I wonder sometimes, with all the church growth philosophies that bring more and more of the world into the church, and with the prevalence of watered-down preaching in our pulpits today, how many Christians even know what we stand for? And I wonder how many of us would stand for the truth in the face of persecution if it came to that here in America?
For the past twenty-five years, we have included the booklet The Trail of Blood by J.M. Carroll in our new member’s packet. I want our church to know that we come from a real heritage of people who have paid a price with their blood that we might have the Bible and preach its truth today.
In the midst of this “let the good times roll” mentality, we need to treasure the truth and preach doctrine. In this Growth Points video, I share a few thoughts on the heritage we have and the need to identify ourselves with true doctrine in this age of pluralism.
(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.)
Our tears are no longer of water; they are of blood; they do not merely obscure our sight, they choke our very hearts.—Waldensians of Italy after what is known today as the Massacre of Piedmont.
In January of 1655, the Duke of Savoy forced a cruel choice upon the Waldensians of the lower valleys in Italy—either attend Catholic Mass, or move out of the valley within three days. In the dead of winter, some two thousand people journeyed across swollen rivers, snow-buried valleys, and ice-covered mountains with traces of blood marking their trail.
Waldensians in the upper valleys welcomed the refugees and shared their meager provisions freely. But the worst was yet to come. (more…)
(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.)
Perhaps the subject most near the heart of Christ is that of the local church. He gave His life for the church (Ephesians 5:25) and purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
So what should be our response when people suggest that religion is void of grace and may be discarded?
Several months ago, I wrote a three-series post on “Baptist Distinctives.” (You can read part 1 here.) But as a shorter read, I just want to highlight a few reasons why I am a Baptist and why I cherish this title.
Although independent Baptist churches have no affiliation with a denominational headquarters, we strongly affirm our commitment to biblical truth and to these distinctives that define our name. This simple acrostic helps to sum up the core distinctives of Baptists: (more…)
(This is part 3 of a three-part post, highlighting a few key areas of Baptist distinction.)
What makes Baptists distinct? We already noted in part 1 that both faith and practice must come directly from Scripture, and in part 2 we saw Baptist dinstinctives regarding the church. Here we will see three specific practices that are unique to Baptists: (more…)
