The Process of Confession and Reconciliation Is Not Necessarily Easy, But It's Worth It

Years ago a woman came to my office and confessed she had inappropriate physical contact with one of our pastors. I called the pastor into the office and asked if what the woman had said was true. He said that it was, and though it had happened a year earlier and he had immediately recognized it as sin and nothing further had happened, he had never told anyone of his sin, including his wife.

Right then and there I had a decision to make. It would have been very easy to cover for this pastor. I could have said to them both, "Look, the kingdom of Christ and our church will be damaged if anybody else finds out. Let's work through this privately, confess and repent to each other privately, and move on." But I didn't. The problem with the "cover-up" mentality that pervades the church is the Holy Spirit is deprived of some incredibly powerful cleansing and healing in situations where His people have morally failed. We worked through this issue privately with the families and loved ones involved in the sin, but I knew if the pastor were to continue in ministry there would have to be a public confession of his sin and repentance, a public expression of our church's forgiveness, and a well established process of restoration and reconciliation for both this man and his ministry respectively.

We followed the path outlined in Galatians 6 and Matthew 18 and began to restore this man's marriage and his pastoral ministry. After confessing his "inappropriate physical contact with a woman not his wife and conduct unbecoming a pastor" to the entire church on a Sunday night,  the pastor tearfully acknowledged that God was using his sin and the exposure of it to break him of pride, show him what was really important in life, and placing him in total need of God's grace to even continue in any kind of ministry. He knew reconciliation with his wife was primary, and were he ever to return to ministry, it would have to be a decision of the church. Of course, everybody thought the sin was worse than it actual was (there was only touching and kissing on one occasion), but we were uninterested in trying to justify the pastor's behavior or making him look better in other peoples' eyes. And, to the broken pastor's credit, he didn't care that people thought he was a serial adulterer because in his mind, what he did was just as bad. That's the sign of true brokenness.

Our church family publicly and enthusiastically expressed forgiveness for this pastor that very night. We then set him aside from ministry for six months without pay, helped him find a custodial job to support his family in a neighboring shopping center, and set up a discipleship and recovery team for both the man and his wife. Had the sin been a crime, obviously it would be far more difficult, if not impossible, to restore the pastor.  Frankly, we would have encouraged prosecution were that the case, because God uses the courts as "ministers" to bring about His purposes. But because of the nature of this particular situation, our goal was complete reconciliation of the pastor's marriage, and full restoration of the pastor's ministry. We told the church that after six months the leadership team assigned his recovery would come back with a recommendation on whether or not he could and should be restored to pastoral ministry.

Those six months were hard. Not just for this man and his family, they were hard on me. I had people saying we were too tough on the man for forcing him to confess his sins publicly. Others said we should have kept his sin quiet and helped him find another church. I had others, including one very vocal deacon, tell me that if this man were ever restored to OUR church in terms of ministry, he would leave. He wanted his pastors "blameless." But we stayed the course. There were weekly meetings and counseling sessions, we reached out in love to the broken family, we made sure that there was food on the table because the custodial wages from the local shopping mall were quite meager.

After six months we had a restoration service. The man shared his testimony of brokenness because of sin, restoration because of grace, and what God was now doing in his life, his marriage, and his outlook on the world. His wife shared. The restoration team shared. It was one of the most moving, meaningful services in the history of Emmanuel. There was not a dry eye in the service. Remember, this is 180 days after his public confession. The church voted that night to make the man part of our pastoral team again and he served our church with distinction and honor for several years until called away to be Senior Pastor of a large metropolitan church.

In the end, this pastor had changed. He turned from being a legalistic, proud, often angry moralist, to a soft-hearted, grace-oriented, lover of people. Because we loved him enough to help him deal with the issues that led to his sin, he knew Christianity was more than a religion--it's about soul transforming relationships. Because we stuck with him for six months of healing instead of shoving him out the door, grace became more than just a word. Because we restored him to ministry and saw him become a more powerful and effective proclaimer of the gospel of God's grace, this man continues to impact not just Oklahoma, not just this nation, but the world for Christ.

This man continues to be one of my best friends to this day. I love him like a brother and I would literally die for him or his family. You see, friends who love you don't cover-up your sin; they help you deal with it. Friends who love you don't act as if you haven't sinned, they love you through recovery from your sin. Friends who love you will help you take the necessary steps to be restored in terms of ministry.

By the way, remember the deacon who was so upset for restoring the pastor after his sin? I performed his funeral a couple of years ago. When he was very sick, before he died, he grabbed me by the hand, tears in his eyes and said, "Pastor, I couldn't have been more wrong when I told you I would leave the church if we restored Pastor _____ to ministry. I want to thank you for leading our church into an understanding of how to confront sin and not only forgive the sinner, but restore the sinner to more effective ministry. I always thought I knew what grace was, but it was only when I saw it in action that I really came to understand the grace of God in my life."

When the Apostle Paul uses the word "restore" in Galatians 6 to describe the process through which broken sinners are brought healing through gracious people who care enough to confront, he uses a medical term that describes a bone that has healed through being reset. Doctors will tell you that "restored, mended" bones are stronger than they were before they were broken.

My prayer is that we conservative, evangelical Christians will (1). Stop playing our little religious games of cover-up, (2). Cease the erroneous rationalization that "friends" ignore sin and defend the sinner, and (3). Begin the Christian art of restoring a brother by confronting, helping him to confess publicly and clearly his moral failure, and then work hard to endure the process that leads to restoration.

In the end, we all will be spiritually stronger because of it.

In His Grace,

Wade

A Fascinating Conversation on Sharing Christ with Woody Allen While on an Airplane

Last year World Magazine published an article that contains a conversation between Christian intellectual and historian extraordinaire Eric Metaxas and Richard Land. Both men are fans of Woody Allen movies.

I have long had this gnawing sense in me that evangelism among Fundamentalists has something inherently wrong in terms of methodology. Many "evangelicals,", some even in the Southern Baptist Convention, will yell and scream the Word of God to lost people -- acting as if the quoting the Bible will bring about a change in the hearer. There are even some commentors on this blog who are in the habit of telling others they are "going to hell" or have "never been saved" or are "in need of Jesus" and glibly quote a Bible verse as if making some kind of shocking statement and backing it up with words from Scripture will lead someone to be converted. It reminds me of street preachers who yell "REPENT" to passerbys and then shout "JESUS IS THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE" as if somehow, almost magically, those words will bring salvation.

In the interview between Richard Land and Eric Metaxas (who by the way, is the author of the new fantastic biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer), Land asks Metaxas how he would share Christ with Woody Allen were he to sit beside him on a plane. The first paragraph of Metaxas' answer is worthy of your close examination.

I have to somehow figure out how to connect with him. . . . If you come across as morally superior, that’s unbiblical, that’s wrong, it’s a lie, so you’re confused. But also you’ll push the person away. You’ve got to find a point of connection, otherwise they won’t hear you. If you walk around New York you might see someone, semi-homeless, almost always from out of town, with a hat and a Bible “preaching the word” on the street. Nine times out of 10 they are not preaching the Word any more than Satan was when he was quoting the Bible to Jesus in the wilderness. The words are not magic. Some people will respond, “The word of God will not return void,” and yes, the capital-w Word of God, the Logos, will not return void—but the words of the Bible can certainly return void unless they’re anointed by the Holy Spirit. Many people think that if they just spew out Scripture or something that people are hearing them, but it’s not true. Jesus never did that. He always connected with everyone around him.

Well stated, Eric. Would to God we worked on our connections with people instead of coming across as morally superior.

In His Grace,

Wade

What Would Happen If Liberty Followed the Student Honor Code In the Ergun Caner Situation?

Liberty University has an Honor Code for students that lists "Reprimands and  Consequences" for violations of the Honor Code. Without arguing the rationale for why certain sins are listed in the differing categories, I would simply like to point out the consequences for Ergun Caner's deceptions were he to be held accountable to the Honor Code in the same manner Liberty University students are.

DECEPTION is listed in the category of sins receiving (12 Reprimands + $50 fine) for each offense. DECEPTION is considered more illicit than gambling at Liberty (6 Reprimands + $25 fine), but less than "associating with anyone who is consuming alcohol" (18 Reprimands + $250 fine). So, while scratching my head wondering how it is less offensive to lie during the preaching portion of the communion service in Germany than it is to be present while German Christians drink real wine during communion, let's put a tally on the actual costs for Ergun Caner's DECEPTIONS according to the Liberty Honor Code.

From the altered biographical data, to the numerous lies spoken while preaching in SBC churches, to the false claims of the number of public debates, one can calculate the number of DECEPTIONS (called "factual statements that are self-contradictory" )  by Ergun Caner, ranging from place of birth, native language, Islamic jihadist training, debate credentials, etc .... A very partial list of "factual statements that are self-contradictory" made by Caner in public forums include:

(1). I was born in Sweden. I was born in Turkey.
(2). I came to the United States in 1969. I came to the United States in 1979.
(3). I came to the United States through New York and learned English as a high schooler in New York. I came to the United States and settled in Ohio and attended high school in Ohio.
(4). I watched the Dukes of Hazard and learned about America while a young man in Turkey. I grew up in Ohio from the age of four where my father was a local Muslim leader.
(5). I dressed in traditional Muslims clothes in high school in New York and prayed traditional Muslim prayers, sometimes in the bathroom. I attended high school in Ohio.
(6). I was trained in Islamic jihad to do to America what was done on 9/11. I was raised by a mother and grandmother who resisted Islamic teaching and taught me Christianity.
(7).  I was led to Christ at a revival service through a classmate and was disowned by my family upon announcing to my father my conversion. I was led to Christ by my grandmother.
(8). My father had "many" wives as traditional Muslim men do. My father remarried after the divorce stayed married to his second wife until his death.
(9). I have debated _(name)_ at _(location)__ on _(date)_. Some of the alleged persons Caner debated have no knowledge of ever debating Ergun Caner, much less meeting him.
(10). My native language is Arabic. Ergun's native language is English and he neither speaks nor understands Arabic and when he says he is speaking Arabic publicly it is actually jibberish.

Taking into consideration the times the same lies ("statements of fact that are self-contradictions") are recorded being told on separate occasions (Prestonwood, FBC Jacksonville, Pastors' Conferences, etc...), and enumerating other publicly documented "factual statements that are self-contradictions" one can place the number of Caner's DECEPTIONS at a conservative 350. The number could be extremely higher, but it cannot be lower based upon the video, audio and written evidence publicly available.

Applying the student honor code of 12 Reprimands + $50 fine for each DECEPTION, Ergun Caner should have  4,200 official "Reprimands" from Liberty and a fine of $17,500. However, since Liberty assesses an additional fine of $150.00 for every six "Reprimands" over 30, Ergun Caner's bill would increase to a whopping $25,450. The Honor Code handbook also states that if a student has over 30 "Reprimands" he must go before the Disciplinary Committee and present a formal appeal to be allowed to continue his education. It is assumed that after 30 Reprimands, the student will no longer to be allowed to stay in school unless the appeal is approved.

I am not suggesting that Liberty treat Ergun Caner any differently than it has chosen to treat him. The Committee's decision to remove him as President (Dean) of Liberty and retain him as Professor is well within the Committee's perogative. What I am suggesting is that it might be beneficial to alter the Student Honor Code Handbook so as not to give the impression Liberty's Seminary leaders are treated in a different manner than Liberty University's students.

Finally, Liberty's Honor Code states:

We, the students, faculty and staff of Liberty University, have a responsibility to uphold the moral and ethical standards of this institution and personally confront those who do not.

One wonders where in the Honor Code the consequences for failure to confront DECEPTION is categorized? I wonder if Liberty's Elmer Towns knows the answer to that question?

If Celebrity Were Integrity the Southern Baptist Convention Would Be Morally Blameless: Why the SBC Can Be Faulted for Ergun Caner's Rise and Demise

The Southern Baptist Convention began turning into a pantheon of celebrities and iconic heroes in 1979. Under the banner of "Battle for the Bible," we allowed ourselves to be duped into believing that caustic communicators charging other Christians with heresy were somehow courageous. We began to value the spoken anecdote more than the spoken Word. We decided we'd rather applaud a pastor calling other Christians "skunks" than a prophet calling us to personal brokenness and repentance. The Southern Baptist Convention changed in 1979.

We began to value celebrity more than we did integrity.

For this reason, we barely blinked when told SBC leaders had given a pass to various sexual predators. We kept quiet about the credible whispers that an SBC power broker desired the company of young males more than he did the Holy Spirit. We lauded those who could mesmorize an audience with their stories and putdowns, and stopped paying attention to our missionaries who were on the field actually giving their lives for the cause of Christ. We acted this way because ...

We turned celebrity into integrity and reaped the rewards.

Enter Ergun Caner. By all accounts Ergun Caner is a personable, likeable, and friendly person. He was a Southern Baptist pastor in Colorado prior to 9/11 who went by the name Michael Caner. But shortly after the terrorist attacks in New York City , Michael Caner became Ergun Caner, the Istanbul born, jihadist trained, Arabic speaking terrorist who converted to Christianity after years of being trained to do what the terrorists did to us on 9/11. No doubt Caner had a Muslim father and was taught Islam by his dad, but the lies Ergun began to tell at First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dallas, and others in our massive Southern Baptist churches in the days after 9/11 created the dilemma that resulted in Caner's removal as President of Liberty Seminary this week. Sure Ergun Caner profited from his lies, both in speaking fees and books. But Ergun Caner is not all to blame. The climate that we began to create in 1979 is also to blame. We bought his books because ...

Celebrity became integrity in the Southern Baptist Convention 30 years ago.

Southern Baptists applauded Caner when he told his embellished story. We oohed and ahhed as he spoke jibberish claiming it was Arabic. We were mesmerized by his jihadist story telling because we stopped seeing the exposition of the Scriptures as the role of our preachers and pastors and vaulted homilies full of anecdotes above the infallible Word of God. I am hopeful that in the Internet age, things are now changing in the SBC.

Now, for some closing thoughts on the "official" report of Liberty's investigation.

(1). "Dr. Caner has made factual statements that are self-contradictory."

The attorney who wordsmithed the above sentence is worth every dollar Liberty paid him. The committee is saying, in obfuscated English, that Ergun Caner lied. It just sounds better to say he made "factual statements that are self-contradictory.' Notice, it is impossible to make  "truthful statements" that are self-contradictory, for truth doesn't contradict. One can say "I'm making a statement of fact (i.e. "a factual statement")" and lie while making it. That's what Ergun Caner did. So, Ergun Caner lied about his past.

(2). Dr. Caner is listed as "President' of Liberty Seminary on the official biographical sites, but no longer.

The committee publicly stated "his contract" as "Dean" will not be renewed. Again, the attorneys involved are so soft-pedaling the decision of Liberty they could be McDonald's ice cream salesmen. Ergun Caner is President of Liberty--but no longer will be.  Ergun Caner has been removed as President of Liberty Seminary. The committee chose to soft-pedal the decision when announcing it.

(3). Dr. Caner will continue as a professor at Liberty.

According to the sources who have emailed me, this was purely the desire of Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr.

(4). Dr. Caner's embellishments have placed him in an awkward position.

I believe he can continue in ministry, particularly teaching and speaking, but two things will have to occur. First, he will need to speak to set the record straight once and for all. This will include acknowledging he embellished to make his life more interesting and to make his status as an expert on Islam more believable. And second, he will have to relearn how to preach. It can no longer be story after story, putdown after putdown--he will actually need to exposit and exegete the Word of God. Were both things to occur, I would be thrilled to have him preach at Emmanuel.

(5). The Southern Baptist Convention is rediscovering our past as a populist Convention.

It is quite interesting to me that Southern Baptist bloggers took the lead in exposing the lies of Ergun Caner. In the beginning, those bloggers were ignored. Only when a few of the national media started paying attention did Liberty take notice. I think the day has arrived when Southern Baptists truly have the voice they lost over the past few decades. No longer will this Convention be run by a few. The smallest voice can be heard if truth is being spoken.

Just maybe celebrity is being seen for what it is in the SBC -- nothing.

And maybe integrity is making a comeback in our beloved Convention.

In His Grace,

Wade

SBC Today: "We praise God that Dr. Caner Is Exonerated" -- I say, "Huh?"

Soon I will post my own thoughts on the removal of Ergun Caner as President of Liberty Seminary. I have respect for the board of directors' decision to remove their President, but there is no joy or gladness in me for their decision. My prayers will be with Ergun Caner and his family.

This post, however, is simply to point out the response of SBC Today over Liberty's announcement that the President would be removed from his duties in leading the school. What someone (author unnamed) declared on that site should cause all of us to ask the question of whether or not credibility in today's SBC world actually means anything. SBC Today declared:

"It seems that Liberty is moving in a direction to say nothing further (on Dr. Caner). In that vein we at SBC Today will not discuss this issue any further. This matter is behind us and we praise God that Dr. Caner is exonerated as he is retained at Liberty on faculty."

Huh?

Peter Lumpkins, Tim Rogers, Tim Guthrie, Wes Kenney, Scott Gordon and the entire Baptist Identity crew, all of whom contribute to SBC Today, remind me of Baghdad Bob, the spokesperson for Sadaam Hussein's Iraqi Information Ministry. As Bob spoke to the western media, American bombs, missiles, and firepower could be heard pounding Baghdad in the background. Yet, Baghdad Bob brazenly declared:

"The Americans are not here. They're not in Baghdad. Our army is victorious. The Americans are defeated! Praise be to Allah!

SBC Today should be renamed the Baptist Identity Information Ministry. The men at SBC Today have lost whatever credibility they had left with me, which I admit, was very little. It's interesting to compare SBC Today's response to Liberty's student newspaper headline. At least the future generation of evangelicals may have a better understanding of integrity. 

The SBC Is Changing Because Though the Bible Is Infallible Our Interpretations Are Not

Stephen Fox pointed me to a column by Robert Parham entitled Is the SBC Pivoting Toward a New Future? Parham finds himself surprised that the SBC may be actually moderating on several fronts. His research and conclusions, in my opinion, are spot on. One of the examples given by Parham to prove the SBC may be  changing is the "official" change of  SBC position on the environment between 2006 and 2010.

Parham points out that this summer's 2010 SBC resolution on the environment differs sharply from the 2006 SBC resolution on the environment. The 2006 resolution was essentially an attack on environmentalists and an attempt to distance Southern Baptists from prioritizing environmental stewardship.

In a scant four years the SBC has performed a 180 turn about on its view of the environment. For example:

===============================

The 2006 Resolution on the Environment

· attacked environmentalism as a "neo-pagan religion;"
· said the "scientific community is divided on the effects of mankind's impact on the environment;"
· expressed confidence in private enterprise;
· warned against alliance with those outside the conservative evangelical community; and
· suggested that earth care would distract from evangelism.


But the 2010 SBC Resolution on the Environment

· calls for the protection of the environment;
· points out that human beings do adversely affect the environment;
· encourages everyone to work together; and
· notes that nature is an interdependent system in which human beings have a moral responsibility to guard nature and to protect resources for future generations.

Parham says it is most surprising that the 2010 SBC resolution refuses to trust blindly in private enterprise. It offers a moral critique of the free market. The resolution says "all industries are...accountable to higher standards than to profit alone," and that corporations have "full...accountability for damages, clean-up, and restoration." The resolution goes on to express a hope that "government and private industry are not again caught without planning," and "future energy policies based on prudence, conservation, accountability, and safety."

The change in the 2010 Resolution on the Environment from the 2006 Resolution on the Environment should prevent Southern Baptists from believing or acting as if our interpretations of the Word are inerrant. Southern Baptists have changed their views on slavery, the environment and other matters. What's next.?  It's a guarantee that the SBC will change their "official" view on many things in the years to come. That's not a necessarily a bad thing. Particularly if our current "official" interpretations are proven faulty.

Keeping  in mind our proclivity to change our "official" positions so quickly, we Southern Baptists should always be willing to listen to those with differing views. Further, we should refrain from condemning anyone who see things differently, and we should encourage open and passionate debate. Why? Because we refuse to hold to too high of a view of ourselves in always being accurate in our interpretations of the sacred text.

In His Grace,


Wade

The Wade Burleson Family and My Views on the Southern Baptist Convention

The Burlesons:

(Left to Right)

Logan, Rachelle, Wade, Charis, Kade and Boe.






There is an anonymous gentleman that goes by Matt2239 who has felt the freedom to make a few comments on a blog site called SBC Voices about me and my involvement in the SBC. Though he says he's never met me, he opines on what he feels are my views of the SBC. He writes that I have “a deep-seated animosity toward anything SBC."  He further surmises that my "agenda and that of CBF’ers" is to destroy the SBC. I just have to scratch my head in wonderment when I come across someone who feels they have the ability to speak for someone they have never met. It's a little like being a food critic without first tasting the food you criticize.

I would like to help Matt2239 and a handful of others get to know me a little better. First, my family is pictured above. I've been married to Rachelle for 27 years, and we have four great kids. Charis (23) is getting her real estate license in Florida after graduating with a business degree, Kade (21) is in the Business School of the University of Oklahoma, Boe (20) is in college at Northern Oklahoma and interning with Oklahoma's next Lieutenant Governor, and Logan (16) is going to be a junior at Oklahoma Bible Academy.

I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Enid, Oklahoma that gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to mission work every year, including our support of the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program. We have twelve International Mission Board missionary units who are members of our church, with two more IMB missionaries in Russia joining this past Sunday and another two soon to join our church. We self-support two massive mission efforts in Niger, Africa and Bangalore, India, including hospitals, schools, orphanages, and water well drilling. Our church is about to launch a mission to West Africans who live in Harlem, just north of Central Park. This year our church will be directly ministering in Guatamela and Poland, as well as our continuing work in the aforementioned countries. Our church is situated in a town in northwestern Oklahoma that has just 50,000 residents, and a little under ten percent of the city's population is affiliated with our church in either membership, attendance or ministry.

I have been pastor of Emmanuel for over eighteen years. We continue to make the transition from seeing church as being three worship services on Sunday morning to worship, ministry, missions and small groups every day of the week. Our theme this year is "Together in the Journey" and our goal is to ensure that nobody who is touched by the ministries of Emmanuel feels isolated or alone in their walk of faith. We are not a perfect church, nor do we claim to be perfect. We value people, truth, freedom, worship and missions. The corporate worship involves various styles of music, but the teaching is expositional in nature. We have been privileged to see over five hundred people baptized upon their profession of faith in Christ over the past five years. These numbers are meaningless except for the fact each number represents a person with an incredible testimony of God's grace and it helps dispell any notion we are not "evangelistic" because we hold to the doctrines of grace.

Our church believes that half the priesthood is comprised of women, and we do everything in our power to ensure that females who have been touched by God's grace are used according to the gifts they have received. We emphasize unity in the body of Christ that extends  far beyond the walls of our church, and believe that Christians accomplish more together than we do divided. We do not mind cooperating with other churches and Christians in missions and evangelism, even though we may not agree on every doctrinal point with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We believe in the supremacy and exclusivity of Christ and feel we must show Christ's love to others, even our enemies. We will not hesitate to address issues, but we try very hard to never make any issue personal. We love those who disagree with us, and we encourage freedom for all to disagree, even with church leadership.

We are Christians who have chosen to affiliate with Southern Baptists. We affiliate with Southern Baptists because of the world-wide mission work that our Convention participates in. My forefathers were Southern Baptists in Texas in the mid-1800's, and I am a third generation Southern Baptist preacher (my maternal grandfather, my father, myself). I, and the people of Emmanuel,  are Southern Baptist by choice and involvement. Contrary to Matt2239's assertion, my goal is not to destroy the SBC. My goal is to save the SBC from falling into the trap of superficial religiousity. Before there was a Cooperative Program, there was Christ and His church. Before there was the Southern Baptist Convention, there was Christ and His church. Christ and His church supercedes everything about who we are as a Convention. Yet, we love the Southern Baptist Convention, and participate in her mission work.

I freely acknowledge that some of my writing has been critical of the SBC and the silly, unbiblical decisions we have made in the past (i.e. "boycotting Disney," "restricting missionary appointments over tetiary doctrinal issues," "the tight, political control of all boards and agencies by a few leaders," etc...), but my criticisms come from within the Southern Baptist Convention--not outside the SBC. One of these days Matt2239 and others like him will realize that internal critics keep an organization as large as ours humble, pliable, and missional. Were we only surrounded by people who always patted the SBC on the back, we would get complacent, lazy, and possibly even incompetent.

It's the friends who criticize you in love that you remember. Too many make the tragic mistake of thinking (or saying) that if someone is ever critical of the SBC, he ought to leave. Not at all. He's the one displaying real love. Even worse, some like Matt2239, who disagree with the criticism,  will try negate what is being said by attempting to make others think the critic is not even a part of the SBC. Attempts to do such things only ultimately reveal the lack of knowledge in the one who feels free to opine on a person he's never met.

On my way to speak to our kids at Youth Camp at Falls Creek.

Blessings to all,

Wade

Preaching Grace from the Pulpits on Sunday, Living Legalism the Rest of the Week?

Jack Beavers sent me a link to an article in the Fort Worth Star Telegram with a profile on Joel Gregory, former pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas and Southern Baptist Convention celebrity. Joel is now ministering in black churches across America. Toward the end of the article, in explaining the ministry he has in now in black churches, Joel Gregory is quoted as saying:

"To some degree, white evangelicals preach grace. But when it comes to dealing with real-life situations, there's a good deal more judgmentalism and legalism. Black churches not only preach grace, they are willing to take you where you are and if you fall down, really try to help you get up, and not punish you."

Interesting. I wonder if the root problem is we Southern Baptists have far too high an opinion of ourselves. In other words, we so often boast of our numbers, our leadership, our evangelical superiority, that I wonder if the problem is we can't handle messiness, trouble, or failure.

Sometimes prophets are needed to humble the proud. If for no other reason, I am glad there are Southern Baptist blogs because they keep those of us in the Southern Baptist Convention real.

A Father's Day Tribute to My Father and Friend Paul Burleson

Today is Father's Day, and this post is a tribute to my own father, Paul Burleson. My dad is living in his seventh decade of life, but he acts like he's in his 30's. His own father was an alcoholic until late in life, when my dad led him to Christ. Dad began pastoring at the age of seventeen and has spent over fifty years in ministry, not only pastoring several churches, both large and small, but mentoring pastors from all across the United States. From 1976 to 1982 he was the pastor of Southcliff Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, not far from Southwestern Theological Seminary. I can remember as a high school student going to church on Sunday night and hundreds of seminary students would all sit in the center section to hear my dad teach. He not only related to the seminary students, he became friends with many SWBTS professors and administrators including T.W. Hunt, John Seelig, and others. His ministry continues to reach people across the nation through his revival meetings, blogs, and personal mentorship of those who frequently call him for counsel and advice. The people I pastor love to hear him teach more than anyone else.  Everything I know about ministry I learned from my father. Many times on Sunday's after the roast my mom prepared for the family, my dad would sit at the table with me and discuss theology, ministry and various other subjects. He prepared me to pastor when I was only in my early twenties.

But the greatest thing that I could say about my dad has nothing to do with ministry and everything to do with life. He lives and loves more than most. What I mean by that is he knows how to simply enjoy life and people. Whether its riding his motorcycle, or going to OU sporting events, or attending various social events, or ministering in churches, my dad meets people, hears their stories, and ministers to them. Ministry is not something my dad does, it defines who he is--simply because relationships are everything to my dad. Whether it is my mom, Mary, who is his best friend and love of his life, or his four kids, or a fellow pastor, or the stranger off the street, my dad is interested in people. I love to hear him laugh. It's a laugh that comes from inner joy and happiness. You can't fake  the kind of laugh my dad has. His heart is full joy, and he makes the atmosphere around him joyful.

I used to hear my dad say that when people get older "they either get bitter or they get better." That saying used to be just an illustration to me, but as I've seen my dad get older, I now see the euphemism as a more colorful reality. My dad is getting better. Not only has he not gotten stuck emotionally and spiritually, he far surpasses any human being I know in both categories. I hope that I am half the man my father is when I am his age.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

You are the best dad a son could ever dream of having.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Pressure Put Upon People to Come Forward in Decision

We are to preach the Word, and if we do it properly, there will be a call to a decision that comes in the message, and then we leave it to the Spirit to act upon people.
Early in the 1970s Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was the speaker at a ministers’ conference in the USA and at a question session was asked the following question:

Question:  During recent years, especially in England, among evangelicals of the Reformed faith, there has been a rising criticism of the invitation system as used by Billy Graham and others. Does Scripture justify the use of such public invitations or not?

Answer:  Well, it is difficult to answer this in a brief compass without being misunderstood. Let me answer it like this:

The history of this invitation system is one with which you people ought to be more familiar than anyone else, because it began in America. It began in the 1820s; the real originator of it was Charles G. Finney. It led to a great controversy. Asahel Nettleton, a great Calvinist and successful evangelist, never issued an “altar call” nor asked people to come to the “anxious seat.” These new methods in the 182Os and were condemned for many reasons by all who took the Reformed position.

One reason is that there is no evidence that this was done in New Testament times, because then they trusted to the power of the Spirit. Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost under the power of the Spirit, for instance, had no need to call people forward in decision because, as you remember, the people were so moved and affected by the power of the Word and Spirit that they actually interrupted the preacher, crying out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” That has been the traditional Reformed attitude towards this particular matter.

The moment you begin to introduce this other element, you are bringing a psychological element. The invitation should be in the message. We believe the Spirit applies the message, so we trust in the power of the Spirit. I personally agree with what has been said in the question.

I have never called people forward at the end for this reason; there is a grave danger of people coming forward before they are ready to come forward. We do believe in the work of the Spirit, that He convicts and converts, and He will do His work. There is a danger in bringing people to a “birth,” as it were, before they are ready for it.The Puritans in particular were afraid of what they would call “a temporary faith” or “a false profession.”

There was a great Puritan, Thomas Shepard, who published a famous series of sermons on The Ten Virgins. The great point of that book was to deal with this problem of a false profession. The foolish virgins thought they were all right. This is a very great danger. I can sum it up by putting it like this: I feel that this pressure which is put upon people to come forward in decision ultimately is due to a lack of faith in the work and operation of the Holy Spirit. We are to preach the Word, and if we do it properly, there will be a call to a decision that comes in the message, and then we leave it to the Spirit to act upon people. And of course He does.

Some may come immediately at the close of the service to see the minister. I think there should always be an indication that the minister will be glad to see anybody who wants to put questions to him or wants further help. But that is a very different thing from putting pressure upon people to come forward. I feel it is wrong to put pressure directly on the will. The order in Scripture seems to be this – the truth is presented to the mind, which moves the heart, and that in turn moves the will.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Our Prayers Are with Mosab Hassan and His Case Before the U.S. Immigration Court

Our church forwarded to the U.S. Immigration Court this week an official petition with several hundred signatures requesting the United States government grant Mosab Hassan political asylum. Mosab, the author of the bestselling book Son of Hamas, is the son of one of the founders of the largest terrorist organization in the Middle East. Hasab has come to faith in Christ and his testimony is a gripping story of God's amazing grace and love.

Mosab spoke at our church and I can vouch for his  integrity, his love for Christ, and his delight in doing whatever he can to lead his Muslim friends to an understanding that the key to a peaceful world is following the admonition of Christ to "love your enemies." Christianity Today is reporting that "so far very few within the community of Christian leaders have come forward in recent days to vouch for Mosab or pledge their support in his fight against deportation." Mosab's own father has issued a fatwah of death against his own son. Our church has answered the call to help Mosab. The government's concern is that Mosab may still be a terrorist. Those of us who know him or have read his book know that you cannot talk about the love of Christ in such real, personal language and be a fraud. If you would like to write a letter in support of Mosab's petition for political asylum, asserting your view he is not a terrorist and is no danger to the citizens of the United States, please address your letter to:

The U.S. Immigration Court
401 West A. Street
Suite 800
San Diego, CA 92101

The Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

Let me tell you about an excellent book I have just finished reading. The Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola is a great primer on the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ. Frank sent me a copy a few weeks ago and I read it through quite quickly and enthusiastically. It used to be people had a difficult time seeing the humanity of Christ, but it's just the opposite today--even among those who consider themselves "religious." The average person has lost sight of the deity of Jesus and the incredible implications of not hearing and obeying Him. Jesus is the ultimate expression of divine truth, the incarnate God Himself, and The Jesus Manifesto reminds us that our belief in the person of Christ is what true Christianity is all about.

For just a short time the book can be purchased at a 45% discount on Amazon.com. Currently the book is #6 in terms of sales out of the 7 million advertized on Amazon. The book lends itself for small group discussion, both among new Christians and established believers. With a very readable style, and a content worthy of multiple rereads, it is a can't miss for your library.