Earlier this morning, I watched a portion of Aaron Marshall’s presentation (via live-streaming) at Southern Seminary entitled “How to Use Social Media for Ministry WITHOUT Overloading, Burning Time, and Losing Your Religion.”  In the introduction of his post, Marshall writes,

Social Media is said to be the biggest change in communications in the last 50 years. These social technologies are revolutionizing the way people are conversing, collaborating and connecting. If your goal is to reach people and bring glory to God than this is something you cannot ignore.

I wrote last week why I use Twitter, and I am fairly networked on the internet with several blogs, Facebook (and groups) and a couple of Twitter accounts.  On the same morning that Aaron Marshall gave his presentation advocating social media for ministry, I checked out what my good friend Owen Strachan had to say and the questions/challenges he presented in his blogpost, “Questioning Twitter and Status Updates: Or, How to Become Unpopular with Everyone in a Few Short Paragraphs.” Here is the latter portion of his well-articulated argument:

I also wonder about the danger of narcissism with this new method of communication.  Why do we need to tell each other what tv show we’re watching?  Why do we constantly change our Facebook profile pictures?  Why do we blather on forever on our blogs about what we’re doing, liking, missing, and hoping?  Ours is a narcissistic, self-focused generation, and the level of this narcissism boggles the mind.  We know so little in the way of self-control and modesty and are so skilled in the ways of self-promotion and impulse-gratification.  I fear that our Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and blogs all too often represent a shallowness of soul that cries out for attention we do not need and should not want.

Look: all the cultural momentum points away from self-control, modesty, and the pursuit of a significant life.  We are encouraged by culture to be self-promoters, shallow, technologically obsessed, and unconcerned with the larger things and bigger questions of life.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen all of these problems cohere in a student in a class on some important Christian doctrine updating their Facebook page.  This, I would argue, is our generation’s constellation of problems captured in a single picture.  One is self-promoting (oftentimes), frequently posting a silly picture or comment, surfing the web, and ignoring complex instruction that requires concentration and that will almost certainly stretch and bless one’s mind and soul.  Such behavior is too frequent almost to notice and frighteningly bankrupt.

Many of us can make a quick sarcastic remark, but how many of us can follow a philosophical or theological argument?  Or, better yet, how many of us would want to?  Wouldn’t we rather Twitter, or check our email, or our Facebook page, or play a fun electronic game?  Most of us.  And most of us are becoming spiritually and intellectually thin, even as our narcissism grows bloated and our instincts for self-promotion wax hot.

I would challenge readers: speaking generally, don’t use Twitter.  Cultivate deep thinking even as you use technology.  If something smells strongly of self-promotion, give it a pass.  Be a part of Facebook, of other media, but do so thoughtfully, responsibly, edifyingly.  Glorify Christ not simply in how you use media, but in what media you use.

What are your thoughts?
(you can say it in more than 140 characters if you want)

It was ten years ago in the Fall of 1998 as a sophomore in college that I first heard Voddie Baucham speak.  As a college minister, I traveled up to The Church at Brookhills with some friends to a conference called Refuge put on by StudentLife.  All I can remember about Voddie ten years ago was thinking, “Dude, that brother can bring it!”  Little did I know that Voddie was quickly becoming the rising star in the SBC.  A young, articulate, and intelligent African American with a passion for God unlike any I had seen, Voddie was quickly noticed by conference developers looking for a fresh face and a powerful message.

Ten years later, Voddie is all but hanging on as a Southern Baptist.  No, he did not commit any immoral acts or disqualify himself from ministry.  What happened is that he chose not to play the game of political correctness or prefer his career over biblical truth.  Voddie is not one to have ever shied away from controversy, and it was evident that he was not going to allow political favors, denominational power, or the cult of personality to shape and direct his ministerial calling.  Having said that, I would like to turn your attention to Voddie’s recent blog post entitled “SBC and Calvinism: A Personal Perspective.”

Voddie shares that there three areas that resulted in his falling out with the SBC mainstream, namely his position on education, the family/youth ministry, and Calvinism.  Prior to these developments, Voddie revealed to what extent he was catered from everyone in the SBC including LifeWay (with three book offers), state conventions, and Pastor’s Conferences of the Annual Meetings of the SBC.  While his leadership in the areas of education and the family caused several disagreements, it was being identified as a “Calvinist” that changed the gesture of the mainstream Southern Baptists from a heartfelt handshake to an unapologetic boot. Voddie, writing about his “coming out of the closet,” confessed,

No… I’m not gay. It’s far worse than that.  I’m a Calvinist!  That’s right, I’m a fire-breathing, TULIP believing, five-point Calvinist.  That, my friends, is the unpardonable sin in contemporary Southern Baptist life (unless your name is Al Mohler and you’ve been President of the flagship Southern Baptist Theological Seminary since you were in your early thirties and happen to be the most intelligent, articulate, winsome public face the Convention has).

Ironically, it was at the second conference that I had attended with Voddie speaking, the 2006 Desiring God National Conference, that Southern Baptists were made aware that Voddie had all along been wearing the scarlet “C” on his chest.  Then it was speaking at the 2007 Founders Breakfast at San Antonio with a message entitled “Southern Baptists at Sardis.”  While some have deemed “vitriol” to be the reason for the change-of-heart among Southern Baptists (at which point he references the vitriol of Ergun Caner, Jerry Falwell, and Jerry Vines), the real reason was “being a part of a movement the SBC sees as a threat to evangelism, and our already declining baptismal numbers.”

Here is yet another leading voice of the past decade of the younger generation of Southern Baptists that has been marginalized by the anti-Calvinist agenda of the SBC.  Perhaps someone should warn Matt Chandler who is scheduled next year to speak both at the 2009 FBC JAX Conference (Feb. 6-10) as well as the 2009 Desiring God Pastor’s Conference (Feb. 2-4).  In any case, one should take note that the anti-Calvinist leadership of the SBC–from the Executive Committee to the John 3:16 Conference–is unplugging the microphones of the voices attracting younger Southern Baptists today.

I don’t aree with Voddie on everything as I am quite certain that I do not agree with most of my Calvinist friends on everything.  But what I do appreciate about him is his willingness to continue to bring it over the past decade whether he has the backing of a denomination or the fronting of a denomination.  While Voddie is “no longer considering a future of any significance in the Convention,” I believe there is a far greater significance to be had that cannot be counted be nickles and noses or conferences and celebrity; nah, it is a significance that will bear the marks of donkey-riding Savior, not a denominational-rising superstar.

Since moving from the context of seminary life to the local church, there have been numerous changes, not the least of which has been my approach to reading books.  The seminary reading schedule was largely determined by the classes I was taking or the papers I was writing.  Therefore, my reading was driven by text.  Over the past six months, I have fallen into a different approach towards reading that could be explained as a move from text to context.

Whereas my reading in seminary was scheduled and structured according to the classroom, now my reading is scheduled and structured according to my relationships.  The reference point is people, not a syllabus, and that has made a big difference in viewing this discipline and its application in my life as well as the lives of others.  Let me break down for you the various arenas of relational reading:

The first development was the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge.  I originally intended for this to be a personal project because I had so many Puritan Paperbacks that I owned but never read.  But once I pitched the challenge on my blog almost a year ago, over 20,000 people have stumbled upon the challenge with several hundred reading and keeping up via P&P.  The relational aspect of this challenge has been helpful to encourage and challenge me even more to be diligent in studying the writings of the Puritans.

The second development was reading books in relation to the local church.  For instance, I am currently reading Jonathan Edward’s Religious Affections with about a dozen men from Grace each week.  For Sunday School, I am reading Life in the Body of Christ: Privileges and Responsibilities in the Local Church by Curtis Thomas, again a weekly read.  For the core group of our current church plant, I am reading two books: Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney and What Is a Healthy Church Member? by Thabiti Anyabwile which I read and write a brief response for each chapter at Sowing Grace.

The third development was reading books in relation to people in my life.  I am currently mentoring a college student and working through two books: The Mortification of Sin by John Owen and In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life by Sinclair Ferguson (we meet weekly on Thursday mornings).  With my wife, we have started reading together Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp.  And finally, for personal growth I am reading Father, Son, and Spirit: The Trinity in John’s Gospel by Andreas Kostenberger as well as Morning Thoughts by Octavius Winslow devotionally.

As you can see, this is a pretty demanding reading schedule, but because it has been forged in the context of investing in the lives of others (and myself), my approach is different because of the shift from text (books) to context (people) as the end in mind.  Reading the variety of books in the different arenas of life (home, church, internet, etc.) spanning from the great Christian classics of Owen, Edwards, and the Puritans to the relatively new releases such as Kostenberger, Anyabwile, and Ferguson has provided a good perspective and fresh interest in reading.  Probably the biggest issue has been scheduling the days of reading to not get too far ahead (and forget what I read) or waiting too late only and procrastinate (and not giving time to reflect and engage what I read).

I will confess that there are some aspects of text-driven reading that I do miss.  I miss reading and researching to write papers and critically engage the authors.  However, where I find myself today is a place where reading does not end when the book or chapter has been read.  In fact it is just the beginning.  If you are looking for a way to jump-start your reading regiment, I encourage you to consider reading with other people in mind.  The investment you make in the book and more importantly in the lives of others will be worth far more than you had ever imagined.  The past six months have opened my eyes to this, and I pray it will open others as well.

The following posts were made available at Sowing Grace this past week:

Sunday: Paul’s Prayer to the Philippian Church
Monday: Monday Is for Membership: Expositional Listening, Part 2
Tuesday: Do You Have a Parakaleo in Your Agenda? (Cultivating Community Contacts, Part 3)
Wednesday: Paul’s Reasoning and the Synagogue (study in Acts)
Thursday: The Perils of Pride (chapter 2)
Friday: Fuel Friday: Keller on Advancing the Gospel in the 21st Century
Saturday: Abide in the Love of the Triune God

You can subscribe to the Sowing Grace feed or check out the site for more information and upcoming posts.

Over the past couple of months, I have worked on having prolonged meditations through the Psalms.  I have been currently simmering over Psalm 16 where David exemplifies someone who made much of God.  God was his refuge, “chosen portion,” “my cup,” and “my lot.”  David has blessed the Lord and set the Lord continually before him.  The result was that his heart was glad and whole being rejoiced.  He came to know and experience the fullness of joy having dwelt in the presence of God.  He knew the unending pleasures at God’s right hand, the path of life, and blessings of “beautiful inheritance” because he was one who could resolutely confess, “I have no good apart from you.”  Contrast this from “the sorrows of those who run after another (false) gods”!

David was one who was happy in the Lord.  God was everything to him, and nothing was more important than knowing and experiencing the joy and pleasures of Him who is the Fountain of delights.  When I think this kind of life, my mind was taken back to George Mueller, who said that our happiness in the Lord is of first importance.  Hear the passionate exhortation from this great man of faith:

According to my judgement the most important point to be attended to is this: above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord’s work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself! Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life. This has been my firm and settled condition for the last five and thirty years. For the first four years after my conversion I knew not its vast importance, but now after much experience I specially commend this point to the notice of my younger brethren and sisters in Christ: the secret of all true effectual service is joy in God, having experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself.

To read more of Mueller strategy of showing God, check out John Piper’s biographical message.

Jason Kovacs recently announced that the (FREE) audio of the Together for Adoption Conference messages are now available.  If you are looking for solid theological reflection and exhortation regarding adoption, I encourage you to download and listen to these messages.

Jason Kovacs and Maridel Sandberg - “Conference Welcome and the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ Vision for Orphan Ministry“

Dan Cruver - “Adoption in God’s Story of Redemption“

Rick Phillips - “The Good News of Adoption“

Carl Robbins - “Adoption and the Multi-Ethnic Family of God“

Tullian Tchividjian - “Our Adoption and Visiting Orphans in Their Affliction“

When Twitter first came on the scene, I was really skeptical of this medium (I still have a few reservations).  According to the Twitter FAQ page, Twitter is “a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”

I began to tweet at the beginning of the summer (early June), and since then I have over 1,300 updates and 190 followers.  Since then, a number of friends, family, and fellow church members have joined as well.  Others that I have hardly known have developed into frequent correspondence.  Recently, I thought about writing down some of the reasons why I found Twitter to be a profitable medium, and here are six that I came up with.

1.  Networking

90% of the people I know in evangelical and Baptist circles, I know through the blogosphere.  Several them I have come to know better through Twitter, and others I am getting to know for the first time.  Twitter is allowing me an opportunity to connect with people whom I otherwise would have little to no interaction.

2.  Journaling (Instant Photo-Journalism)

I love photography, but one of the things I hate about shooting with a professional camera is all the post-production processing.  By the time I am through, the images feel outdated.  Twitter has afforded me the ability to instantly post pics via Twitpic in a photo-journalistic manner (albeit the images are not that great).  If you have a camera phone, this is really easy and fun to do.

When I originally started my blog, it was intended to be a journalistic update of my life and our family.  When it turned into an issues/topic driven blog, I minimalized the personal touch.  Twitter allows me to communicate with friends and family more about the ins and outs of my life, how they can pray, etc.  With the iPhone, I am able to Twitter in almost any location and any time of the day.

3.  Learning (A La Carte News)

Another cool thing about Twitter is the ability to get news and information about things from those in the Twitter network.  I guess you could say that it acts like a live RSS Reader of sorts.  I also post links and info to others I find important or worth reading.  In addition, I sometimes post quips or notes from my study that I hope are encouraging to those who “follow” me (much of which later finds its way on the blog).

4.  Plugging (Blog Redirection)

I use Twitter to plug new blog posts (from P&P & Sowing Grace) and Flickr pics when they are posted.  The ability to shorten URL’s through SnipURL, TinyURL, ln.cr, and is.dg, makes it easy to maximize the 140 characters and provide a brief annotation about the link.  I usually generate 10-15 visitors from the Twitter plugging (not much, but I’ll take it).

5.  Listening (Dialogue)

One of critiques about Twitter is how narcissistic it feels.  I think, in general, this is true.  But Twitter can also be a great listening medium.  For instance, while drafting this post, I asked those who Twitter why they chose to do so, and I immediately received over a dozen responses.  I find that I learn a lot by listening to the responses of others in a two-way conversation where I am the inquirer and they are the informers.

6.  Laughing

I’m for the most part a pretty intense and serious-minded person, but I really enjoy a good laugh.  The commentary of friends, the goofy pictures, the witticisms, and totally random statements often serve as a pick-me-up or timely decompression valve.  For instance, here’s one that I thought was hilarious (Kevin has the weirdest and funniest tweets of anyone I know).

A little over a month ago, I created a Twitter account for Grace Baptist (we currently have 27 members on Twitter) as well as a Facebook group.  I use Twitter to make announcements, remind them of upcoming activities/events, provide urgent prayer requests, review outline from previous Sunday’s message(s), plug blogposts from church blog(s), express thanksgiving and appreciation, and share message title and text for upcoming sermons.

There are several applications I use in conjuction with Twitter.  Here they are:

Twitter/Facebook Integration - Tweets automatically posted on Facebook status
Tweetdeck - Desktop Interface for Twittering (nice because I have multiple accounts)
Twitpic - Photo sharing on Twitter
Twittelator - iPhone third-party application for Twitter
Tweet Scan - Twitter Search tool
TweetStats - Analyze statistics on Twitter

A new website called Twitip was created by Darren Rowse, author of Problogger, is a great resource for anyone wanting to get additional information about Twitter.

I am not a social media expert, nor do I pretend to know what the future holds for blogging and/or Twitter.  My guess is that those who used blogging as an internet journal will likely turn to Twitter, while those who use blogs as their main source for commentary and substantive dialogue will use Twitter to enhance their blog impact.  One thing that blogging has that Twitter does not is the SEO (search engine optimization).  Traffic to Twitter is basically inherent, while a well-established blog can generate accidental and intentional traffic from various sources, not the least of which is Googling. Nevertheless, it is accurate to say that blogging has taken a hit in 2008 while social media applications like Twitter and Facebook have seen exponential growth.

Some notable friends on Twitter include: Tom Ascol, Joe Thorn, Andy Crouch, Ed Stetzer, Thom Rainer, Steve McCoy, Jared Wilson, Daniel Montgomery, Mark Driscoll, Ligonier, Desiring God, and Tim Challies. There many other good Twitterers, but these are some you might recognize.

If you are looking to start, this post by Problogger might be helpful.  If you would like to connect with me on Twitter, here are the links:

* My Twitter (@timmybrister)
* GBC Twitter (@gracebaptist)

For those of you who do Twitter, why? What benefits are you receiving from this medium?  Has it replaced your blogging (if you have one)?  Any other reasons why you Twitter that I have not mentioned above?

Cycling can be a dangerous sport.  In fact, it can be a deadly sport.  Roughly 700 cyclists are killed each year due to vehicle accidents.  Just last week, a cyclist here in SW Florida was killed in a hit-and-run.  On Oct. 4 of this year, a young lady by the name of Jennifer Futrell was killed while riding her bike in Louisville.  My good friend and fellow cyclist, Dan Canales, has since begun a project called Louisville on Two Wheels.  Dan writes,

This blog is dedicated to all of our friends who have died while cycling.  Thousands of Louisvillians take to the streets every day, some out of necessity, some in pursuit of fitness and some for the sheer joy of riding.  This blog is not a place to point fingers. This is not a place for anger.  This is a blog to share the lives of those who ride the streets,  the faces and the places they live, the streets they ride, and the roads we all share.

What I love about this project is that Dan is taking his two hobbies–photography and cycling–and using them to bless the city and reach out to fellow cyclists.  He has identified with brokenness in culture and is seeking to redeem it using the gifts he has to encourage cyclists and represent Jesus.  We’ve all got hobbies, talents, and passions we enjoy.  Most of the time they serve our own purposes.  Dan is an example to me (and hopefully others) of how to use them to bless others.  May God grant him grace and bless his little project–Louisville on Two Wheels.

In an attempt to be brief and succinct, I will try to give a cliff note version the recent John 3:16 Conference as I understand it from those who attended and the blogs I have read.  First the live-blogging posts:

Andrew Lindsey (Challies.com) and John Mark (Sweet Tea & Theology)

1.  John 3:16 Conference (Lindsey)
2.  Registration, Schedule, and Books (Lindsey)
3.  Johnny Hunt Opening Message (Lindsey) :: (John Mark)
4.  Jerry Vines on John 3:16 (Lindsey) :: (John Mark)
5.  Paige Patterson on Total Depravity (Lindsey) :: (John Mark)
6.  Attendance and Mood (Lindsey)
7.  Richard Land on Unconditional Election (Lindsey) :: (John Mark)
8.  David Allen on Limited Atonement (Lindsey) :: (John Mark)
9.  Steve Lemke on Irresistible Grace (Lindsey) :: (John Mark)
10. Ken Keathley on Perseverance of the Saints (Lindsey) :: (John Mark)
11. Charles Stanley on John 3:16 (Lindsey) :: (John Mark)
12. Question and Answer Session (Lindsey) :: (John Mark)

10 Noteworthy Items from the Conference

1.  Both messages by Hunt and Vines were previously delivered at Southern Seminary’s chapel (here for Vines, here for Hunt).  Hunt’s tone and demeanor is very different from years past (in a good way).

2.  Paige Patterson affirmed original sin but denied original guilt.  As I understand it, this view was popularized by W.T. Conner.  I’m intrigued to know how many Southern Baptists would hold to this and what are the benefits of such a theological position.

3. David Allen called Robert Reymond and James White hyper-Calvinists according to Phil Johnson.  Both James White and Phil Johnson have responded.

4. David Allen concluded that a move toward “five point” Calvinism was “a move away from the gospel.”  The crowd responded with a standing ovation.

5. David Allen’s handout which he mentions in his message can be downloaded here (PDF).

6. Steve Lemke holds that repentance and faith precede regeneration.

7. Steve Lemke defines a “hyper-Calvinist” as someone who is “more Calvinistic than you are.”

8. Ken Keathley asserted that Tom Schreiner and A.B. Caneday teach salvation by works, according to the Council of Trent (Roman Catholicism).

9. Richard Land argued that Romans 9-11 have nothing to do with eternal salvation.

10. Keathley, a classical Molinist (and indeterminist), presented the case that determinism is to a bad theological position to hold.

10 Observations from a Distance

1.  The speakers apparently have real theological differences among each other.  One might expect this when having a conference when you are united around what you are against rather than what you are for.

2.  While most of the seminaries were represented as vendors, Southern Seminary was not.

3.  Earlier in May, I had requested for Founders Ministries to be a vendor.  The request was rejected without justification.

4.  The purpose of this conference was intended to be a “majoritarian response to the ‘Building Bridges’ and ‘Together for the Gospel’ conferences” (according to Lemke).

5.  If there ever was a place and time that Southern Baptists would have discovered a counter-resurgence of non-Calvinists among younger Southern Baptists, this conference would have been it.  However, live-blogging revealed that it was more comparable to the SBC Annual Meeting than Together for the Gospel.  In other words, Vines and Co. are without generational succession.

6.  Conference audio is $50 and video is $60 $69.  These incredibly steep prices for resources will discourage many from purchasing them.  This philosophy of marketing is quite contrary to the free resources provided at Reformed conferences.

7.  The closed door approach to the conference was also quite interesting.  In the day of live-blogging, live-streaming, immediate file-sharing (whether audio or PDF), this conference did not seem to adopt the whosoever will spirit of John 3:16.

8.  I am encouraged by the approach and disposition of now president Johnny Hunt regarding his Calvinist brethren.  However, he will have a lot on his hands when his fellow non-Calvinists are lobbing grenades and fostering a fight rather than seeking gospel consensus (after all, “five point” Calvinism is a move away from the gospel [Allen] and contrary to the Great Commission [Lemke]).

9.  Commentary from non-Southern Baptists, such as Justin Taylor, James Grant, Michael Spencer, and dozens of others commenting on the blogs, reveal that the John 3:16 conference is a disappointing if not embarrassing attempt to debunk the doctrines of grace and one-up the Building Bridges Conference.

10.  One has to wonder when Southern Seminary and the astute scholarship represented among the faculty will finally chime in.  Schreiner, Ware, Mohler, Nettles, and others are being thrown under the bus with no response from Lexington Road.  The absence of SBTS from Baptist life and issues is curious to say the least.

I guess that’s a wrap.  Any other notable observations or commentary?  Feel free to comment below.

The following posts were made available at Sowing Grace this past week:

Sunday: Paul’s Prayer to the Colossian Church
Monday: Monday Is for Membership: Expositional Listening, Part 1
Tuesday: Cultivating Community Contacts, Part 2
Wednesday: Centrality of the Word in Acts
Thursday: The Promise of Humility (Chapter 1)
Friday: Fuel Friday: London Dwell Conference Audio
Saturday: A Cross-shaped Mission

You can subscribe to the Sowing Grace feed or check out the site for more information and upcoming posts.