Over 4,400 Free Will Baptists gathered in Cincinnati, Ohio, three weeks ago for our 83rd National Association meeting. Seven of eight Forum contributors were able to attend. Like most delegates and attendees, we kept busy attending business, competition, giving seminars, working booths in the Exhibit Hall, and enjoying fellowship with old friends. This year’s Convention post will be slightly different from previous years as we will focus on seminars given by our own contributors, as well as a few seminars contributors we were able to attend and reflect upon. For those interested in more seminar material, they can contact the contributors individually.
_____________
Christa Thornsbury – “Biblical Womanhood in a Feminist Culture”: Thornsbury gave a well-researched and thought-provoking presentation on protecting Biblical womanhood in the midst of a radical feminist culture. She provided a succinct overview of the history of Feminism, addressing its major philosophical positions, before turning to the Biblical framework for femininity. She argued for a robust complementarianism that protects the liberty and uniqueness of both genders. Such a position encourages women to fulfill their calling in the world and the home as part of their imaging of the Creator.
Phillip Morgan – “Tradition is Bad, Right?”: In this seminar, Morgan reminded his listeners about the importance of tradition to human society. He made the important distinction between tradition (helpful mores that have been handed down and refined across generations) and traditionalism (stifling adherence to certain practices with no thought to how they should be adapted to the current cultural moment). This engaging seminar certainly reflected Morgan’s deep care for this important topic and encouraged those in attendance to embrace traditions as a means of God’s grace.
Jackson Watts – “Five Lies about Apologetics We Keep Believing”: Watts’s seminar focused on five lies about apologetics. One of Watts’s points that stood out is that apologetics and evangelism are not synonymous. Apologetics may create an opportunity for evangelism (and may be necessary when evangelism faces obstacles), but it should not be confused with evangelism. I also found Watts’s discussion of faith at the end of his session to be particularly helpful. He noted that faith is not merely intellectual assent to a certain truth set of truths. In other words, someone is not spiritually born again when they say, “Yes, I believe Jesus was a historical figure who died on the cross and was raised from the dead.” Faith goes beyond mere intellectual assent. It must include trust—trust in God for our salvation and for the forgiveness of sins. The essence of Watts’s seminar was that we must understand the proper place and role of apologetics. We must not make it something it isn’t nor expect it to do what it’s not intended to do.
Matthew Steven Bracey – “The Church and Social Justice”: Bracey gave an insightful presentation on the history and philosophical assumptions of social justice and issued a warning against evangelicals adopting a socialist politic. He noted that social justice has its historical roots in the Marxist progressivism and socialism of the nineteenth century, as well as in Roman Catholicism, and that it overthrows a classic conception of justice for a modern conception of “justice.” The historic view of justice was a “formal justice” of fair, equitable process, procedure, and treatment before God, the magistrate, and the church, which both helped people and protected property. By contrast, the modern view of “justice” is a “material justice” that coerces socioeconomic outcomes, irrespective of natural, God-given differences, as well as the actual effort that people exert, through centralized institutions (states) and redistribution. Evangelicals did not begin contending with the phenomenon of social justice until the mid-twentieth century. Leaders such as Carl Henry and Ronald Nash stood strongly against this historic understanding of “social justice.”
Bracey affirmed the Christian responsibility to justice but suggested that Christians not use the language of social justice, because (a) it is redundant, since historic notions of justice are inherently social, and (b) is misleading, since progressives have commandeered the term to such a strong extent in service of their ideologies in a manner that is deeply problematic for a Christian. He suggested that conscientious Christians speak, instead, of Christian social ethics, biblical social ethics, or even simply of justice. Finally, whatever language people would use, Bracey forewarned attendees of the many troublesome aspects of socialism.
Matthew Steven Bracey and Chris Talbot – “Church Revitalization: Our Experience”: Bracey and Talbot presented ten lessons they learned from going through the process of revitalization with their local church, such as: It’s about church health, not growth; it’s a lot of work; it can be slow and painful; yet it is good and rewarding. After their presentation, Bracey and Talbot fielded questions from local church pastors and leaders.
Christopher Talbot – “Ministering to High-Risk Teenagers”: This seminar sought to (1) define fundamental categories for ministering to “high-risk” students and to (2) offer a framework that is both personal as well as comprehensive. Quoting from trusted youth ministry experts, Talbot sought to distinguish between “at-risk,” “high-risk,” and “troubled” teenagers. From there, he moved toward a rubric for effective orthopraxy. This requires attention to the both the personal level, and the secondary “cultural” level. That is, to minister to “at-risk” students holistically, one needs to engage the needs and difficulties of the student, as well as deal with secondary, more systemic issues. In doing so, the minister (and the church) might rightly help students in difficult situations.
Christopher Talbot – “Why Youth Ministry Needs Apologetics”: Surveying statistical trends related to the rise of the “nones,” Talbot sought to explain how apologetics is uniquely positioned to help retain those who may otherwise leave the church. He leaned heavily upon David Kinnaman’s six reasons youth are leaving the church, as described in You Lost Me. From there, he addressed how apologetics can appropriately answer issues related to sexual ethics, scientism, claims of exclusivity, and more. Further, he offered a paradigm developed by Paul Gould for leading students through “cultural apologetics.”
Sarah Bracey – “Overcoming and Preventing Ministry Burn-out”: In this seminar, Bracey addressed the challenges associated with overwork and burn-out. After giving a Biblical foundation for her discussion, she pointed out that our unique, God-given personalities play a role in how we burn out. For example, some people are turtles, whereas others are race horses; each approach has its pros and cons, but, significantly, each approach leads to burn-out differently. Some people burn-out because they’re serving in ministry positions for which they are not suited. Bracey also identified markers of burn-out, as well as ways that loved ones can help those experiencing symptoms of burn-out. Finally, she highlighted the importance of the Sabbath.
Frank Thornsbury – “The Art of Living: Navigating the Digital Age”: In this seminar, Thornsbury gave a fantastic presentation on the challenges of attempting to live through the medium of digital technology. He emphasized the increased disconnectedness that the digital age imposes on authentic human community. He pointed instead to the importance of embodied presence, simple habits, and classical virtues, citing John Crowe Ransom as a guide on related “arts of living” like dress, conversation, manners, the table, the hunt, politics, oratory, and the pulpit. This rousing call to action was certainly needed and well-received.
Kevin Hester – “Free Will and Determinism”: Students and colleagues of Hester have come to expect carefulness and clarity from him on any topic he addresses. This seminar was no exception as he presented on the often confusing topic of free will and determinism. Hester explained how the two related from an Arminian perspective and also provided further historical development on how the questions surrounding them had been answered throughout church history. Hester especially drew on some of Robert Picirilli’s recent writings on the subject. This topic is always timely, given how central it is to Christian theology, but also due to the vast number of evangelical authors and theologians who define sovereignty in solely deterministic terms.
Matthew Pinson – “Do We Need to Keep Having Associations?”: Pinson focused his seminar on the essential role that associations play in keeping churches accountable. He argued that faithful engagement and cooperation with other Free Will Baptist churches is our best resource to preserve doctrinal integrity, denominational loyalty, and pastoral accountability. However, in order to cultivate these close ties, laymen must be involved. This has been a weakness in contemporary associational life. Pinson strongly emphasized the importance of involving the laity in business meetings and in associational fellowship. After all, they will be the ones who call their next pastor.
Daniel Webster – “How to Choose Songs for Worship”: On most Sundays, Webster selects the songs for the church where I (Jesse Owens) serve. He does a wonderful job. In this seminar he encouraged the audience to select songs on the basis of the theology they teach rather than whether they’re on the radio or in a hymnal. Webster noted that we may find good and bad songs in both places. Ultimately the intended goal of singing is summed up in Colossians 3:16. When we embrace this model, we’ll likely end up singing a variety of songs from throughout Christian history but all with the intended purpose of worshipping God through teaching and admonishing one another. As Webster noted on multiple occasions, singing is not the whole of “worship,” and it is not just something we do to get ready for the sermon. Singing is part of our gathered worship and, like everything we do in worship, it should revolve around biblical instruction and admonition.
Barry Raper – “The Pastoral Shortage Crisis”: Raper addressed the issue of why there seems to be a shortage of men entering the ministry. He offered two suggestions on how we may increase this number: (1) Demystify the call to ministry; and (2) develop leaders within local churches and associations. Raper points out that there is a tendency to mystify the call to ministry, which goes beyond what Scripture teaches. What we do find in Scripture are qualifications for ministers and a desire for the ministry (1 Timothy 3). Raper’s concluding suggestions were to commit to praying for more men to become pastors, to help men (young and old) discern the call to ministry, and to provide the necessary opportunities, support, and encouragement for these individuals.
Ian Hawkins – “The Theological Implications of the Genetic Revolution”: Genetics is arguably the latest major frontier in the sciences. Yet how its claims relate to basic Christian commitments such as an historical Adam and Eve and free will has been increasingly complicated and controversial. Hawkins, a professor and scientist, brought his expertise to bear on the theological implications of modern genetic thought. Though the seminar was complex, it was appropriate to the subject.
Moreover, this seminar was the Commission for Theological Integrity’s annual seminar, which always deals with a current subject with significant implications for theology and ministry. Hawkins emphasized that there are many unsettled questions within the sciences, especially those concerning human origins and nature, and instead called attention to how the Scriptures are reliable in providing our fundamental beliefs. He also cautioned the audience not to make Scripture say more than it does say or require on certain questions, such as how Adam and Eve looked exactly. Hawkins’ insights were careful, nuanced, and well-researched.
Recent Comments