Reason for the Hope

I was asked by my Director of Missions to write a letter to my fellow pastors in the Frisco Baptist Association about our church’s involvement in the Christmas in August emphasis. Below is the text of my letter.

Dear Pastor,

I’m writing to ask you to consider putting a critical need before your people: the budget shortfall at the International Mission Board. The 2008 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering fell some $30 million short of the goal, and according to a friend who is a trustee, the immediate shortfall they’re facing stands at $13 million. SBC President Johnny Hunt has called on churches to celebrate “Christmas in August,” and Trinity Baptist in Valliant will be participating. I plan to preach mission-themed messages each Sunday of the month, I’m working on lining up a guest speaker from the IMB for one of those Sundays, and we’re even going to have Christmas dinner on August 30, the fifth Sunday of the month. We’re not planning to set a goal for this special offering; we’re simply emphasizing the need and trusting God to lead us in how we can contribute.

Will you consider leading your church to participate in this very special emphasis? Dr. Thomas White, Vice-President for Communications at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Forth Worth, is leading an effort there to provide participating churches with materials to aid in its promotion. In addition to the logo you see on this page, there will be promotional videos and other materials available for use by churches. They’ve established a web page where these materials can be accessed: http://www.swbts.edu/christmasinaugust. If you don’t have internet access, or aren’t sure how to access these resources in a way that’s usable in your congregation, don’t hesitate to contact me and I’ll be glad to help.

This is the first time in the history of the International Mission Board that otherwise qualified missionaries could not be deployed to the field due to a lack of resources. Let’s join together in Frisco Baptist Association to contribute to the meeting of this need, so that no one else who has committed their lives to missionary service will have to be told that we don’t have the money to send them.
God bless,

Wes Kenney

This is a reposting of an essay I published at SBC Today.

When I was in college at John Brown University in the early 1990’s, I loved playing foosball. I played every day, at all hours. It’s possible that, had I not loved it so much, I might not now be working my way through Liberty University’s distance learning program, but I digress.

I was never a great player, mainly because I was never able to generate enough power without spinning the handle, and spinning, in real competitive foosball, is strictly verboten.  There was even a catchy saying in the foosball community at this private Christian college: “Hate the spin, but love the spinner.” It is much easier to slam the ball into the back of the goal when you spin, but the truly talented players can fire unbelievably powerful shots just by the action of their wrists. They don’t need to spin in order to be effective.

On April 20, USA Today published an essay by Jonathan Merritt. Merritt, 26, is a recent graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and according to the footnote of his essay, he works as a faith and culture writer. The article is titled “An Evangelical’s Plea: ‘Love the Sinner’,” and it is a call for Christians to reach out in love to the gays and lesbians around us, and to do so in tangible ways. This is a worthy point to make, and a call that all of us who name the name of Christ ought to heed. But in making the point, Merritt makes use of quite a lot of rhetorical “spin,” enough to make me want to dust off that old catch phrase I learned around the foosball tables at JBU.

Some of this “spin” can be found in his opening paragraphs, where he provides examples of quotes that he has mined from the internet in an attempt to demonstrate that evangelicals prefer to display their hatred for sin. To characterize the late Dr. D. James Kennedy as a “fundamentalist televangelist” can only serve to inflame and prejudice USA Today readers, who may be unfamiliar with his life and ministry, against anything he might have said. Some of the statements he quotes are indefensible, but some, given their proper context, might be entirely appropriate. His quote-mining “spin” can only serve to confuse the issue and it paints with too broad a brush.

Another example of “spin” being employed by Mr. Merritt is in his use of statistics. He cites a Barna Research Group study which found that 80% of non-Christians ages 16-29 describe Christians as “confusing” on this issue. He then suggests that this is perhaps because “many recognize the difference between the life of Jesus Christ and the lives of those who claim to follow him.” This is quite a leap, and I can’t imagine what it is intended to suggest, if not that we ought to look to the opinions of the young non-Christians around us rather than to the scriptures when evaluating our degree of faithfulness to Christ.

But perhaps most disturbing in Merritt’s essay is his seeming willingness to compromise biblical definitions of sin and salvation. In discussing the marriage debate, he rightly states, “our biblical convictions prohibit a redefinition of marriage.” But he then goes on to suggest “other areas” where we might be able to compromise, such as offering support for anti-discrimination measures in the workplace and in reducing legal impediments to inheritance and hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples.

Let me be clear: I do not believe that it is a sin to be tempted by homosexual desires. I am convinced, however, because the Bible is very clear, that homosexual behavior is sinful. I will leave to others the debate over whether it is a chosen lifestyle or an inborn reality. That debate makes not one bit of difference to me. What scripture condemns is homosexual behavior.

Having said that, I am curious as to whether there are any other sins Mr. Merritt would be in favor of legislating in order to make their commission more acceptable in our society. It sounds very compassionate to advocate for these rights; it might even make one feel as if they are “showing love” to gays and lesbians in a way that is “concrete and tangible.” But what it is, in fact, is simply more terribly naïve “spin.”

The person who is enslaved to the sin of homosexuality does not need Christians to express love to them by making their sin easier to commit. Rather, they need Christians who will love them enough to come alongside them and show them their desperate need for a relationship with the One who can forgive them and restore them to a right relationship with their Creator.

I am convinced, however, that Mr. Merritt’s most egregious spin is contained in a paragraph in which he discusses marriage.  It contains concepts that are, I believe, harmful to the Gospel itself. Merritt states:

“God’s model is a lifelong, monogamous, heterosexual union, but we must balance this message with the scriptural understanding that we are all sinners. Individuals who have decided to follow Christ have not ceased to be sinners; we are simply sinners who have taken advantage of God’s gracious gift of salvation.”

This paragraph only tells part of the Gospel story, and the part it leaves out is absolutely essential to this discussion. In John’s first epistle, he writes, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9 ESV)

Merritt’s presentation of “God’s gracious gift of salvation” in the paragraph quoted above makes it sound as though a sinner can hold to Christ while simultaneously holding to a habitual sin. This is not only false, but it is dangerously misleading, and offers false hope to those who wish to believe that their anti-biblical lifestyle can somehow be compatible with saving faith. God’s Word is clear: It cannot.

Mr. Merritt has many good points to make. And I have no doubt he possess the necessary intellect and skill with the language in order to be effective in making them. In this essay, however, it seems that he has relied more upon spin, a spin with potentially dangerous consequences.

Yes, I believe the phrase I learned during my misspent youth in Northwest Arkansas applies here. As Jonathan Merritt is my brother in Christ, I love the “spinner” who wrote this article. I’m just not terribly fond of his “spin.”

1 Corinthians 14:2?:

When folks on the Oklahoma sideline started holding up four fingers at the end of the third quarter, was that to get them ready for the fourth quarter, or to represent their BCS record at the time? If the latter, they’ll need to add the thumb next year.

I, on the other hand, have grown considerably.

Happy thirteenth anniversary, Sweetheart.

It’s a little late for Christmas shopping (I finished mine a couple of hours ago), but if you are looking for a story Bible for any of the children in your life, please consider The Jesus Storybook Bible from Zonderkidz. I’ve written about this book here before, but it’s worth doing again; it’s that good.

It was written by Sally Lloyd-Jones, and contains beautifully captivating illustrations by Jago. The beauty of this book, however, lies not in the illustrations, as great as they are, nor even in the writing, as clever and engaging as it is. The true beauty of it lies in its clear focus, from beginning to end, on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Where so many products like this take Old Testament stories and turn them into self-contained moral lessons, this book keeps the broad narrative of scripture clearly in view. Most children’s Bible story books take the story of David’s triumph over Goliath and use it to tell children that they can face the “giants” in their lives if they’ll be courageous like David. This book points that when the people needed a hero to rescue them from their enemy, God provided that hero in the form of a shepherd boy, and that one day, God would send another Hero to rescue his people. Each and every story points to God’s unfolding plan of salvation in a way unlike any other children’s story Bible I’ve ever seen.

So if you’ve got youngsters, I highly recommend that you check out this book. And as my way of wishing you a great Christmas, I close with a couple of excerpts from the book’s retelling of the Nativity story, titled simply, “He’s here!” (pp. 176-183):

Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last. God was coming to help his people, just as he promised in the beginning.

But how would he come? What would he be like? What would he do?

Mountains would have bowed down. Seas would have roared. Trees would have clapped their hands. But the earth held its breath. As silent as snow falling, he came in. And when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came.

…

Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, “Emmanuel” – which means “God has come to live with us.”

Because, of course, he had.

Merry Christmas!

Man, is it ever dusty around here. It’s been far too long since I’ve posted here, a fault I intend to correct. But first, some updating is in order.

First of all, I’m grateful to God for my wife’s recovery thus far from her accident in September. It has required one rather significant surgery thus far, in which an artificial disk was inserted in her neck. Since the accident, she has experienced a continuous burning sensation in her hands, apparently the result of an injury to her spinal cord caused by the impact. The artificial disk will restore necessary space for the cord to begin to heal, a process that takes four to six months. So while she still has the pain, it should be able to heal now. She still has an issue with her lower back, and we’ll be visiting the neurosurgeon again in January to find out what the next step is. Considering the severity of the accident, it clearly could have been much worse. We’re grateful to be on the road to recovery.

All of this turmoil has posed challenges in other areas, as you might imagine. The date of my last post here was just two days after the accident, and I’ve been only slightly more active over at SBC Today. I intend to improve in both areas. I miss the release that blogging can be, and I miss the interaction and the iron-sharpening that goes on in a good blog fight discussion. So while I don’t think I’ll ever return to 2006-2007 levels, I do intend to post somewhat more frequently that I have over the last couple of months.

Another impact has been on my studies. I had enrolled in eighteen hours for this Fall semester, which is what I completed in the spring. That load was divided between two subterms of three classes each. After the accident, I was forced to drop all three classes in the first subterm, and I ended up dropping one of the three in the second. I finished the remaining two courses last week, and was within two points of an “A” in both classes. My Spring schedule is populated by the four classes dropped this Fall, two classes per term. That’s a more manageable level for me at this point. Those eighteen hours I took in the Spring may have spawned undue optimism on my part. I realize now that there is a significant difference between ENGL 102 and BIBL 450.

It’s good to be back (if you can call this back). I’ll likely not post again here between now and Christmas, but I look forward to returning to a much more consistent schedule in the new year. To the handful of folks who still check in every day, I’m very grateful, but perhaps a feed reader would serve you well. Just sayin’…

You’re welcome to to question my theology here, but the theory under which I’m operating is that God, to whom alone belongs vengeance, has taken his righteous vengeance upon our traitorous Windstar in an act of divine retribution for its having abandoned us in Indianapolis. At least, that’s what I think. You can click on the image for a larger view of the aftermath of this wrath.

On a serious note, we have much to be grateful for. While my wife is incredibly sore, and we’re concerned about the potential for some less obvious injuries, it clearly could have been much worse. Our son, who would have normally been with her in the van as she headed to pick up our daughter from school, was with some church members. Truly, God was watching out for my family.

We still don’t know the condition of the driver of the truck, who was airlifted from the scene of the accident. He remains in our prayers. Thanks to all who have prayed for my wife. Your expressions of concern mean so much to us.

This post seems a little disjointed, but there is a lot of diverse background to this story, so stay with me. When I was 8-9 years old, we lived in Alexandria, Indiana, where my whole family was working for Bill Gaither. My aunt was a backup singer for the Bill Gaither Trio, my uncle was the trio’s music director and manager of their recording studio, my dad managed the sound & light crew, and my mom designed album covers. I spent a lot of time at the studio and at Bill & Gloria’s house, swimming in their pool and getting into various & sundry mischief with their son, Benji.

Fast forward nearly thirty years to this summer. The Gaither Vocal Band performed on the opening day of the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, and one of the songs they sang was called “Jesus & John Wayne.” I’m not really familiar with the song, except that it apparently talks about finding oneself “somewhere between” the two people in the title.

I was sitting next to Bart Barber during their performance, and after that song was sung, Bart, feigning indignation (at least I think he was feigning), declared himself to be offended by the song’s implication that there existed some distance between Jesus and John Wayne.

When the convention ended, my wife and I, having returned our rental car after picking up our traitorous Windstar ($2900!), prepared to head north to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to be reunited with our children. They had spent the week in the care of grandparents, and apparently missed us not a bit. It had been many years since I had visited Alexandria, and so we took a side trip to tour the town.

We stopped in to Gaither Family Resources, a store next to the Gaither’s studio complex, right about where I remembered the bus barn having been on my last visit. After browsing for a few minutes, we walked over to the studio, just for old time’s sake. The receptionist was someone whose name was vaguely familiar to me, and when I introduced myself she immediately knew who I was.

As we chatted about family, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a man in shorts and a t-shirt, looking somewhat dissheveled, walk past us as if he was looking for something. I thought nothing of it, but when he came back through, I recognized him: It was Bill Gaither. He recognized me immediately (amazing, since it had been something like ten years since I had last spoken to him), and we chatted for a few minutes. I took the opportunity to tell him how he had “offended” my friend Bart during his convention performance, and he chuckled. As my wife and I talked later, we agreed that it was a somewhat uncomfortable chuckle, and we concluded that he wasn’t terribly happy about it.

Turns out we were wrong. Bill Gaither is a major backer of my uncle’s record label, Doxology Records, and they work closely together. My uncle called me a few hours after our conversation with Bill to tell me that Bill thought Bart’s line was absolutely hilarious, and he would likely be using it on stage whenever they perform the song. Apparently, he just needed some time to process the remark.

I’m glad we took that sidetrip, as it was fun seeing the town that was a part of my childhood. We met up with my family in Michigan, and spent a relaxing few days with them and by ourselves at their home and at their condo. You can read more about that part of the trip on my wife’s blog.

This concludes my posting on our convention/vacation trip. My fall term begins today, and I’m enrolled for 18 hours, so posting will be at least as sparse as it has been the last few months. I appreciate those of you who still read this blog (you both know who you are).

Readers should be forgiven for not remembering the first “Brush With Fame” post, its having been posted nearly two years ago. They should also be forgiven for deciding that this “brush” isn’t nearly as exciting as being bear-hugged by Bill Murray. It isn’t. Still, it’s somewhat interesting, especially if you’re a watcher of politics, as I have been most of my adult life. Here’s the brief story behind this picture.

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, my grandfather served as pastor of Victory Park Baptist Church in McAlester, Oklahoma. During those years he developed something of a relationship with the congressman from Oklahoma’s third congressional district, the Hon. Carl Albert. My grandfather left McAlester in around 1964, but Rep. Albert stayed a resident, and stayed in the congress, where he was elected Speaker of the House in 1971.

In October of 1976, when I was five years old, my family visited Washington, D.C., and received a tour of the Capitol building that was guided by Speaker Albert himself. Apparently, his office was part of the tour, as I am here pictured seated behind his desk.

Too bad I don’t remember any of this. It would probably make for a pretty cool story if I were telling it from memory, rather than from an academic knowledge of my family history.