I think my wife’s a calvinist

What Do Paedobaptists and Pre-tribulationalists Have in Common?

More than you might think. In a stunning new development which may prove embarrassing to theologians in both camps, a recent report claims that paedobaptists and pre-tribulational dispensationalists often use the same form of argumentation for their respective positions. Co-authored by Rich Ryan and Chris Pixley of Expository Thoughts, this report claims that rather than relying on clear exegetical evidence for their views, many paedobaptists and pre-tribulationalists often rely instead on inferential arguments based on their ecclesiology. See the comment thread under this post for what many believe was the original catalyst for this study by Ryan and Pixley.

 

Expository Thoughts founder Paul Lamey was said to be inconsolable when confronted with the findings of the report. “It just can’t be,” Lamey mumbled, sipping his coffee at the breakfast table and staring blankly at a fax from Pixley. “Maybe I need to rethink this whole issue.” Sources close to Lamey and his thriving Alabama church say the young pastor was due to preach 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 this Sunday morning, but the elders have contacted Tim LaHaye to fill the pulpit in Lamey’s absence.

 

Meanwhile, the report is said to have caused “shock waves” in the reformed community, leading some paedobaptists to a new openness regarding the possibility of a pre-tribulational rapture. Rumors out of Florida say that R.C. Sproul has found the report “interesting,” and that he was recently seen tucked away in a corner of the library at RTS in Orlando reading Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth. According to one eyewitness, Sproul was nodding with what appeared to be “thoughtful but cautious approval.”

disOrder of Worship

When in danger . . .

Some preachers find themselves in interesting places of danger from time to time. When I was serving at Grace Community Church in CA, there was a now famous incident where a man found his way into John MacArthur’s study on an early Easter morning. As John walked into the room from a back door he noticed that the man was sitting in front of his desk wearing a Roman helmet and holding a large spear. The man said, “I have come to teach you about the sovereignty of God.” John quickly replied, “I think there are some other men who would like to hear about this as well so he got up and found some “other men.”

I was reminded of this while reading from J. Manton Smith’s old children’s biography of Spurgeon entitled The Essex Lad (1892). He reports the following:

A madman one day, having by some means gained admittance to the Tabernacle, walked straight into the vestry where Mr. Spurgeon sat all alone. Closing the door behind him, he looked at the pastor with a wild glare in his eye, and said:–

“I have come to cut your throat.”

“Have you?” said Spurgeon quickly. “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you; see what a mess it would make on the carpet.”

“I never thought of that,” he answered; and instantly became so subdued, that he allowed himself to be led from the room like a little child.

Weekend Fun: Shalom!

We’re Done, thanks for the memories!

That’s all folks. It has been a great joy to be a part of Expository Thoughts over the last few years but we have had a massive change of focus that has caused us to see preaching in a whole new light. The fact is we no longer think preaching is worth it. Seriously, who wants to sit for an hour on a Sunday morning and listen to someone else talk?

We agree with Doug Pagitt who has written:

Any preaching practice that results in less collective interaction and building of one another should be used very sparingly and abandoned as soon as possible (Preaching Re-Imagined, 26).

Pagitt has been saying this for years and we are saddened it has taken us this long (two thousand years) to see his wisdom. Of course others before him tried to tell us this. Fred Craddock wrote way back in 1969 that “Expository preaching has been found guilty of archaism, sacrificing the present to the past” (As One Without Authority, 17). But the real prophet was Fosdick who asked, “Could any procedure be more surely predestined to dullness and futility? . . .Nobody else who talks to the public so assumes that the vital interests of people are located in the meaning of words spoken two thousand years ago.”

We know the implications of this are huge. Maybe Pagitt was right, “So our sermons are not lessons that precisely define belief so much as they are stories that welcome our hopes and ideas and participation” (Church-Re-Imagined, 166). He also noted that, “It seems to me that this call to communal spiritual formation challenges us to re-imagine the gospel itself” (Ibid., 31).

I see now that its not only preaching that needs to be re-imagined but the gospel as well. Who would have thought that they were connected? Thanks for stopping by, see you on the flipside.

Weekend Fun: Afro Ninja and his friends

Weekend Fun: Under Neat That

This is why you should not call in your cake orders over the phone.

The background story is as follows. A man orders a cake for his
departing colleague. Over the phone he requests that the message should
read: “Best Wishes Suzanne” and underneath that, “We will miss you”.
The cake shop proprietor not only included the instruction but misspelled
it.

Weekend Fun: Yes, we have finally hit bottom

In our wacky attempt to put the “fun” back into fundamentalism we have brought you a special tribute dedicated to all the preachers who once wore parachute pants or had a teased mullet. Turn up your speakers and enjoy . . .if possible.

Weekend Fun: A candidate for your music ministry

In case you’re wondering, yes we have resorted to the lowest form of blog life. As pastors we have all been extremely busy so the posts have been in short supply. As a token of our appreciation I offer the following for your weekend enjoyment.