WiseReader

As Professor of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist theological Seminary, one should not be surprised that Alvin Reid cares about the progress of the gospel. 

In “We have reached the tipping point”, Reid blogs about the current state of the Southern Baptist Convention, noting the growing unease over how many SBCers view the Cooperative Program, the growing lack of cultural engagement by SBC congregations, and concern for the SBC’s future if the status quo remains. In a telling comment, Reid says:

“Many are concerned that the center of the SBC has moved from a theological core to a methodological consensus, and that consensus has collapsed.”

I suspect that leaders within many of our evangelical denominations would make similar observations about their own groups.

The post is lengthy, covering a wide range of opinion and conviction, but Reid’s passion for a healthy, spiritual future for his denomination jumps off the page. I recommend it to you.

In addition to my main responsibilities as Director of New Covenant House (Toronto, Ontario), I serve as book reviews coordinator with ChristianWeek, a Canada-wide publication serving the Christian community. For quite some time I have been waiting to receive a review copy of Pagan Christianity (Frank Viola & George Barna, Tyndale House Publishers, 2008) - I have a reviewer lined up, but no copy to review!

Viola is a major figure in the contemporary house church movement and Barna is a well-known researcher and pollster specializing in American Christianity. These men have teamed up to explore the roots of the New Testament church, pondering why contemporary expressions of Christianity seem so far removed from the NT model. As one might expect from a house church leader, these men don’t have much good to say about the institutional church as we know it today.

Though I have not been able to secure a review for ChristianWeek, I did find an excellent critique of this book on Stephen Yuille’s blog. Following a brief overview of the authors’ thesis, Yuille presents a five-point challenge. Yuille’s treatment is, in my view, an excellent examination of a popular book that is flawed at its heart. I highly recommend you take time to read it.