Representing the Entire SBC

Dr. Cox is one that will represent the entire Southern Baptist Convention. He has posted an answer to a question over at his place found here. I want to focus on this one answer to a question he has posted at his blog.

From Dr. Cox’s experience one can trust his leadership potential along with his desire for strengthening the small churches. Just read the following question along with his answer and see what I mean.

What is your ministry experience?

My ministry experience is like so many others who are pastoring Southern Baptist churches. At seventeen years of age God called me to preach and I responded. God began to open doors for me to speak. It didn’t matter if it was to a small youth group, whether it was to youth encampments, God just opened the doors and I went through them. I entered college at Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia. It was there I was assigned as a preacher on what we called Impact Teams that went out from our Baptist Student Union. I began to preach in small churches around north Georgia during my college days. God continued to open the doors.

The summer after my first year in college God opened an opportunity for me to be the summer youth minister at Calvary Baptist Church in Lilburn, Georgia. It was only to last three months but turned into three years. God gave me invaluable experience at Calvary Baptist Church. Dick Lincoln was my pastor and he was helpful in utilizing my spiritual gifts for ministry. He allowed me to preach every now and then for him, and he utilized me in outreach as well as youth ministry.

In 1978 I left Calvary Baptist Church after graduating from Mercer University and went to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. It was there I became the pastor of the Barataria Baptist Church in Lafitte, Louisiana. Some of the greatest people in the world are in that church, even to this day. They allowed me to be their pastor and to cut my teeth on preaching. . They must have sat through many terrible sermons, but they were always encouraging. God used us in a great way in that little bayou church, and when I graduated from New Orleans I came to my present pastorate.

In November of 1980 I became the Pastor of what was then called Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Duluth, Georgia. It was my first church out of seminary and to this day, right at 28 years later, I still pastor this congregation. When I came we were running just over 100 in Sunday School, and over the years God has been faithful to grow His church utilizing our gifts and abilities along with hundreds of others in our fellowship to build a great church. I have pastored a small church, a medium sized church, and a large church, all in the same context.

In 1995 our church voted unanimously to relocate ten miles north of where we were located. At that time we changed the name of our church from Pleasant Hill Baptist Church to North Metro First Baptist Church. It has been a wonderful, wonderful experience. Dr. Charles Carter, formerly of Jonesboro First Baptist Church gave me insight into growing a large church. He said, “Frank, if you’ll go to a small church and just stay put and grow it a little bit every year, several years down the road you’ll look up one day and realize God has used you to build a large church.” Well, that is what God has done with us here at North Metro. Even though some may consider us to be a large church, I still see myself as that small-church pastor that came here in 1980 and God has just blessed! In fact, if you were to come into my study, you would see a picture next to my desk, a rather large picture, of a shack on stilts on the bayous of Louisiana. Many times people ask me why that picture is there. It’s there to remind me, no matter what God does in my life or through my life; I want to always remember where I came from. That one picture serves to keep everything in perspective. That is exactly who I am.

What a great man for the next President of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Disobedient to Christ’s Command

When I was growing up my father would tell me to do certain things and I would do them. However, there were some occasions I would not follow my father’s command and I would reap the benefits of such disobedience. Just because I reaped the spoils of my disobedience did not mean that I was placed out in the barn and kicked out of the family. There were some spoils of disobedience that were worse than others. However, being disobedient to my father did not result in my not receiving my father’s inheritance, nor did it result in other blessings he chose to bestow on me.

Some months ago one well known Pastor expressed his conviction so strongly relating to immersion that he expressed those who advocate pedobaptism were in unrepentant sin. There was a huge outcry against such a statement. Within the blogging community of Southern Baptists we had one of our leading bloggers to take up this expression and was castigated as being harsh and divisive. His article The Pernicious Evil of Mere Preference brought about one hundred sixteen comments. While the article presented a thesis that Dr. Dever was correct in his assessment that a pedobaptist was in unrepentant sin, some commenters tried to hijack the comments in a direction of hypocrisy on the part of Dr. Dever. Recently Dr. Nathan Finn published an article at his blog that speaks concerning the guidelines on immersion at the IMB. In this article He adovcated accepting the immersion of adult believers within the conservative churches he listed that practiced peadobaptism. He listed conservative Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, and Lutheran churches as being “true” churches.

What does this mean? Well, it seems the debate has much to do with where we find ourselves as Southern Baptists. There are some that are Southern Baptist by conviction and some that are Southern Baptist by convenience. I am a Southern Baptist by conviction. I believe that the call for immersion is a command of Christ. While immersion has nothing to do with the Grace that brings one to Justification, it has everything to do with obedience that begins one walking in Sanctification. Thus, there appears to be a couple of questions that are screaming from the mountain tops. One question of a personal nature and one of a corporate nature.

These questions are very closely related to the argument presented by Drs. Dever and Barber. In these questions one concedes that we are speaking of Brothers and Sisters in Christ, thus there is no reason to place forth a comment about me questioning anyone’s salvation, or any church’s commitment to Christ.

Because we Baptist believe that immersion is the command of Christ. Because we Baptist believe that immersion comes after one has conscientiously responded to the free gift of salvation. Because we Baptist believe immersion is the identification mark that speaks to the world one has identified oneself with Jesus Christ. Would one refusing to be immersed be disobedient to Christ’s command? Also, would a church (one that preaches and teaches salvation by faith alone; in Christ alone; based on scripture alone) that teaches peadobaptism, but will immerse a person who has received the free gift of salvation if that person so desires in order to meet a need in their life, be openly disobedient to the command of Christ?

As a follow-up to these questions. While I believe there are conservative Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches, I still have difficulty accepting the immersion of these adults coming from these various churches. The reason? Let’s face it, theologically speaking, Anglican and Lutherans are really closet Catholics. Also, Presbyterian and Methodists are their kissing cousins–theologically speaking. Thus, I would be hard pressed to accept an immersion performed in any of the other churches due to the theological bend concerning their view of baptism and the Lord’s table.

Therefore, as you can tell, my answer to the above questions would be a resounding, Yes!

Baptist By Conviction!

I am trying to teach my daughter the conviction that I have in being a Baptist. We read in our family devotions this morning from Voice of the Martyrs. It told of a saint from long ago being burned at the stake. Rebekah asked about that and wondered why. I explained to her that many were burned at the stake and even drowned because of their belief in Baptism. It is in this light that present to you a personal conviction that I have been able to place in the following format.

Remember to pray for the Persecuted Church. We have brothers and sisters in Christ that are being persecuted in other lands for the simple reason that they name Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

I AM A SOUTHERN BAPTIST

1. Bible: I hold to the Blood Stained Banner of our Lord Jesus Christ whose death is sufficient to save the entire world as recorded in the inerrant text of Holy Writ. I am not ashamed that I believe in an inerrant text and will not compromise on any doctrine this text clearly defines.

2. Every person that acknowledges a need for and receives the atoning forgiveness of Jesus Christ is my Brother or Sister in Christ, irrespective of his/her nationality, race, or denominational affiliation, or lack thereof. I will demonstrate this by an unwavering and straight forward solidarity which always binds together members of the same family.

3. Baptism by Immersion: I hold to the faithful call to baptize regenerated persons into the body of Christ actualized in the visible local church. I am respectful of the 1930 years of doctrines verbalized by our forefathers, beginning first in the Jerusalem council, and then through out church history. I will honor the command given to the church by our Lord to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Baptism is a command of Christ and I will not be disobedient. I will work, first, within the local church body to establish strategies on how best to accomplish this task and then cooperatively with others.

Dr. Frank Cox–He’s God’s Man!

Some people have asked me the reasons I am supporting Dr. Frank Cox. First of all, I believe he is God’s man for this time in our convention’s life. In all honesty I feel like a scoundrel as Dr. Johnny Hunt is a native North Carolinian and also is a friend. I on the other hand, have never even met Dr. Frank Cox. However, as Dr. Hunt, Dr. Cox states clearly exactly what he believes. Dr. Cox has consistently taken stands for the Conservative Resurgence. He has taken the hits that come with involving himself in local issues and has graciously responded. Dr. Cox will make a fine SBC President and will appoint men and women to the positions that believe the Book and wholeheartedly affirm, without caveats, the Baptist Faith and Message.

I encourage that you prayerfully consider Dr. Cox as you attend the convention this year. If you have further questions, I encourage you to visit this website for further questions and answers.

SBC Presidential Nominations

I remember years when I went to the convention and never used my ballot for anything but to raise it in a voice of acclamation for the one person who was nominated for the office of President of the SBC.  Well, it looks as if those days are over.  We already know of three people that have been announced as candidates for the position.  Frank Cox, as I have already stated, is the person that will receive my vote when that opportunity arises.  Frank Cox, Bill Waggoner, and Wiley Drake are the three names already being announced as nominees.

According to this news release we now have Avery Willis allowing his name to be entered.  Also, I understand that Johnny Hunt of First Baptist Woodstock announced Sunday evening to his church that he was considering allowing his name to be entered also.  Go to this video link at around the 7 minute mark and here Brother Johnny’s heart concerning our convention.

It seems that we are in for an interesting year at Indy.