Posts tagged Theology

Quote of the Week – Al Mohler on Liberalism and Hell

The lesson of theological liberalism is clear—embarrassment is the gateway drug for theological accommodation and denial.

Be sure of this: it will not stop with the air conditioning of hell.

- Al Mohler, “Air Conditioning Hell: How Liberalism Happens“,

Summary of the Southern Baptist Founders Conference Southwest 2009

Here is a summary of the messages from the SBFC-SW 2009, as well as a collection of photos from the conference and a video I took of the attendees singing “Be Thou My Vision”.

Devotional Psalm (Psalm 130)” – Pastor Jeff Young

Preaching Christ from the Old Testament” – Pastor Fred Malone

Preaching Christ from the New Testament” – Pastor Tom Ascol

Redemptive-Historical Preaching: Pros and Cons” – Pastor Steve Garrick

Summary of Founders Ministries” – Pastor Tom Ascol

The Lost Element of Theology in Preaching” – Pastor Fred Malone

Q&A Session (Moderated by Larry Vincent)” – Pastor Earl Blackburn, Pastor Tom Ascol, Pastor Steve Garrick and Pastor Fred Malone

A Critique of Contemporary Models of Preaching” – Pastor Tom Ascol

Preaching Christ to the Christian” – Pastor Fred Malone

Preaching Christ to the Natural Man” – Pastor Tom Ascol

Unction in Preaching” – preached by Pastor Earl Blackburn





#SBFCSW “Unction in Preaching”, Pastor Earl Blackburn

#SBFCSW “A Critique of Contemporary Models of Preaching”, Pastor Tom Ascol

Sermon Poetry – “Lord Keep Me from Deficiency” Preacher – Pastor Tom Ascol Lord keep me from deficiency Help me to preach theology To tell of you, my Father Sweet My kind and sovereign King Lord keep me from deficiency From apastoral mockery In loving all your children sweet And shepherding Your Flock Lord keep me from deficiency And help me in expositing To preach Your Truth with clarity A herald of Your Word Lord keep me from deficiency So sinners might your glory see In Christ the Light our hearts are free In Christ our souls are saved Lord keep me from deficiency With praying, reading, listening To know Your Word, to know Your sheep So I can preach the Word

#SBFCSW Q&A (Moderated by Larry Vincent), Earl Blackburn, Tom Ascol, Steve Garrick, and Fred Malone

#SBFCSW “The Lost Element of Theology in Preaching”, Dr. Fred Malone

Sermon Poetry – “We’re Preaching the Scriptures” Preacher – Fred Malone The preaching of God is stupidity to all the world and the people therein A message proclaimed to a people in need, to a people all rotting in sin It’s Grace of our God that He’s given to us all a message by which we are saved We’re preaching our Savior, we’re preaching a Cross, we’re preaching the study of God We’re preaching the whole of the Scriptures to sinners, the counsel of God as revealed We’re teaching of Jesus, our Crucified Savior, the Son who the Father has sent We’re preaching the Gospel, that Good Revelation, so sinners might glory in Christ We’re preaching the Gospel, that Kind Revelation, so Christians might comfort in Christ We’re sinners forgiven, our sins washed by Jesus, we’re living to glorify Him We’re telling a message to worshipping sinners, that outside of Christ they are lost But thanks to the Father, our Crucified Savior was sent to so that sinners might live This news we are preaching, through all of the Scriptures, theology of God above

#SBFCSW “Redemptive-Historical Preaching: Pros and Cons”, Pastor Steve Garrick

A Proposed Form of Preaching

1.)  Preach Meaning of the Text 2.)  Summarize Theological Core Idea 3.)  Expound and Prove this Idea
  1. Via analogy of Scripture
  2. Show how this idea fits with the character of God, salvation, redemption, etc.
  3. This allows our hearers to see how this passage and its applications stem from your salvation
4.)  Apply this idea considering your hearer’s spiritual state (among other criteria)

Quote of the Week – Trueman on the “The Nameless Ones”

“Finally, I worry that a movement built on megachurches, megaconferences, and megaleaders, does the church a disservice in one very important way that is often missed amid all the pizzazz and excitement: it creates the idea that church life is always going to be big, loud, and exhilarating and thus gives church members and ministerial candidates unrealistic expectations of the normal Christian life.  In the real world, many, perhaps most,  of us worship and work in churches of 100 people or less; life is not loud and exciting; big things do not happen every Sunday;  budgets are incredibly tight and barely provide enough for a pastor’s modest salary; each Lord’s Day we go through the same routines of worship services, of hearing the gospel proclaimed, of taking the Lord’s Supper, of teaching Sunday School; perhaps several times a year we do leaflet drops in the neighbourhood with very few results; at Christmas time we carol sing in the high street and hand out invitations to church and maybe two or three people actually come along as a result; but no matter — we keep going, giving, and praying as we can; we try to be faithful in the little entrusted to us.  It’s boring, it’s routine, and it’s the same, year in, year out.   Therefore, in a world where excitement, celebrity, and cultural power are the ideal, it is tempting amidst the circumstances of ordinary church life to forget that this, the routine of the ordinary, the boring, the plodding, is actually the norm for church life and has been so throughout most places for most of the history of the church; that mega-whatevers are the exception, not the rule; and that the church has survived throughout the ages not just – or even primarily – because of the high profile firework displays of the great and the good, but because of the day to day faithfulness of the mundane, anonymous, non-descript  people who constitute most of the church, and who do the grunt work and the tedious jobs that need to be done [emphasis added].  History does not generally record their names; but the likelihood is that you worship in a church which owes everything, humanly speaking, to such people.”

- Carl Trueman

Quote of the Week – Of Science and God

“For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about the conquer the highest peak. As he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”

- Dr. Robert Jastrow (from “God and the Astronomers“, quoted from Grace and Truth to You)

Quote of the Week – Russel Moore on Theology and Demons

“You see, in the room will be future pastors and missionaries and counselors and women’s ministry leaders. They’ve been called out by God to minister to people they’ve not met yet. And that’s what theology is about. It’s not about quarreling about words, or setting up partisan divisions. Theology is helping a shellshocked widow clean up after a suicide. Theology is about crying with a teenage boy who’s body is shaking with crystal meth. Theology drives you to rock orphans in India, singing “Jesus Loves Me” while you pray they learn what that means. Theology is hugging an animist African’s neck while you tell him Jesus can protect him from the spirits he fears…or hugging a self-righteous Southern Baptist American’s neck while you tell him he doesn’t fear those demonic spirits nearly enough.”

- Russell D. Moore (“Will the Devil Be in My Classroom Today?“)