Church attendence....to go or not to go?

As President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Dr. Al Mohler gave two addresses to the seminary community:

                 Don’t Just Do Something: Stand There!

                                       And

                Don’t Just Stand There: Do Something!

The first, whether you agree with him or the politics within the denomination that put him there or not, was to a community greatly divided by ideals and principles.

It was a time of great chaos within the Southern Baptist Convention and the Seminary.

Sit-ins around the campus, death threats against Dr. Mohler, some so credible that his bodyguards were rumored to be armed in case some tried to make good on their threats, and students and professors refusing to continue with the regular business of the school due to their convictions.

That first address, in 1993, was about standing firm in the nonnegotiable principles that the Seminary was founded on—he didn’t condemn anyone, but encouraged ALL those listening to stand up for the principles the Seminary had followed since the beginning as contained in the Abstract of Principles, and not rush into action before they resolved the foundation for their beliefs.

The second address, 10 years later, was given to remind those present that Seminary is not just about “religious” things and “religious” education, but that it was there to “do something”.  We were to do something with all that we learned.  We are called to be “an active people”.  It’s not just about the believing, but also about the doing.

As poignant and relevant as this is for seminary students and professors, it is all the more relevant for every Christian.  How often do we get kicked in the shins by circumstances or the Enemy, or our own sinful nature, and instead of getting back up, and resuming the fight we sit back and relax, putting life on autopilot?  In this politically charged time our lives ought not be about just “attending” church as though this exercise is somehow important and useful in and of itself.

Church has two purposes.  That’s it.  The first, is serving as a place to learn and grow, to figure out what we believe.  It is the place where we learn what is worth standing for as a Christian.  It is where we develop, in the safety of friends and family, a firmness of character necessary to stand up for our beliefs in a world that is often hostile towards us.  The second, and most important, is providing an association of believers for the working out in the lives of others those beliefs we have come to hold.  It is a fellowship of workers acting together in accordance with our convictions.  That’s it.  Everything the Church does should fall under one of those purposes, and if it doesn’t, it shouldn’t happen.

Furthermore, we shouldn’t be coming to church for any other reasons.  So you need to be there for one of two reasons.  Either you don’t know what you believe and want to find out if this might be it, and are willing to learn and grow and participate, OR you are there because you know what you believe and are looking for a place to put your convictions into practice and you believe that church is the place to do it and you are willing to participate, grow, and learn.  If those two don’t apply to you, then you really need to think about why you are attending church.  Maybe you need to adjust your motives or maybe, just maybe, you shouldn’t be going to church at all.  If you are going to be a vibrant part of the community, then by all means, go to church.  If you are just going to be dead weight that doesn’t contribute, then don’t go.  It’s that simple.

Marriage Amendment one more time

This year we have another opportunity to impact our nation in a dramatic way. There is going to be a vote on another marriage amendment, probably in June. Now is the time to write your Senators and Representatives. The amendment is called Marriage Protection Amendment, S.J. Res. 1, and while it is in the Senate, let your House rep's know as last year it was tried in the House and fell short of the 2/3 majority it needed to pass. The more we get it out there that this is happening again, we can get a larger group to provide input and maybe finally get this passed. This is really great mostly because it will remove the "gay marriage" and "civil union" options at both the state and federal level. Do yourselves a favor and write your representatives.

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Contact your Representatives: Senators and House Rep

Southern Seminary--Again Engaging Culture

When so many have for too long found ways to live biblically without engaging the rest of the culture, it is great to see such a strong stance on continuing to engage the culture on multiple fronts. Dr. Mohler, President of Southern Seminary, has long fought to personally confront the culture of America on various issues, whether on tv as he has done on Larry King's show and others, or on the radio in his daily show, or in other public events he is a part of. Now this same passion he shares regularly with the world in bringing biblical truth to bear on the current situations that arise can be passed on to others in a greater way than ever before. Recently the Center for Theology and Science was established to allow for the education of more seminary students to understand the intersection of theology and science and how this applied to life. Now, in the most recent Trustee meeting they have established the Center for Theology and the Arts, and the Center for Theology and Law.

When the School of Social Work at Southern was closed many argued it was a bad idea for many reasons, one of them being the removal of "Christian" education in an area that needs as much help as it can get. If there are any areas that are similar, and in trut much more in need, it is the areas of science, law and the arts. Veggietales and the Passion are great, but for a long-lasting, far-reaching impact in the arts, more is needed. And just the same, if the practice of law is left only to the lost, there is no voice for reasoned, Christian responses to legal issues. There are many lawyers who are Christians, but just as Southern has shifted the focus of the counseling program to provide biblical training to increase the prevalence of true biblical counseling, this new change will, Lord willing, lead to an increase in the prevalence of true biblical legal aid.

Perhaps now this passion for engaging culture will continue to spread to new areas and the practice of theology will move beyond the pulpit, and begin spreading to the pew in all new ways. Perhaps this spells the end of the days of reserving "pastoral" training only for pastors. While a Master of Divinity is not perhaps for every person, hopefully, it will become more common for Christian professionals to seek out advanced theological training themselves for the benefit of their own lives and professions, as well as the kingdom. Perhaps, above all, this will lead to greater changes and growth in our congregations as a whole, returning to a greater committment to growth and learning beyond Sunday School and filling out sermon outlines, a committment to study the Scriptures for ourselves, pastor and member.