The Year In Review - 2005

I have decided to write this post from 4 different areas of thought. The areas I chose to write about are: the media, politics, religion, and Southern Baptists. If you regularly read my blog, you would know that these areas are my major interests. So what did we see in 2005 worth remembering.

The Media

I must say that the media never lets me down. There was a recent study done that said that for every one positive story presented about our military there were 7 negative stories.

Our military has done incredible things in Iraq. We have lost 2,000 of our bravest. However, if the President would have told us that we would lose only 2,000 soldiers in Iraq before the war took place I believe people would have said he was insane.

What has America accomplished in Iraq? We have liberated a country ran by one of the most evil dictators in history. We have witnessed three national elections. We have Hussein on trial. The list of accomplishments go on and on. However, the mainstream media has one agenda. Their agenda is to help the political party they agree with. ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN are all the same. This is why their numbers continue to shrink year after year.

Simply put, I don't like to feel bad about my country. The media wants me to feel bad about my country. Our economy is growing, our unemployment is down, and our nation hasn't had a terrorist attack in four year. However, if you listen to the mainstream press the sky is falling. There is know wonder that no one is watching and listening to them anymore. They have no credibility.

Politics

The most important thing happening this year in the world of politics is taking place at the Supreme Court. President Bush gave us Judge Roberts this year. I was not a fan of this pick, however, I am becoming a bit more positive about John Roberts. Those who know him best, say that he is the type of Judge that I would like. I hope they are right.

We now are in the midst of the Judge Alito saga. Alito is exactly what I want. There is absolutely no denying his viewpoints. I am a firm believer that America is ready to have a debate over social issues. Alito will provide a platform for that debate.

religion

Thumbs up to the Roman Catholics for making the right call on the Pope. You will not see me applaud the Catholic church too often. I find many of their doctrines heretical and appalling. However, they chose a Pope that will stand his ground on social issues. This is the one area that the Catholics and the evangelical can work together on.

Thumbs down to the mainline denominations in America. I must ask why anyone is going to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Episcopal Church, The United Church of Christ, The United Methodist Church, and the American Baptist Church. These once great Christian churches have become nothing more than a cesspool of unbiblical and socially liberal thought. Shame on the leadership of these churches for what they have done.

Southern Baptists

There are three items about Southern Baptist that we should remember this year. First, we lost one of the greatest preachers of our generation. Adrian Rogers passed away this year. Most who knew Adrian Rogers knew him from his television and radio ministry "Love Worth Finding". However, I will remember him as one of the architects that saved the Southern Baptist Convention from slipping further into heresy. Dr. Rogers will be sorely missed by Southern Baptists and evangelical alike.

Second, Baptist colleges and organizations trying to brake away from State conventions. As state conventions become more Biblical, many of the colleges and organizations that they support are going to try to brake ties with the state conventions.

Third, Baptist State conventions becoming more conservative. This has a lot to do with the second item. Take for instance the state convention of Kentucky. They elected Paul Chitwood as their President. Paul is a biblicist and an incredible leader. He will help move the state of Kentucky into a deeper appreciation of the Word of God. Thus, Georgetown College severed ties with the state convention of Kentucky.

Conclusion

2005 wasn't a bad year. I hope that 2006 will be as good. My man of the year is the Lord Jesus Christ. He will win this award every year. I wish truth and righteousness to all who read. Have a great New Year.

We Covet Your Prayers

Dear Friends:

My Father-in-Law passed away this week. He was a wonderful man and a good friend. He loved Jesus like few men I had ever known. We will miss him greatly, but we are confident that he is seeing all he had ever hoped for. I will write again next Wednesday. Thank you for reading my blog. It means a lot to me.

The Greatest Danger The Church Faces Today

When I write a post, I sit down with a an idea and begin to type. I do not come to the computer with an outline or anything. All I do is sit down with my idea and start typing. Each post normally takes an hour to complete, and then I do the same thing the next week. However, the next three posts will be a bit different.

I have thought long and hard about the topic I am writing about. I hope that I can pin down my thoughts clearly enough to warn everyone that reads this of this terrible danger. Next week, I will be doing a reflection on the events of the year. In two weeks, I will make predictions for the year to come.

Without a doubt, I believe in the sovereignty of God. I believe that God's hand directs the present and controls the future. Due to the truth, I do not worry about His Kingdom. God will take care of his Kingdom. He does not need me or you to help him. However, he does invite us to participate in the work of his Kingdom, and we should count it a privilege to do the work.

This danger that I am going to write about will not end the rule of God. However, it can and does affect our individual work. God will not be defeated. He is not worried in the least about what is going on. God has never once thought, "Man, I didn't realize that was going to happen." God has never once said, "What am I going to do now?" God has never had a thought dawn upon him. He has never been surprised or caught off guard by a situation. Thus we need not panic when things are bad. However, we should do all that we can to fix a danger that is causing the Christian Church to suffer.

For 21 centuries, the church has faced dangers and has come away better for it. In the first two centuries the Church faced great persecution. In the dark ages, the church faced Roman control that was anything but Biblical. In the 18th century the church faced an epidemic of lost clergy. In the 19th century the church faced the onslaught of Darwinian thought. In the first part of the 20th century the church faced Protestant Liberalism. Each danger has caused the church to change and overcome. There were times within these conflicts that many Biblical thinkers were certain the end was near. However, God is on his throne. The Church will always be, yet we face a new danger today that must be handled.

The greatest danger the church faces today is Biblical and Doctrinal ignorance? Many in the church do not know what sin is, because they do not see the need to know the Bible. Many in the Church do not know what the Church believes, because they do not see the need to know their Bible. We have Pastors who do not know the basic tenets of the faith, and we have Deacons who do not know if 2 Chronicles is in the Old Testament or New Testament. This lack of Biblical and Doctrinal knowledge is slowly hampering the work of the Church. For the Church acts and behaves no different from the world, because the church does not know how to act because they do not know their Bibles.

To illustrate such ignorance, I recently read a transcript from the June 20th episode of Larry King Live. The guest was the Pastor of the largest evangelical church in America. Larry King asked him questions of the most basic teachings of Christianity. The pastor of the church replied, "I don't know", time and time again. When King asked if people who do not believe in Jesus go to heaven, the answer was I don't know. My only response to this is, if you don't know the answer to that, then how can you call yourself a Christian? How in the world does a man like this become elevated within the ranks of the Church? Why are we celebrating ignorance? When did we come to a place where not knowing the truth brings more success than obedience to God's word?

We live in a society where the Church doesn't know beans about the Bible. My prayer is that we who care commit ourselves to educate the Church. We need to demand that our pastors study. We need to find ways to keep them accountable. We need to require our laymen to know the Bible before they begin to lead in the church. It is my fear that we are all going to stand before God some day and answer for our lack of knowledge of who we are and what we believe.

Dear reader, God is in control. The Church will survive. However, this celebration of ignorance must be stopped. Let us pray to find wisdom, and let us study to know what do about it.

The War On Christmas

Christmas time has become a very interesting time in America. I have enjoyed the church's reaction to the secularization of Christmas. I recently read an article about a Wisconsin elementary School that changed the words of "Silent Night" To "Cold in the Night". I am certain there will be lawsuits. I am certain all of this will continue to be news throughout the month of December.

The Church often reacts as if America is the New Israel. Church leaders get all offended and worked up when the world does not recognize Christianity. Why should Target and Sears recognize Christmas? The answer of most church leaders is because the majority of Americans are Christians. Let us pretend that the majority of Americans were Jewish. Would it be alright with you if Sears and Target only recognized Hanukkah.

Now friends, I do not want you to think that I am on the wrong side of this issue. I find the schools, government, and stores ridiculous for not mentioning Christmas. I do not believe the majority of non-Christian people care if the word Christmas is posted on a store, and if they do care, they should be ignored for being petty and shallow.

Now that I have made my position clear, I want to challenge the church to be more concerned about how we celebrate Christmas than we are concerned about how the world celebrates the Holidays. For years and years, the Church was concerned with Christmas becoming too commercialized. Now the Church is worried that the commercialization of Christmas is becoming to secular. I believe we should stop worrying if Wal-Mart is going to keep the Christ in Christmas, and start worrying if we are being Biblical in our Christmas behaviors and attitudes.

Earlier this year, I saw a Church that had a sign in the front yard that stated they supported the 10 Commandments. At the first of December, the 10 Commandments sign was taken down and replaced by a nativity scene. Nativity scenes would not have been permitted in most Evangelical churches before the 20th century. Many evangelical churches would have considered the nativity scene a breaking of the 2cd commandment. "We are not to make any graven images." However, many churches saw the Catholics and the mainline denominations nativity scenes and found them beautiful. The nativity scene has quickly grown in popularity to the point where it is not a controversy to have them in front of an evangelical church anymore. Thus, there is one church in my community that has fought hard all year long for the 10 Commandments, and then proudly breaks one of those commandments in the month of December. I find this very funny in my own dry and boring way.

Even if there is nothing wrong with a nativity scene. I still think that many Christians fall head-first into the commercialization aspect of the Holiday. I think we would all be better off if we stopped and recognized Christ on Christmas morning. Maybe we should offer a prayer of thanks. Maybe we can read the Christmas story. Maybe we can talk about the gifts that were given to Christ, and the ultimate gift that God gave to us on Christmas day.

I saw a pencil one time that said, "Let's keep the Christ In Christmas". I am fine with this. However, I believe we should not worry so much about the world. We should focus on the Church.