Frank Page, our new SBC President

Tonight (yesterday now) perusing Quick Takes at Baptist Reform my curiosity got peaked concerning Dr. Frank Page, the new President of the Southern Baptist Convention.  To become better acquainted with him I recommend checking out the following links:

The SBC President’s Page, pay particular attention to Issues of Importance and Moral Issues; although reading all the sections will reveal more of Dr. Page.

Also, LifeWay has a couple of articles by Dr. Page that deal with our denomination; The New Southern Baptist Convention and Give Him the Glory.

The final site worthy of investigation is actually linked in Quick Takes above where my interest was originally aroused.  It is an article on Dr. Al Mohler’s blog Conventional Thinking (Frank Page—Caught in the Act of Changing His Mind).  I will have to concur with Dr. Mohler that there are questions that I hope Dr. Page will address, and that further insight into the development of his position will serve our convention well.  In closing Dr. Mohler stated it well, “I am thankful for Dr. Page’s change of mind, and I hope to know more about it in coming months as he shares more of this story with Southern Baptists.  There is no shame in embracing the clear teachings of Scripture.”

On Baptism & a Redefinition of Baptist Identity

New Testament baptism requires a proper subject (a believer who comes to faith in Christ voluntarily), the proper mode (immersion) and the proper meaning (a symbol of death, burial and resurrection).
Hershel Hobbs (as quoted by Ken Camp)

Any compromise of Baptist conviction concerning the requirement of believer’s baptism by immersion amounts to a redefinition of Baptist identity. More importantly, it raises the most basic questions of ecclesiology. We must give those questions intent attention in these days.
Dr. R. Albert Mohler

I personally believe that the clearness, prominence, and normativity of the Scriptural command for believer baptism in the church means that Dr. Mohler is correct on this.
Justin Taylor

To read more on this issue see Baptist and Church Membership at Between Two Worlds and follow the links.

Dr. John Piper and the council of elders at Bethlehem Baptist Church have asserted the belief that “the door to local church membership should be roughly the same size as the door to membership in the universal body of Christ.”  But if Christ commanded His disciples to be baptized, then should we not seek to understand what that is biblically?  And are not those living in contradiction to this command in disobedience to our Lord?  Should not the clear directions of our Savior define the parameters of the door to local church membership?

Dead? Churches

My dear brother Brad has posted some worthwhile thoughts on Monty Python and “dead” churches; see But…I’m Not Dead!

His preceding post Under-estimating the Gospel is also a worthwhile read.