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Blog Suggestion

April 29, 2007 By Gregory Pittman 2 Comments

Thanks to Cory Miller at Church Communications Pro, I’ve come across a blog that I think will very soon make it to my Blogs Worth Reading list (in the sidebar, if you’ve never seen it). Dr. Mark DeVine, who takes advantage of his name by blogging at DeVine Theology, is a professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He may not be a stranger to Charleston readers of IsaiahSix because he is the former pastor of Sycamore Baptist Church. And proving this is indeed a fallen world, he is a graduate of Clemson University. :-)

What has drawn me to Dr. DeVine’s writings is his deep-seated interest in approaching this issue of the emerging church with fairness. While some (many) are willing to discard anything at all remotely associated with the emerging church (to the Kingdom’s detriment), Dr. DeVine serves as a welcome and respected voice of reason. As I’ve argued before, let’s discuss and critique the issues that need to be critiqued, but let’s be fair in the process and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
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Filed Under: General

Dr. Robert Webber, 1933-2007

April 28, 2007 By Gregory Pittman 1 Comment

Dr. Robert WebberI posted an update on Dr. Robert Webber’s health late last night, knowing that I would be reporting his death soon. Little did I know that, in fact, he had just passed away. I received this e-mail moments ago:

It is with great sadness that we announce that Robert Webber passed away Friday, April 26. We will be posting details on www.seminary.edu and on the AEF Call web site www.aefcall.org about the upcoming public memorial service in the Chicago area as soon as details are finalized. Please keep the Webber family in your prayers.

Dr. Webber’s loss will be felt across the theological community, especially those whose calling is to biblically-faithful worship.

Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
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Filed Under: General

Finally, Some Global Warming Common Sense!

April 28, 2007 By Gregory Pittman 1 Comment

According to statistical data, the earth is warming. That is indisputable. What is disputable is the cause of the warming. Does man have anything to do with it? Is God’s creation fragile enough for man to have any impact on its longevity? Doubtful. Very, very doubtful. God will sustain what He will sustain and He will bring to an end that which He will bring to an end. Having said that, of course I don’t want to breathe in dirty, chemical filled air, so I’m interested in finding ways to reduce gases in the air. But I don’t believe for a moment anything I do will cause the end of the earth any sooner than God had already planned.

And now, we hear some common sense. Actually, it’s educated sense. Hurricane expert Dr. William Gray says that the oceans?not CO2?are the cause of global warming and the trend will likely reverse itself in five to ten years.

We can’t surprise God.

Filed Under: General

Robert Webber Update

April 27, 2007 By Gregory Pittman 1 Comment

UPDATE: In the comments section of his post, Andrew has posted the contents of an e-mail he received from a colleague of Dr. Webber’s. There is indeed ?an increase in pain and other associated symptoms. These are additional signs of the approaching end.?

I’ve tried to keep you up-to-date on the health of Robert Webber, who has provided invaluable leadership in the area of worship theology. The last couple of updates included good news that he seemed to be doing well, despite his doctor’s prognosis that he only had weeks?if not days?to live.

Tonight, Andrew Jones, the Tall Skinny Kiwi, reports that Dr. Webber’s health has made a turn for the worse. Dr. Webber suffers from pancreatic cancer, a particularly painful disease. Please pray for God’s will. Healing will come, either here on earth or in a more eternal form, but we can intercede on behalf of Dr. Webber for comfort and on behalf his family as they care for him.

Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
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Filed Under: General

SCBC Executive Director

April 26, 2007 By Gregory Pittman Leave a Comment

UPDATE: Dr. Austin has been elected unanimously. During discussion, the only objection raised concerned the salary package of $155,000 plus another $20,000 to 30,000 in benefits.

UPDATE II: The chairman of the search committee shared with the convention that when Dr. Austin met with him and the CFO for the SCBC in March, Dr. Austin suggested the salary was too high. That is a credit to his character. However, the salary was recommended by an outside consulting group that studied Dr. Austin’s experience and skills and the salaries of the directors of seven nearby Baptist state conventions. Of the seven conventions they studied, their recommended salary ranked sixth and is lower than outgoing director Dr. Carlisle Driggers. So the Administrative Committee of the SCBC Executive Board felt comfortable keeping the salary as it was recommended to them.

Dr. Jim Austin is speaking to the 420 messengers at the called meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention right now. He comes across as a man of humility and has shared his life and experiences.

One of his emphases?and I think he’s exactly right?is discipleship. Conversions are wonderful, but we’re called to make disciples. Dr. Austin is an articulate speaker with a slight southern drawl.

I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen and heard so far and barring any concerns during the debate time (which begins now) I’ll be voting for his election.

Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
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Filed Under: SCBC

SCBC to Vote on New Executive Director

April 25, 2007 By Gregory Pittman Leave a Comment

Tomorrow I’ll be traveling to Columbia (SC) to participate in a called meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. The purpose of the meeting is to elect a new Executive Director. The nominee is Dr. Jim Austin, current Associate Executive Director of the Missouri Baptist Convention. I’ve been told that there will simply be the vote and a reception (if he’s elected). I can’t imagine there will be no question and answer time, but I’m told there won’t be and the information available at the SCBC website doesn’t say one way or another.

Biographical information available for Dr. Austin doesn’t show much in the way of experience. He’s served as Associate Executive Director of the Missouri Baptist Convention for a year and a half. Given his extremely short tenure there and given that the MBC is in shambles right now1, that line on his r?sum? doesn’t strike me as all that comforting. Prior to that he served as pastor and missionary.

Here are some questions to which I would like to have answers:

  1. Why is Dr. Austin interested in moving after only a year and a half at his current position? Is it because of all the turmoil? If not, why? If so, what does that mean for his willingness and ability to lead South Carolina Baptists through rough waters should they arise?
  2. The parameters of cooperation among some leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention are increasingly tight. In other words, it is more important to be a Southern Baptist than it is to be a follower of Christ.2 But South Carolina has enjoyed great cooperation throughout the state. Does Dr. Austin see that spirit continuing and what will he do to foster continued cooperation?

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think Dr. Austin is the wrong man for the job. So I’m not going to Columbia with my mind made up. On the contrary, I hope to have some questions answered. I am grateful for his willingness to serve South Carolina Baptists. And I’m grateful for those who served on the search committee that nominated him. They worked diligently. But, I do hope this isn’t just a case of the ?Trust us; we know what’s best? syndrome the national convention has suffered from for a long time. Regardless of my reservations, if Dr. Austin is elected, I will give him my full prayerful support.

I’ll post an update here tomorrow as soon as I know more.

Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
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  1. To say the Missouri Baptist Convention is in shambles right now is pretty generous according to my information. The Executive Director?Jim Austin’s current boss?was fired two weeks ago after a four hour closed-door executive session from which he was excluded. By virtue of his position as Executive Director, he was a full member of the board, so his exclusion from the meeting seems to have been unlawful. After reaching their decision to part ways with him, the Executive Board issued a statement that said the Director still possessed all the qualities and skills that attracted them to him four years ago. So what changed?[back]
  2. You’ll never hear those actual words, but they’re the logical follow up to the beliefs many SBC leaders hold. [back]
Filed Under: SBC, SCBC

Hope for the Hokies

April 24, 2007 By Gregory Pittman Leave a Comment

Passion has released an EP1 as a way of ministering to the victims of last week’s tragedy at Virginia Tech and those around the world who are “looking for sure footing in the wake of these tragic events.” You can download the album here through the end of May.

HT: Cory Miller

Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
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  1. An Extended Play album is one that contains more than one song (also known as a “single”) but too short to be a full album. [back]
Filed Under: General, Music

Exploring the Worship Spectrum

April 24, 2007 By Gregory Pittman Leave a Comment

Exploring the Worship SpectrumIn 2004, Zondervan published a book entitled Exploring the Worship Spectrum: 6 Views. In this book, six authors offer their views on why a particular ?style? of worship is best and then each of the other five contributors offer a counter-argument. Each author gets his or her turn to present their case and everyone else gets to respond.

Over the next few weeks, I want to offer my own response to each of the contributors. The goal will not be to espouse one specific style of worship over another. Rather, the goal will rest in the process of dialogue. Feel free to join the discussion in the comments section of each post. The list of topics is at the end of this post and I will update this post with the links to my responses as they become available.

Here’s a list of the styles of worship covered in Exploring the Worship Spectrum: 6 Views and the authors supportive of each:

  • Formal-Liturgical – Paul Zahl
  • Traditional Hymn-based – Harold Best Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
  • Contemporary Music-driven – Joe Horness
  • Charismatic – Don Williams
  • Blended – Robert Webber
  • Emerging – Sally Morgenthaler

Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Corporate Worship, Planning Worship

Tragedies and God

April 22, 2007 By Gregory Pittman Leave a Comment

Lauren Green, religion correspondent for the FOX News Channel, penned an interesting column yesterday entitled, “Questioning a Tragedy: Where is God?” Green does a fair job in representing that in times like this week, when high profile tragedies rear their ugly heads, we don’t always know the answer to the question, “Why?” or “How could God allow this to happen?”

So where is God? He is in the prayer vigils. He is in the rivers of tears flowing from everyone affected. He is in the community coming together to offer support to the families. He is at work in the love and strength people are offering each other. God is with us.

Thank you, Ms. Green, for reminding us of that. See this earlier post for a similar and very powerful reminder.

Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
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Filed Under: Reflections

Bob Kauflin on Hymns

April 20, 2007 By Gregory Pittman Leave a Comment

Bob Kauflin posts excellent thoughts on the use of hymns in worship services. The important idea:

Hymns aren’t a category of worship song that is above critical evaluation. They aren’t divinely inspired songs that we can just insert into a slot. . . . Any church will benefit from doing more hymns. But it’s always a good idea to understand why.

If you’re not subscribing to Bob’s blog Worship Matters the next thing you should do is follow this link and subscribe. His advice and wisdom are well worth the time you’ll take to read it. And I’m very much looking forward to his forthcoming book (which he’s still writing).

Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
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Filed Under: Corporate Worship, Music
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