Daniel Darling's Blog, page 28
July 19, 2018
The Way Home: Brandon Smith on how the Old Testament applies today
Show Notes
Website: secundumscripturas.com and centerforbaptistrenewal.com
Podcast: wordmatterspod.com
Book: They Spoke of Me: How Jesus Unlocks the Old Testament [image error]
The post The Way Home: Brandon Smith on how the Old Testament applies today appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.
July 17, 2018
The Essential Art of Forgiveness in Ministry
I’ll never forget where I was when I nearly quit the ministry: sitting in my office at church, weeping. My wife was out of town with our children, ministering to a friend whose husband had just died from cancer. It was very early in my first pastorate. Being a senior pastor was new, different, and somewhat frightening.
I was experiencing the betrayal of a church leader close to me, someone who had discipled me, mentored me, and ordained me for ministry. What began, I thought, as constructive criticism, soon turned into private and public slander.
This new opposition wasn’t the kind of friendly and constructive criticism I’d expected and sought from people I’d grown up idolizing. This wasn’t coaching from older, wiser, pastors. This was jealousy, bullying, and threats. And it was deeply personal.
His disapproval of me had not stemmed from integrity issues, doctrinal issues, or even leadership failures. It was simply a difference in ministry model. I chose to pursue a style of leadership that departed, in some ways, from his. Having been his disciple, he had expected me to lead just like him in my own ministry.
I remember thinking in this moment, I think I’m going to quit. Maybe I’m not cut out for church leadership. Maybe they are right.
I replayed the conversations with this person over and over in my head. You are not cut out for ministry. You are an embarrassment. You will never make it without us.
That same day I called up a friend, a respected and experienced pastor. I was trembling when I called him and told him about the situation. I told him I was pretty sure I would leave the ministry.
Rich, my friend, responded that day with two statements that changed my life and ministry forever:
“Dan, you can’t quit. I won’t let you quit. You are right and they are wrong.”
“Dan, you must also forgive them.”
The first word was one I wanted and needed to hear. The second … well, I didn’t like hearing about forgiveness so much in this moment. But Rich was right.
I had always spoken and preached and taught about forgiveness, but perhaps it was in a sterile, academic way. I really had not had occasion to practice forgiveness. I’m not talking about letting go of petty hurts and insults—the kind of daily rhythm of forgiveness and repentance that oils relationships—I’m speaking of painful and difficult hurts.
How do you forgive when you’ve been so deeply wounded? I would learn this in a personal way over the next year as my reputation was maligned and I lost many friends. No longer was forgiveness a sterile topic for a future lesson.
Calling out evil
In the story of Joseph—dreamer, slave, brother, wrongly accused, prime minister, son—I discovered a powerful secret about forgiveness and leadership. The story of Joseph’s epic fall and rise had been a staple of my growing up years in church. I knew the contours well and saw in Joseph not only a powerful tale of God’s provision and protection, but a beautiful shadow of Christ. Christ was the better Joseph, wrongly accused, imprisoned, then exonerated by resurrection and exalted in glory.
But there is something about the God-given forgiveness displayed by Joseph that I hadn’t seen until my current trial. In those famous words, Joseph says:
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20 ESV)
Two things strike me about Joseph’s passionate words to his brothers. First, Joseph didn’t minimize the hurt against him. He pointed to his brothers and said to them, “you meant evil against me.”
We too often skip past this part and get to the good stuff: the forgiveness. Perhaps it’s our desire to see resolution and reconciliation that causes us to minimize real hurts. I think we do this in our own lives as well. As Christians we are so wired for forgiveness that we forget to look at evil—evil done to us—and call it what it is.
But to minimize sin—even sin against ourselves—is to hollow out the gospel message that offers forgiveness in the first place. Christ, in his death and resurrection, offers forgiveness for those who repent and believe. It’s free, but it cost Christ his life. The sins we committed against God were heinous violations of his holiness and tragic trespasses against our fellow man.
The only way we can begin to offer forgiveness is if we call our hurts what they are: evil. In a way, reading Joseph’s words freed me to move forward. It gave me permission to own what had happened to me.
Some slights are mere slights and many insults are petty. But real, honest, genuinely evil things done against us are not things to be dismissed lightly. Forgiveness is not a pass. It’s not a wave of the hand with a shrug, No big deal.
God meant it for good
What happened to me—this was big deal. It was evil—not simply by my own flawed accounting—but by numerous godly people who knew the situation. Owning this helped me to appreciate the next piece of Joseph’s forgiveness, the theological truth that formed the ground of my ability to forgive.
But God meant it for good. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty generates a lot of heat. Theologians have argued about it since the first century. But for me, this was no longer a sterile chapter in a systematic theology textbook. It was life.
Joseph’s words are beautiful declaration of the tension between human responsibility for sin and God’s sovereignty. His brother’s intended evil. They worked and schemed against their brother, denying him human dignity, abandoning him for death, and selling him, like property, to the highest bidder. They intended but God superintended.
God used human sin to accomplish His purposes in the world. Joseph’s ordeal is a shadow of another, betrayed by his brothers, sold for thirty pieces of silver, wrongly put to death. In Christ, Peter declared on Pentecost, we see the same tension:
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. (Acts 2:23-24 ESV)
Man schemed, God superintended for good. I can’t fully explain this mystery. But it does cause me to worship and it gives me grounds for repentance. I know that the evil done to me—pedestrian when compared to the evil I’ve committed against God—is not random. It’s not out there somewhere. It’s being used by God for his glory.
Sometimes we see, as in the life of Joseph, this being fully worked out. Mostly though, we won’t see the full flower of Christ’s kingdom restoration until He comes back in victory. I’ve seen God use this difficult season to draw me closer to him, to sharpen my leadership, and to allow me to build new friendships with people I’d never know if I wasn’t hurt so deeply.
Forgiveness as vital to leadership
Forgiveness is not ancillary to spiritual leadership. It’s vital. A leader’s ability to forgive others directly impacts his ability to lead others. I’m convinced of it, not only from the life of Joseph who became a wise and capable leader in Egypt.
I had to forgive those who had hurt me deeply not only for my own personal spiritual growth, but also because I had a congregation of people watching me. How could I preach of the forgiveness Christ offers and yet harbor bitterness in my heart? How could I help my people apply the gospel to their own relational struggles if I ignored what the gospel was telling me?
I’ve seen bitterness tear at the heart of a leader and poison his leadership. I’ve seen it up close in ministry and I’ve read about it in countless biographies. Look closely at tyrannical leaders–in ministry, in government, in business, anywhere—and you’ll find a common trait. Somewhere in their past was a deep hurt that wounded them so deeply they couldn’t move on. Bitterness and cynicism became embedded in their psyche, making them insecure and power-hungry.
When we can’t or won’t forgive, we communicate something other than the gospel we claim to declare. We say, with our lives, that God is less than all-powerful and that our circumstances are outside of his control. What’s more we offer a limited gospel, one that only heals certain kinds of pain. Ultimately, we lead our people away from the living water their hearts crave.
Forgiveness doesn’t always mean reconciliation. It doesn’t always mean every relationship is put back together perfectly. It doesn’t mean we ignore abuses or criminal acts. What it does mean, however, is that we don’t shut off our hearts from the gospel’s healing, cleansing flow. It means we trust the evil done against us, not to our own limited and faulty vengeance, but to the powerful justice of God.
This article was originally published here.
The post The Essential Art of Forgiveness in Ministry appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.
July 12, 2018
The Way Home: Brian Dembowczyk on passing the gospel to the next generation
How can parents effectively communicate the truths of Scripture in a way that is lasting for their children? Brian Dembowczyk joins me to share some practical ways parents, teachers, and leaders can be intentional about passing on the gospel to the next generation.
Brian is the managing editor of The Gospel Project at LifeWay. He is the author of Cornerstones: 200 Questions and Answers to Learn Truth
Show Notes
Website: gospelproject.com
Twitter: @briandembo and @Gospel_Project
Book: Cornerstones: 200 Questions and Answers to Learn Truth
and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and Answers to Teach Truth (Parent Guide)
The post The Way Home: Brian Dembowczyk on passing the gospel to the next generation appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.
July 10, 2018
We Should Expect Non-Christians to Share Our Morals
A common reaction among evangelicals to the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage has been deflection from controversy. This laissez-faire approach has been most commonly expressed by closely connected beliefs about Christianity and morality:
We should not expect non-Christians to think and live like Christians. So why all the fuss among Christians over the legalization of same-sex marriage?
Since when do we depend on the government to enforce Christian morals?
Many who express these sentiments do so with well-meaning attempts to (rightly) keep evangelicals from panicking over misplaced trust in temporal earthly powers. Additionally, they want to remind themselves and fellow believers that to be a Christ follower will always be, as Jesus promised, countercultural.
Yet the two statements above reflect a poor understanding of how God ordered creation, morality, and the purpose he has given civil law. Assumptions like those above can lead to disastrous consequences for how we understand moral obligation.
Universal Expectations
In one sense, the Bible does describe the condition of humans, without Christ, as lost and depraved, incapable of pleasing God (Rom. 3:9–20). Apart from Christ, we are in a state of rebellion, and until regenerated by the Holy Spirit, cannot understand the ways of God (1 Cor. 2:14). It should not surprise us, then, when sinners act sinfully. Sin has been the human default ever since Eden.
However, by keeping the spotlight only on sinful humanity’s inability to live lives of obedience unto God, we overlook how failure to obey God shows that God’s commands for human obedience are grounded in his good and holy nature, and therefore obligatory on all persons at all times. Morality reflects God’s holiness. Thus, one function of the moral order is to expose our rebellion against God’s moral law and God himself. We know the moral order is good because our guilty consciences indict us for failing to uphold it. This is the most basic of ethical principles. To say non-Christians can’t be expected to live like Christians and obey God ignores the fact that God and the moral order he implanted in creation are to be obeyed. Making that claim leads to a consequence similar to what happens when we quit a book halfway in: We’ll fail to see the full story and resolution.
At creation, God made humans as his image bearers. Christian theology has long debated the definition and scope of what it means to image God. But on a functional level, to image God means at least that we possess the capacity to make sense of moral cues or moral demands. God endowed the mind to know right from wrong.
Paul picks up on this theme of creation and moral order in Romans 1 and 2, where he describes particular sinful practices as unnatural. Not only that, he says that these practices are known to be immoral because they violate “the law … written on their hearts” (Rom. 2:15, ESV). The “conscience also bears witness” to God’s moral law. The fact that humanity is mired in sin does not excuse anyone from knowing or doing what their God-given conscience knows to be good or bad.
Every human, even in a fallen world, has some capacity to do good. This is often referred to as common grace—that is, God’s restraining us from being completely evil, and his enabling us to do good, though not unto salvation. Christians do well, then, when they advocate Christian ethics in the public square, both as a word to the conscience of non-Christians, hoping they will repent before their Creator, and as a way to promote what is best for human flourishing.
Imagine we took the same approach with a different issue—say, crime—that some do with marriage and family policy. What if our approach toward murder or theft was as laissez-faire? Why should we expect our neighbors not to murder? Why should we think non-Christians will act like believers and obey the sixth commandment? But if the home of one of these advocates were broken into by an unbelieving neighbor, they would call upon the local, God-ordained authorities, and accusing the thief of violating a fundamental principle of justice that all of our consciences know to be true: It is unjust to steal. Stealing is a violation not only of God’s revealed law, but also of the basic concept of justice that is written on the heart of every person. If our unbelieving neighbor steals from us, we don’t excuse their behavior because they don’t follow a Christian code of ethics. We simply expect them not to steal.
All Christians, if they are honest, hope non-Christians think and act like Christians—whether in maintaining a just and well-ordered society or when approaching issues like human trafficking, abortion, racial justice, child poverty, and other pressing issues. We fight for laws that reflect what we believe to be true about human dignity and human flourishing. Why? Because principles of morality are not limited to or binding on only Christians.
Therefore, we must not shrink back from fighting for what we believe is God’s design for marriage simply because it is controversial. That morality is contested and controversial simply displays how fractured societies are and how obstinate sinful humans are to God’s design. We advocate for biblical marriage in the wider culture, not because we want to create a theocracy or because we need government sanction for our beliefs, but because we believe that the way God ordered human life offers the best opportunity for human flourishing. Ending human trafficking or supporting the best marriage policy has real-world implications for the common good.
The Role of the Government
The second axiom of this laissez-faire approach to ethics is an appeal to the inability of civil law to shape human hearts. To this principle we add our whole-hearted agreement. Only a work of God’s Spirit can regenerate the heart. There is no legal utopia that can convert and immediately sanctify.
However, this does not mean Christians should not work for just laws and a well-ordered society. In fact, knowledge of human depravity should motivate Christians in a representative republic to fight for a government that promotes God’s law. And we should do this for several reasons.
First, the Bible tells us that government is God’s delegated authority to do good (Rom. 13:4). Christian ethics assumes the presence of sin and evil in society and therefore affirms the need for just leaders and just laws to punish evil and promote good. Human leaders, whether they realize it or not, are leading in the place of God (Rom. 13:4).
Second, it is fictitious to assume that laws are amoral. Every law reflects some moral principle. Laws that govern theft, for instance, reflect the belief that private property is a moral right. Laws that govern food safety reflect the belief that corporations that sell food to the public should care about the health of the consumer. Laws that prohibit human slavery reflect the belief that humans possess inherent dignity. Each of these principles terminates at a particular goal: affirming that which is good, and shunning that which is evil.
All of our activism—our work to change laws and legislation in this country when necessary—flows from our moral beliefs. Sometimes activists acknowledge this more vocally—read the statements of those who work on behalf of the poor and impoverished—while others are more subtle. Imagine if Martin Luther King Jr. had not appealed to the gospel in his march for civil rights. If Christians refuse to apply a Christian ethic while stewarding their influence on public policy, others will fill that void with their own moral ethic. A secular ethic is not a value-free ethic simply because it says so. Secular ethics are packed with their own conceptions of what is true, good, beautiful, and worthwhile to pursue. The task of the Christian, therefore, is to contend for justice and truth in the public realm.
Third, it is impossible to work for justice without believing that laws are moral statements, because every belief in morality stems from the understanding that morality makes demands that we ought to follow. If as a Christian you work for justice at any level, you are bringing Christian ethics to bear on public policy, whether you realize it or not. Gary Haugen, president of International Justice Mission, an organization fighting to end human trafficking, has written an entire book pleading with Christians to fight for just laws around the world. Why? Because without a system where laws reflect some aspect of Christian ethics—principles of justice, dignity, and the common good more broadly—societies descend into anarchy, and the weak are preyed upon by the strong. Justice for the trafficked, eradication of poverty, compassion for the fatherless—these depend on a system where right and wrong are distinguished.
Finding the Right Moral Standard
Some construe biblical texts to mean that Christians cannot morally evaluate what happens outside the church. “Judge not, that you not be judged,” Jesus said in Matthew 7:1. Some read this as a prohibition on making moral judgments about culture, for fear that Christians will appear morally scrupulous, petty, and judgmental. But what Jesus really says is this: The standard by which you judge shall you be judged. The question, ultimately, is whose standard of judgment is true? As Christians, we believe unreservedly that God’s moral judgments are holy, true, and for our good. Moral judgment is rooted in God’s kindness and mercy to show a path toward righteousness and flourishing.
To be sure, Christians are to hold fellow Christians accountable within the life of the church. But neither Jesus nor the New Testament writers excuse misbehavior or unbelief carte blanche. Much of the New Testament’s moral witness is about Christian morality inside the life of the church. But that focus about Christian moral integrity doesn’t welcome moral chaos outside the church.
If we insist that Christian ethics should have no bearing on public policy, we do a disservice to our theology and cripple the mission of the church. It is a retreat inward and a tacit approval of injustice in society. A public Christianity is not about imposing Christian ethics on an unwilling citizenry. Instead, public Christianity is about marshaling God’s truth in service of our fellow image bearers, using the conscience and persuasion as our means.
Andrew T. Walker contributed to this article. Andrew serves as Director of Policy Studies at The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
This article was originally published here.
The post We Should Expect Non-Christians to Share Our Morals appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.
July 5, 2018
The Way Home: Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson on salvation and restoration
The events in the book of Exodus stand as a pivotal moment in the Old Testament. Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson join the podcast to discuss the recurring theme of the exodus, salvation, and restoration throughout Scripture.
Alastair Roberts completed doctoral studies at the University of Durham. He participates in the Mere Fidelity podcast and is a contributing editor for Political Theology Today.
Andrew Wilson is teaching pastor at King’s Church London. He is a columnist for Christianity Today.
Show Notes
Website: alastairadversaria.com and thinktheology.co.uk/blog
Twitter: Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.
July 3, 2018
7 Times Your ‘Righteous’ Anger Probably Isn’t
When pastors get angry, things can get complicated. On the one hand, we know that anger is not always an indication of sin. After all, we say to ourselves, Jesus got angry. Paul also counseled the Ephesians on anger, saying, “In your anger do not sin” (Eph. 4:26): implying that anger is inevitable in human relationships, and that there is a way to be angry and not sin. James further cautions his readers to be “slow to become angry,” encouraging a slow emotional response, but not forbidding one outright (James 1:19).
All of this seems to suggest that it’s okay to be angry sometimes. What I have found in my own life, however, is that my attempts to justify anger—to point to Jesus whipping folks in the temple as a precedent for outbursts of righteous indignation—are typically ill-motivated, and they usually just end in me being an unbearable jerk.
So how can pastors tell the difference between legitimate anger and a bad temper? Good question. Perhaps this guide will help you. Here are seven times when your anger is probably not the same as Jesus’ in the temple:
When the “special music” performed before your sermon is neither “special” nor, technically speaking, “music.” It’s frustrating to try and preach the Word of God when the kindly but not-exactly-talented soloist has just cranked out a not-so-holy version of “On Holy Ground.” God may hear our singing and music as a sweet and beautiful offering—but sometimes our cochlear nerves don’t extend that same grace. However, rolling our eyes and offering a passive-aggressive “Miss Betty blesses us with her unique voice” is not exactly evidence of righteous anger. (Plus, your spouse probably puts up with your too-loud car karaoke all the time as it is.)
When the prayer requests at your prayer meeting offer too much personal medical information. Pastors should be good listeners. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to listen to the excruciating details of a congregant’s intestinal problems and keep a straight and somber face. It’s even harder to pray for one person’s diarrhea and another’s constipation. Rather than react in silent frustration, though, you might offer a prayer of thanks to the Lord for your calling—after all, at least you’re not a gastroenterologist.
When that perfect video clip that was going to be the key to your sermon short-circuits. Sometimes the devil is just in the system. I don’t care if your audiovisual setup was designed by Apple or if your equipment costs more than the International Space Station: there will be weeks when every screen, button, and wire seems to be on the fritz. That pivotal point, delivered with crisp and compelling accuracy, will fall flat as you wait for YouTube to buffer because your small church’s Wi-Fi is terminally sluggish. You may be tempted, in that moment, to glare menacingly at your sound guy, causing the whole congregation to turn its collective, hydra-like head and contemplate fetching their pitchforks . . . But I’m afraid your anger would be misplaced. A cleansed temple trumps your sermon stumbling on a Sunday.
When your four-year old daughter has a nuclear meltdown in the hallway right before service. This didn’t happen to me when I was preaching a series on parenting, thankfully—but it did happen, and more than once. Nothing makes you angrier than when your kids illustrate the doctrine of total depravity by gnashing and thrashing all over the carpet of the church lobby. The odds are, though, that your anger is probably not at the death-dealing curse of original sin, but at your kid for making you look like a real parent in front of your elders. Besides, would it really have been so terrible to let your child have just one more gummy bear?
That disgruntled Monday morning email asking if you could “just talk” later this week. This is the pastor’s least favorite kind of communication, ensuring your day off is ruined as you prepare to send “What even is this?” texts to your closest confidants all week. Sure, it’s not cool that your people have your every piece of contact info on speed dial. But let’s be honest: you probably shouldn’t have checked your email on your day off anyways. It could be this perpetually sullen member really does just want to have coffee and chat about the hypostatic union or the latest developments in atonement theory. But while you might be tempted to let your worrying turn to what you think is righteous rage, just remember: the all-caps, san serif response has never been proven to resolve a disagreement, anyway.
When the guest preacher ends his sermon with Carman’s “We Need God in America Again.” Okay, this is pretty bad. I mean, what is he thinking: resurrecting a decades-old, cringe-inducing patriotic power ballad that sends millennial members bolting for the exits? But even though flag-waving CCM may very well be the greatest abomination unto the Lord since the Thief in the Night series, it’s still probably not worthy of “Jesus in the temple” levels of anger.
When the usher serving communion is rocking spandex bike shorts and flip flops. Actually . . . you can take this one. Rage away. For all we know, those money-changers were probably wearing yoga pants, anyway.
This article was originally published here.
The post 7 Times Your ‘Righteous’ Anger Probably Isn’t appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.
June 28, 2018
The Way Home: Jason Romano on forgiveness and redemption
He worked a dream job for Mike and Mike at ESPN for 18 years. But God stirred in his heart a new passion to share his own story, of forgiveness, of living with an alcoholic father, and of redemption.
Show Notes
Website: jasonromano.com and sportsspectrum.com
Twitter: @JasonRomano and @Sports_Spectrum
Book: Live to Forgive: Moving Forward When Those We Love Hurt Us [image error]
The post The Way Home: Jason Romano on forgiveness and redemption appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.
June 21, 2018
The Way Home: Rodney Bullard on the heroes who shaped his life
Are there any heroes today? We asked Chick-Fil-A executive Rodney Bullard about his public service, his work with troubled youth, and about the heroes who shaped his life.
Rodney is Vice-President of Community Affairs for Chick-Fil-A. Before coming to Chick-fil-A, Rodney served as an Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting complex criminal cases. For his service, the United States Attorney General presented him with the Department of Justice Director’s Award. Prior to this role, Rodney was selected as a White House Fellow, the nation’s most prestigious public service Fellowship. As a White House Fellow, Rodney was placed at NASA working directly for the NASA Administrator. A decorated veteran, Rodney also served in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps eventually working at the Pentagon as a Congressional Legislative Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.
Show Notes
Twitter: @rodney_bullard
Website: heroeswantedbook.com
Book: Heroes Wanted: Why the World Needs You to Live Your Heart Out [image error]
The post The Way Home: Rodney Bullard on the heroes who shaped his life appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.
June 15, 2018
SBC Resolution on Human Dignity
I was grateful to see the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention pass a strong resolution on human dignity. More than ever, Christians need to reclaim this biblical view and apply it to the way we see ourselves and our neighbors. I’ve included it below:
WHEREAS, In the beginning, the Triune God chose to create humanity in His image and according to His likeness, such that “God created man in His own image; He created Him in the image of God; He created them male and female” (Genesis 1:26–27); and
WHEREAS, God judged His creation of humanity to be very good indeed (Genesis 1:31), crowned humanity with honor and glory, making them rulers over the works of His hands (Psalm 8:5–6), and put eternity in all human hearts so we might seek after Him (Ecclesiastes 3:11); and
WHEREAS, God’s precious likeness and image was passed down from Adam to his posterity, the human race, through generations (Genesis 5:3); and
WHEREAS, God sent His own perfect image, Jesus Christ, into the world (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3), intending through the sufferings of Christ (Hebrews 2:10) for human beings to become conformed, renewed, and transformed into the same image of Christ (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:9–10); and
WHEREAS, God intends to bless human beings to “bear the image of the man of heaven,” Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:49; cf. 1 John 3:2), and “wants everyone to be saved” through hearing and believing His gospel (1 Timothy 2:4; cf. Ezekiel 18:23; Matthew 23:37; 2 Peter 3:9); and
WHEREAS, Significant challenges threaten the dignity and worthiness of human beings who do not possess power or advantage, including but not limited to the heinous murder of the unborn child in the womb, the enforced withdrawal of life-sustaining medical care from the ill or infirm, the prejudices and discriminations of racism and ethnocentrism, various abuses of other human persons, the denigration of opposing political groups, and persecutions of religious minorities; and
WHEREAS, Article III of The Baptist Faith and Message clearly affirms that human dignity is an inviolable status, stating, “The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love”; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 12–13, 2018, reaffirm the sacredness and full dignity and worthiness of respect and Christian love for every single human being, without any reservation whatsoever; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every unborn child and denounce every act of abortion except to save the mother’s physical life; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being, whether or not any political, legal, or medical authority considers a human being possessive of “viable” life regardless of cognitive or physical disability, and denounce every act that would wrongly limit the life of any human at any stage or state of life; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being of whatever ethnicity and denounce every form and practice of racism and ethnocentrism; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being, whether male or female, young or old, weak or strong, and denounce any and every form of abuse, whether physical, sexual, verbal, or psychological; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being of whatever political or legal status or party and denounce rhetoric that diminishes the humanity of anyone; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being of whatever religion or creed and denounce any unjust violation of the first freedom of religious liberty; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm that the full dignity of every human being can never be removed, diminished, or modified by any human decision or action whatsoever; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being and commit to model God’s saving love by sharing the eternal hope found in the gospel, to call all people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19–20; 2 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Peter 3:14–17), and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39; Romans 12:10, 15; Philippians 2:4–7).
photo credit: Baptist Press
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June 14, 2018
The Way Home: Lauren Green McAfee on the heroes who have shaped her life
What is it like growing up in a famous Christian family? What does ordinary faithfulness look like for a Christian women today? Lauren Green McAfee joins the podcast to talk about growing up in the Green family and about the heroes who have shaped her life.
Show Notes
Book: Only One Life: How a Woman’s Every Day Shapes an Eternal Legacy [image error]
Twitter: @LaurenAMcAfee
Website: onlyonelifebook.com
The post The Way Home: Lauren Green McAfee on the heroes who have shaped her life appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.
