction of hypocrisy on the part of Dr. Dever. Recently Dr. Nathan Finn published an article at his blog that speaks concerning the guidelines on immersion at the IMB. In this article He adovcated accepting the immersion of adult believers within the conservative churches he listed that practiced peadobaptism. He listed conservative Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, and Lutheran churches as being “true” churches.
What does this mean? Well, it seems the debate has much to do with where we find ourselves as Southern Baptists. There are some that are Southern Baptist by conviction and some that are Southern Baptist by convenience. I am a Southern Baptist by conviction. I believe that the call for immersion is a command of Christ. While immersion has nothing to do with the Grace that brings one to Justification, it has everything to do with obedience that begins one walking in Sanctification. Thus, there appears to be a couple of questions that are screaming from the mountain tops. One question of a personal nature and one of a corporate nature.
These questions are very closely related to the argument presented by Drs. Dever and Barber. In these questions one concedes that we are speaking of Brothers and Sisters in Christ, thus there is no reason to place forth a comment about me questioning anyone’s salvation, or any church’s commitment to Christ.
Because we Baptist believe that immersion is the command of Christ. Because we Baptist believe that immersion comes after one has conscientiously responded to the free gift of salvation. Because we Baptist believe immersion is the identification mark that speaks to the world one has identified oneself with Jesus Christ. Would one refusing to be immersed be disobedient to Christ’s command? Also, would a church (one that preaches and teaches salvation by faith alone; in Christ alone; based on scripture alone) that teaches peadobaptism, but will immerse a person who has received the free gift of salvation if that person so desires in order to meet a need in their life, be openly disobedient to the command of Christ?
As a follow-up to these questions. While I believe there are conservative Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches, I still have difficulty accepting the immersion of these adults coming from these various churches. The reason? Let’s face it, theologically speaking, Anglican and Lutherans are really closet Catholics. Also, Presbyterian and Methodists are their kissing cousins–theologically speaking. Thus, I would be hard pressed to accept an immersion performed in any of the other churches due to the theological bend concerning their view of baptism and the Lord’s table.
Therefore, as you can tell, my answer to the above questions would be a resounding, Yes!
