Making Disciples: Multiplication

Men Who Preach the Truth: Brad Whitt

The Small Church Is Not Broken

This is a video of my talk on day 1 of the 2009 Small Church Leadership Conference in Oregon. My prayer is that you will be encouraged.

Evangelicals For Romney: Pragmatism Trumps Biblical Principles

This is a reprint of an article I wrote in 2007 about the candidacy of Mitt Romney for President. My position has not changed.

I am befuddled by people who adamantly oppose participating in ventures with those who profess to be Christian (BWA, NBC) but who will support and even endorse joining forces with a member of a cult (Mitt Romney, Mormon). What I think we have are Christians who have fallen for the idol of morality instead of living out biblical principles for the purpose of exalting Christ.

Can a person be moral and not be a Christian? Of course. Christians have no patent on morality. True Christianity produces the by-product of morality but that is not to say that all who hold to Christian morals are Christians.

I think most Christians would agree that our purpose while we’re here on earth is to glorify God. Everything that God does is for His glory. God reminds us in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned.” How have we all sinned? By falling “short of the glory of God.” Therefore, anything that is done for any reason other than to glorify God is sin. Good works done for the sake of morality and not to glorify God is sin. Morality in and of itself is nothing. Unless morality is embraced in a manner which exalts Christ, then it is empty and useless (John 15:5).

One reader commented that Romney would be “going to live by the Mormon doctrine of holiness.” Is that reader truly speaking of holiness or morality? The word “holy” means something or someone set apart for the purpose of glorifying God. If a Mormon does not honor, trust, and worship the God of the Bible, how can any of his “holiness” be construed as glorying to God? It can’t. If the Jesus of the Bible is rejected for a Jesus of one’s own creation, then that person worships an idol and is not worshiping the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore, all of that person’s righteousness is “filthy rags” to God (Isa. 64:6). That person’s version of “holiness” is then no holiness at all in the biblical sense.

Let me challenge you to take a step back and ask yourselves, “Am I more interested in promoting morality or Christ?” Morality outside of the context of Jesus Christ is a subtle idol. Some say they will not work with a non-Christian in evangelism but they will work with a non-Christian to promote moral principles. Can you not see that morality for the sake of morality is not Christian morality? Don’t sacrifice your exaltation of Christ for the sake of human morality. Don’t resort to pragmatism in the name of morality at the expense of one person turning to a cult rather than to Christ.

IMHO, voting for Mitt Romney would be the same as voting for a Muslim candidate if he or she embraced the same moral values as you. Muslims are against abortion and homosexuality. Muslims are for moral living and conservative values. Why not vote for a Muslim?

It is my hope that Christians do not get blinded by a white, good-looking man with his white, good-looking moral family who uses the words “Jesus,” “God,” and “conservative values,” and is under a veil of spiritual deception just as dark as any other non-Christian religion.

I appeal to my fellow Christians not to let your desire for morality supersede your desire for glorifying Jesus.

What It Means to be a "Southern Baptist."

The name "Southern Baptist" has meaning beyond regional identity or denominational branding. To be a Southern Baptist is to build on the foundation of God chosen men such as Richard Furman, William Johnson, John A. Broadus, George Truett, R. G. Lee, J. M. Frost, and many others who gave themselves for God through our beloved convention.

As Southern Baptists, our main priority is, first and foremost, to reach sinners for Christ. Our overarching goal is to rescue the perishing, throw out the lifeline, go into the highways and byways and bring the lost to Jesus. We are heralds of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Our deepest desire is to sound the clarion call of forgiveness of sin through the cross of Christ. Our greatest delight is the glory of God on display when a lost soul turns away from sin and turns to Jesus. Our most joyful celebration is when a new believer enters the baptismal waters in obedience to the command of Christ as a public testimony of becoming a new creation. We live and breath evangelism and missions. That is who we are. That is what it means to be Southern Baptist.

It's Time To Sound the Alarm!

I believe we are at a crossroads in the SBC. I believe there are those such as Wright, Mohler, Akin, Ezell, and others who are trying to refashion the SBC into their own image: reformed, culturally cool, and more inviting to young people. I believe they are only interested in getting what they want irregardless of SBC polity and procedure. I believe if they get their way, the SBC will die and a Reformed Baptist organization will replace it.

I do not want the SBC as we know it, to die. I believe they got a little taste of victory through GCR and now they want more. The GCRTF was the first shot across the bow to see if they could get their agenda passed. The appointment of a Reformed pastor from Kentucky to be the NAMB president who has gutted NAMB in order to turn it into an Acts 29 clone, was the second shot across the bow. They have succeeded in implementing these two steps without much push-back from the "rank and file."

Now we have the third shot across the bow from Bryant Wright in appointing a presidential committee (who is funding this?) to study a possible name change for our convention.

What is happening is the basic dismantling of the SBC piece-by-piece in order to reform it into something different.

This is not a time for polite debate of the merits of each indivual move. This is a time for sounding an alarm. What we need today are watchmen (Ez. 3:17), not debate.

We do not like to hear from watchmen (Jer. 6:17), but the time has come to sound the alarm. It is time to stand up and fight for the Southern Baptist Convention. Where are the watchmen?