A Point of Clarity: LDS and Rhetoric

With the leading Republican nominee being a professing and active member of the LDS (Latter Day Saints/ Mormon) church, we are hearing significant interest by onlookers as to how evangelical Christians view the faith system. While I have personal reservations about the “motives” of the questions, the topic is important enough to speak to it…because discerning Christians should always be able to “give a defense” for what we believe (1 Peter 3:15).

The underlying question is whether we, as believers, should support a candidate who is not an evanglical Christian. It is a strange questions since no one asks if a person is faithful as an evanglical. Is it more “dangerous” or “unsavory” to have a candidate who is non-evangelical…or a “baptist” who can’t define what “is” is? Truthfully…we need to move the conversation beyond the labels and see what a person believes (worldview), how that affects his/her decision making, and then exercise STEWARDSHIP over what God has entrusted to us as Christian believers with a fundamental right to vote.

HERE is a helpful comparison page on some of the major differences between Historic Christianity and Mormonism. (NOTE: Just because something is historic doesn’t make it right or wrong. Be willing to examine the doctrines themselves and compare them to the Scriptures. If they are correct, then embrace them.)

HERE is a great article written by Dr. Ed Stetzer who is a “mentor at a distance” to me. [By that I mean that his work has been helpful and we have met a couple of times. I read his books and require them for reading in the classes I teach on subjects like church planting and missions. Ed and I do not exchange Christmas cards...but I would if he would send me an address   ].

One of the most helpful parts of Stetzer’s article is the call for clarity on the language we use. To use the term “cult” (which we are hearing and will be hearing more if in the days ahead) is to invite empassioned responses. (Images of Waco or Jim Jones come to mind). Since this is not the goal of well-intentioned commentators or even pastors like me, it is more useful to grab a term that communicates our goal.

MAKE NO MISTAKE, I do not believe that the teachings of the LDS Faith are consistent with the Bible. I do not believe that people who hold to the orthodox teachings of the LDS church are “believers” as the Bible speaks of believers and therefore I do not believe that the LDS faith teaches or experiences Salvation as it is described or promised in the Bible. So…I do not believe that members of the LDS faith are “Christian” as we use and understand the word (since it communicates by definition that one is a “follower of Christ”). You cannot rightfully claim to be a follower of Christ and not follow Christ in His life and teachings. Jesus spoke differently of Himself than the teachings of the Mormon church portray.

At the same time, I would argue that the teachings of Mormonism are moral, in the same way that Islam and Buddhism or even some others are moral. What we know though is that religion is not a utilitarian tool to foster morality. It is a system that teaches people how to relate to God in truth. I can legislate morality but I cannot legislate a relationship with God.

My charge to you who read along here…don’t fall into the trap of using incendiary words that do not further the conversation. Don’t get drawn into a soundbite that ultimately hurts the cause of Christ. Here is what Christ wants from you and me as an ultimate goal…that we would faithfully proclaim the gospel in a way that exalts God, reconciles men, and doesn’t erect artificial barriers to salvation.

At the same time…let’s not be so “flippant” in our use of words that we lose the meaning of what it is to be a “Christian.” The United States is not a Christian nation. 80% of Americans are not Christians (though they would claim to be even though they have no biblical connection to Jesus). Someone is not a Christian simply because he says so. One is a Christian if he follows after Christ.

Lest I be misquoted or misunderstood: Do not read this and think that I “hate” mormons. I love them. I have friends who are in the LDS church. We disagree about Jesus but our children have common interests and we relate to one another. I always desire for them to be changed/converted/saved and to follow Jesus as Lord. I do not apologize for that. I desire that because I love them. Further, I do not feel superior toward people in the LDS church or any other faith system. Were it not for the grace of God and the love and care of people in my life who told me the truth about Jesus, I would be just as separated from God as every non-Christian on the planet…and that is the majority. I do not see myself in an elitest way; rather, I see myself as a servant of Christ and therefore, an agent of the Kingdom and a friend to those whom Jesus loved and died for. As such, I serve others…even (and especially) those who have yet to experience the love of Christ in the same way I have.

Latest from Dr. Rankin…Regarding the GCR

This is one of the most candid articles I have ever read from Dr. Rankin. From my knowledge and understanding of the “system,” his observations are dead on. Please understand, I don’t advocate “drinking the kool-aid” simply because I have friends or associates who are on board with the GCR task force.

Listen to one observation Dr. Rankin made:

Many will be pointing out how the recommended changes will impact what we are doing as a convention—but isn’t that exactly the point! Watch for those who stand to lose entitlements of a system that hasn’t been moving us toward effective engagement of the lost. Dr. Morris Chapman found a receptive audience in speaking to the winter meeting of State Executives last month in passionately pointing out that the purpose of our denomination is not the Great Commission but cooperation.

Apparently it doesn’t matter whether we impact a lost world or accomplish anything else as long as we cooperate together.

You can read his full post HERE. I would also encourage you to bookmark it and check back often.

Those of you who took time to be involved with our recent “Top Secret” Home meetings know that impacting lostness (Bob and Mary) is PRIORITY ONE for me personally and for our church. Whatever it takes to impact lostness…that is our focus.

Look for a future post from me that details exactly how our (the church’s) missions giving is apportioned and why we choose to partner directly with church planters (nationally), the IMB, and other Great Commission Entities as our primary missions support strategy, while giving an appropriate amount to support worthy activities of our Convention, like theological education, pioneer missions, etc.

Commentary on the SBC Great Commission Task Force Recommendations

I am working through the details of the recommendations by the SBC Great Commission Resurgence Task Force (GCRTF) in their report which was recently delivered to the SBC Executive Committee. Initial response for me is “cautiously optimistic.” While I have prayed for those in the task force in recent months and have been a vocal and enthusiastic proponent of the GCR since it was first unveiled, I am looking to understand better the IMPLICATIONS of the recommendations of the GCRTF.

One of the ways I think is effective to do that is to read what other “smart guys” who have far more knowledge of the different entities have to say.

Dr. Jerry Rankin wrote recently on the fact that there was no recommendation to “merge” the two mission boards and spoke to some criticism of the North American Mission Board.

NAMB has come under unfair criticism for failure to fulfill an impossible task that will be no more successful than the collective success of local churches.Having given away and shared most of their personnel, they cannot be expected to fulfill a task that will only be accomplished by grassroots Southern Baptists engaging the lost with a passionate witness. The GCRTF is right on target with recommendations to refocus and empower NAMB to serve Southern Baptists with an effective strategy to reach our nation for Christ, prioritizing the unchurched and unreached areas.

As a formerly “endorsed missionary” affiliated with NAMB when I was a church planter, and as someone who has been on the inside of the NAMB machinery (of its church planting focus) in pioneer areas, I could not agree more with Dr. Rankin. The Board is not to blame.

At the same time, I believe that every CHURCH is the headquarters of a missionary agency with a clear and compelling mission to evangelize those who are far from God…in their own communities, across the country, and around the world. Part of why the NAMB has had limited success is because churches have lost focus on the responsibility entrusted to them by Jesus to reach the world for Christ. The Great Commission was not given to NAMB, the IMB, or any other parachurch entity. It was given to the church.

Praise God for the “prospect” of a renewed focus on unreached areas of our nation. Pull the NAMB funding that filters into my community. Myself and the 7o plus SBC congregations in my county should be able to do the “heavy lifting here.” Transfer whatever NAMB personnel are responsible for working here to the Northeast, the Northwest, the Southwest, Canada…or wherever they will be more greatly utilized…to the places where  pockets of lostness are in greatest concentration. If I can’t lead the 400 or so people who consider me to be their pastor…to embrace the Great Commission in my community…then I should go sell shoes or copiers, or cemetary plots! At least then I could raise more money to send people to the unreached and under-reached places around the world.

If I as a church member am not willing to take responsibility to reach my neighbors…how can I say that truly love God and fully grasp the love He bestowed on me? If I am waiting for NAMB to reach my community, or waiting for some other congregation to get it done, I display my ignorance and my arrogance. (Lest you think that is a bit strong…how would you put it?)

Thank you Dr. Rankin for your thoughtful post. Thank you GCRTF for your diligent labor. God have mercy on your people and blow fresh upon us again with the Power of your Holy Spirit that we might finally demonstrate our love for You and for others in fulfilling that which You committed to us!

You can read the GCRTF’s report HERE.

You can also read the post by Dr. Rankin in its entirety HERE.

Thoughtful Post by JD Greear

One of my “pastor heros” is JD Greear. He is a theologically sound, missionally focused pastor who God is using to impact Raleigh-Durham, NC and the World with the gospel.

I have referenced him before on this blog, but I read a post today about the SBC and I thought it was worth your time to read as well. In it he writes:

Hezekiah had lived a life of stunning faithfulness. 2 Kings says that “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,” going beyond the normal “I’ll tear down the false idols of the nation” even to destroying the bronze serpent Moses had made, because he recognized it had become an superstitious amulet for the Israelites and competed with trust in God (2 Kings 18:3-4). Because of that, God blessed his kingdom mightily.

Toward the end of Hezekiah’s reign, however, he did 3 disastrous things:

• When he got sick, he beseeched God for healing like God owed it to him. There was nothing wrong with the request, as God ultimately healed him, but it gives us insight into his proud heart. He forgot that everything God had done for him was grace, and took God’s blessing for granted (20:2-3). 
• He boasted in his achievements, rested in them, and grew complacent. He began to think that he was invulnerable (20:12-18).
• Worst of all, when God did announce judgment on Israel, which would entail Judah being carried away into exile in the coming years, Hezekiah thought, “Well, at least it won’t be in my lifetime and I’ll have peace during my days.” He did not care about the vitality of the country for future generations, only that the national structure would serve him the rest of his days (20:19).

Certainly his application is sound. I am not tasked with LEADING the SBC, only doing my part to join with other churches as we work together to fulfill our common vision and commission. I am, however, charged with LEADING a local congregations. So, I ask the question of us:

• Have we become PROUD at our great accomplishments. DO we look around at a beautiful facility and see most of our friends on Sunday…observe our children and grandchildren in church a few rows over and start to think that we have arrived?
• Have we begun to commend ourselves…evaluating our success based on how we “measure up” against other churches…the majority of whom are plateaued or declining?
• Have we decided that we are “tuckered out”…believing that we have done our part. Do we look forward and shake our head…knowing that there are more people on the planet today who are bound for a Christ-less eternity than at any other time in history…then think, “well, the next generation has to face that…we will just ride this one out.”

We deserve none of the blessings we experience. They are ours by grace…period. What we deserve is eternal damnation (yes, I know that is strong.). What we have received is forgiveness and Christ’s righteousness. What we have had committed to us, is a task to reach the world for Jesus’ sake. What we have going for us is the Holy Spirit’s presence and power!

Yesterday’s victory in the life of a local congregation means very little to the lost man next door who has yet to experience Jesus. Thank God no one quit before I learned of God’s love for me.

You can read JD’s full post HERE (Jan 18, 2010, entitled ”Is the SBC in danger of becoming Hezekiah.”) After you read it, I hope you will drop back by and share your impressions.

An Article from Baptist 21

Hi Guys,

Here is a link to an article from Jed Coppenger (a great friend) which he wrote for Baptist 21. It is a good background article related to perspectives on the Cooperative Program and a Great Commission Resurgence. I enjoyed his post, so I thought I would give you a link to it HERE. I also commented on his post, and you can find my comment there.

If you enjoy his article, drop him a note, and then come back by here and tell me what you learned, thought, or was impressed with.

Grace!

Great Article by JD Greear

Hey guys.

Here is a LINK to an article by JD Greear entitled “What I am praying to see in the SBC: the Conservative Resurgence Task Force of the SBC.”

As someone asked me recently and other of you know…I am a proponent of the current initiatives in the SBC to examine “how” we do business to insure we are most effectively managing God’s resources and directing them to engaging and impacting lostness with the greatest intensity. This initiative is called the Great Commission Resurgence and our Convention President, Dr. Johnny Hunt, has appointed a GCR Task Force to explore options and report to our convention in the 2010 Annual Meeting.

Recently, Dr. John Cross, President of the Florida Baptist Convention led our State Convention to adopt a similar initiative. With minimal opposition, the convention overwhelmingly cried out with approval of Dr. Cross’ direction.

When you read Dr. Greear’s article, I hope you will join him, myself, and other Great Commission Southern Baptists as we explore options and opportunities. I hope you will commit to pray for these two task forces as they work to bring good reports and actionable suggestions to the respective conventions. Let’s commit together to laboring together with fervency in the task of Making Disciples of All Nations…Here, There, and Everywhere!

You will be hearing more about this in the coming week as we wrap up our series on “The Church.” I trust you will pray for me as I seek to share God’s heart and cast a vision for how you and I can commit to accomplishing this task together.

Have a great day!

Insightful article from Seth Godin

I know that this is a marketing guru and that many people get hives when they think of “marketing” and “church work/ministry” in the same sentence. My purpose is not to stoke the debate. However, I learned many years ago in sales…that you must sell what people desire to buy. Simply telling someone that you have the best stuff, or that they need your stuff, or that they should be loyal to stick with your “stuff” because it was with them in the early days…won’t cut it.

Here is a LINK to the Article. It is short. Let me suggest you read it and then….

Ask yourself some questions:

• Do I feel entitled to have people follow me/buy from me/participate in my ministry?
• Am I doing the hard work of determining what a person needs (either real or felt) and then contextualizing my offering to meet those needs?
• Do I blame people who choose to “buy” something/somewhere else…as if they were the problem…even though I never did the work to explain how my small group ministry, my church, my denomination, or my Jesus was the answer?

I know there are some folks who would say, “Just preach the Bible and it will all work out.” Funny…Jesus did not conduct His ministry that way…and neither did Paul, nor Peter. No missionary ever succeeded with that mentality and none ever will.

If you want to be effective, you must think like a missionary…meaning three things:

• You need to know who your audience is. If you have no “target/focus point,” you’ll not know where and how to aim.
• You need to know what your audience wants/needs/thinks they need…and respect them enough to contextualize your solution to their specific situation.
• You need to present your solution and seek commitment. In sales…when I would train guys to be successful, I found that often times, they never wanted to actually engage the customer and ask them to buy. All the best sales strategy in the world is pointless if you never pick up the phone or never leave your desk. Customers live and work outside your office. Go where they are.

Effective evangelism (or if you will allow me…”missional” ministry) is no different. If you are going to be successful, you MUST engage in the process and do the work!

Love to hear your thoughts so feel free to jump into the conversation.

Book Review: The Nehemiah Factor, by Dr. Frank Page

Book Review: The Nehemiah Factor: 16 Characteristics of a Missional Leader. Dr. Frank Page, (New Hope Publishers: Birmingham, AL, 2008).

The Nehemiah Factor is the product of Dr. Frank Page who is a gifted pastor and speaker. He is the former President of the Southern Baptist Convention and writes from this perspective as well as with wisdom gained from many years of pastoral service.

The author’s approach with this work is to lay out 16 leadership characteristics as revealed in the lives of biblical characters, primarily in the life of Nehemiah. Each chapter ends with reflective questions which challenge the reader to look introspectively or to facilitate group discussions.

The title somewhat misleads in the use of the term “missional.” The characteristics discussed in the book are those that are foundational to leadership. Anyone versed in the “missional” conversation assumes the leadership characteristics discussed. While not necessarily specific to the aspects of being “missional,” the issues discussed are essential to leaders.

Perhaps the “clarion call” of this book is the call to leadership for all Christians. Page does not propose that these characteristics are reserved only for an elite few, but are normative for all Christians who seek to fulfill the calling of a Christ-follower. As such, the book would serve as a primer for small group discussions or developmental training for a management or leadership team.

You can purchase the book from Amazon.com HERE.

Become a New Hope Book Review Blogger. Visit www.newhopepublishers.com for more information.

GCR Luncheon, Part 2 (Q&A)

Good Stuff. Part 2. Here is the LINK.

Oh…and don’t miss the last speaker…WOW!

GCR Luncheon Panel, Part 1

Some of you may know that there has been a stir in Southern Baptist Life about future directions. This past convention, our President, Dr. Johnny Hunt of First Baptist Church, Woodstock, GA led our convention to authorize the appointing of a task force to examine the efficiency of our denomination and to make recommendations to the Convention at our 2010 Convention about how we can accomplish the Great Commission more efficiently together. These are hard meetings because they cause us to examine deeply our traditions, our heritage, and our commitment to the Task (the Mission).

Here is a video (part 1) from an open forum at a recent meeting. I think it would be instructive and challenging.

Let me suggest or challenge you…that you do 3 things:

1. Become Informed. Learn what is at stake. Don’t just “ignore the issue” because you are too busy. It is important. More important that your retirement or your kid’s baseball game.
2. Become Involved. Commit to being a prayer warrior for these members of the task force…for their wisdom and leadership.
3. Get Invested. Ask the questions Dr. Hunt raises. Am I committed personally to the Great Commission? Do I share the gospel intentionally, give sacrificially, and go or send joyfully?

The thrust of these comments are the heart behind what I believe we are called to do as a Body of Christ known as Calvary. It is the impetus behind Vision 20/20 and our REACH, TEACH, and SEND Strategy.

Hope you enjoy the two videos and would love to hear your feedback….