Most of you know that our family has been praying that God will open an opportunity for me to serve in Pastoral ministry. Recently our hearts have been moved to pursue work in a church of significant need. To be specific, a congregation that is small, just starting out, or would perhaps even have difficulty supporting a pastor and his family full-time. Typically these churches have trouble finding men willing to consider them. Our desire is to place ourselves in a position to undertake any work of ministry around the country, without regard to the financial constraints that may discourage others.

With this in mind we have considered which avenues of business God would allow us to pursue that could provide freedom to enter such circumstances. After many careful hours of deliberation we believe He has lead us to begin Abounding Media, a freelance internet and media services effort that will focus on assisting churches, christian ministries and wholesome business projects worldwide. Sounds big doesn’t it? Well, it’s really little more than the expansion of a freelance career I have been urged to undertake by friends and colleagues for years.

As the burden to help a truly needy church has grown, so too has my level of knowledge and skill in the field internet technology. Factor in a decade of experience in professional and ministry broadcasting, missionary service and photography, and I believe it is now possible for me to credibly offer these services without hesitation.

It’s awkward now to think that during a time in which I so eagerly anticipated being in full-time ministry, the Lord was actually equipping me for a future I didn’t imangine. God is wonderful in this way, as He sees the big picture, leading us by the hand into paths we know not!

We also want to be clear on a few additional points in this regard: first, we would not continue this effort in any way unless it was both permissible and beneficial to a future church family. Second, we do not intend Abounding Media to be a part of our lives forever. While we are certain my previously-mentioned skills will be put to good use in future ministry, our primary desire is to serve a church, not advance a freelance internet media career.

While the final launch of alwaysabounding.org, the Abounding Media homepage is not ready yet, we would encourage you to visit and see what we have done so far. We’d also like you to read about the philosophies that lead us to think this was a worthy effort. There will be many more details upcoming on how we plan to organize and undertake this work. Suffice it to say we are excited about some of the ideas God has given us for getting it off the ground.

 

You can take a look at the photos from last year’s Denali trip in the gallery.

One could not help but note this report comes at a moment of endless wrangling over Calvinism and the role it will play in the future of the fundamentalist movement. It is a debate in which Dr. Phelps has not participated (to my awareness), though his name had been mentioned more than once during initial skirmishes. That has given me cause for concern as  I reach for my mouse, ready to visit all the popular flame-throwing blogs.

I fear some authors, curious to a fault, will begin digging or even speculating. Call me suspicious only after you see the other Dr. Phelps searches that have resulted in a visit here!

It is important that men of God are above reproach when it comes to reporting on incidents for which they are not involved. While sleazy newspaper reporters may have no problem dealing in realms of innuendo and suspicion, Christians (especially those in leadership), should have no part in it.

Today I am praying for Dr. Phelps, his family and the entire MBBC student body, faculty and staff. Though our family has no involvement with the school apart from a simple admiration and enjoyment of their sermon podacast, I somehow feel connected with them. I hope to meet Dr. Phelps one day and express my appreciation in person. If I know anything of his heart for ministry I can see him heading back to New England – a very needy mission field – to pastor, plant a church or any number of other things. Praise the Lord!

I truly hope I am the one doing all the speculating today, and expect I will look back on this post and laugh, realizing I had nothing to be concerned about. Wrestling over matters of doctrine and opinion, in the fundamentalism I know, stop well before degrading into personal attack. I pray this is the stripe of fundamentalism that will display itself all over the internet in coming days!

You may not know this, but there are dozens of fairly prominent Pastors, missionaries and authors that argue these things out in blog comment threads and forums all over the internet. This is a dangerous pastime, I think, because words can never be taken back after one hits the “send” button. I don’t have the confidence to believe I can properly express myself or even be right enough of the time to do that! So…generally I read the articles and keep my thoughts to myself, no matter how much I agree or disagree.

You already know where I am going right? Yes, tonight I commented on an article with which I disagree. I think I did so in a Godly manner, as I asked  the Lord to superintend in its writing. Still, there were very fine seminary professors, Pastors, missionaries and other Christian leaders commenting too, and I disagree with them all. That makes a nervous feeling well up in my stomach, I must admit.

One way or the other I’m expecting a response from the author sometime soon. Pray that he answers in an equally Godly manner. I’ll try to let you know what happens and provide links when I hear more.

Crazy? Not if you’re a young, disgruntled fundamentalist today! Just as McCain held his beliefs almost grudgingly, falsely believing Democrats were more compassionate, more genuine and “just nicer folks”, many up-and-coming fundamentalists of our day are afflicted with a similar misconception. While the people with which they agree most are seen as grumpy and bordering on legalistic, forward-thinking, “mostly correct” evangelical commentators are regarded as compassionate and balanced. Is this really the truth?

In both cases I would shout a resounding no! The misconceptions are often more a result of belief in caricatures and folklore than objective evidence. Single experience after single experience is recounted to support the theory, but many are questionable and some are flat-out false.

Years ago a friend described a horrible act of arrogance and legalism that had allegedly taken place at an otherwise Godly church. After hearing it, I pressed the issue a bit. I wanted to know who the source of the story had been and where I could find the victim. Upon further examination neither a source, victim or eye-witness could be located. In fact, everyone I asked reluctantly admitted they were passing the information along on the basis of third and fourth-hand accounts.

What’s worse? Not one of the people believing this story (presumably made up out of whole cloth) felt the slightest twinge of guilt for doing so. In theory they were telling me it didn’t matter because “it sounded like somthing that probably could have happened at ‘that kind’ of church”.

Let’s not be confused. I am resolutely in favor of declaring sin to be sin. If legalism is characteristic of a person or people we observe, we ought to confront and rebuke them if necessary. You will never catch me making excuses for anyone that commits sin in the name of “standing up for Jesus”. At the same time, I would not classify a particular style of ministry as “potentially sinful” simply because I “know their type”.

I have said it this way in previous articles:

Many critics of “how things used to be done” grew up in the fundamentalist movement, and have personal stories of dismay with individuals in their past. These emotional ties too often cloud the real issues and set people on a crusade to right perceived wrongs. This is a principle reason otherwise strong men of God look outside fundamentalism for input on ministry methodology.

I went on to say that I am not a product of the fundamentalist movement and therefore have a bit of a unique perspective:

Preachers I grew up admiring were generally old-fashioned, hellfire and brimstone types that sang hymns, knocked doors, and read from the King James Bible. All were Southern Baptist, though they didn’t particularly associate themselves with the convention at large, but rather held to Biblical conviction and called out compromisers no matter what label they wore. Did they get some things wrong? Definitely. Is it my job to correct their mistakes? Definitely not.

Anyone reading this article who is frustrated by a history of bad experiences with sinful Christian leaders should be cautioned. Those men may have been the disciple of some “big name preacher” that was building a following for themselves rather than the kingdom of God.They may have also given every excuse in the book for the bad behavior of their heroes, even to the point of compromising their own integrity.

Are the great leaders of movements any different today? They have gained far-reaching acclaim despite their doctrinal problems, personal conviction issues, troubling temperaments and methodological missteps. Still, a new generation of young men irritated by their upbringing in the fundamentalist movement are sitting spellbound at their feet. Claiming every step of the way they will not adopt their belief systems, while turning their affections toward style and personality.

John McCain lost the election because he claimed to believe one thing while his actions declared an affection for something else. The masses of people seeking leadership can have no respect for the mushy middle and (if given the chance) will always choose a firm position to the right or left. I believe men and women in our pews today want the same thing. Not declarative statements on what we “affirm as fact”, but belief – belief that reveals itself in a love for Biblical accuracy, sound doctrine and rightous conviction. The very moment some of those men step forward we will begin winning our spiritual battles, instead of settling for respectable losses.

Bauder on Sharper Iron today:

I am grateful to have been reared in a version of fundamentalism that was led by men who refused to become “giants.” You have probably never heard their names, because they were not trying to create or control empires. They were willing to stand up to bullies, however, and in some cases they were savaged by the very “giants” whom Pastor Sweatt identifies.

Missionary Broadcasting.com on April 10, 2008:

There are some fantastic fundamentalist ministers around today. They are found at small Bible colleges, medium sized churches, and remote mission fields all over the world. Their teachings are more difficult to find, I understand, but the power of God shines through their every word. They give testimony of simple faith, consistent Bible teaching, and love for people.

Bauder is focusing on Fundamentalist leaders from the past, while I reference their paralells today. Either way, we are making the same point. The finest men of God in Christianity did not (and do not) lead vast movements or write best-selling books!

I would contend the “giants” Sweatt references (on both sides of the issue) are the chief problem. Every time questions are raised about the doctrine or methodology - beliefs and convictions, not personalities – of current or former “big name preachers”, things start to get ugly. They got ugly when Pastor Sweatt mentioned some of his heroes, and they get just as ugly every time the names Piper, Keller, Dever, Mahaney, Driscoll or even Calvin himself are put forward.

People that are sycophants in either camp disregard the merits of any criticism on belief and/or methodology, choosing instead to enter ”defense mode”. In short, the men engaged in the argument have the identical problem – and it is a huge problem. They focus on men, fellowships and movements of the day instead of focusing on individual issues, doctrines and specific discussions. The sad part is that neither side seems to realize their failure.

If someone (anyone) writes, preaches or behaves wrongly they ought to be called on it. Let’s stop jumping on every opportunity to defend our favorite authors and teachers! Some have been proven categorically to be wrong, yet their actions and beliefs are still being justified, excused, defended, dismissed and forgotten. If he’s one of our favorites he “has a different style”, but if we don’t like him he is “harmful to the cause of Christ”. Ridiculous. Wrong is wrong is wrong, and it’s about time someone stood up and said so. But then…I guess I just have.

There is a growing distinction (even division) among ‘old style’, traditional fundamentalism, and Calvinist, sometimes Reformed ‘neo-fundamentalism’. Unimportant theological mumbo-jumbo? Absolutely not. These are serious issues that ought to be examined thoroughly by men of God. So…devote an hour to listen and let me know what you think afterward.

 

It’s interesting that he walked by the car, which gives you a sense of his actual size. This male is young and small. Full grown, Alaskan bull moose are the largest in the world and can be as tall as seven feet at the shoulder.