Category Archives: Ecclesiology

Toward a Christian Approach to Culture

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How should a Christian understand and relate to the prevailing culture? Ignore it? Accommodate it? Engage? The answer to that question determines a Christian’s effectiveness in life and ministry. In this article, Dr. Paul Hartog, professor at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa, explores the issue of culture and Christianity from a thoroughly Biblical perspective and offers helpful instruction for properly relating to one’s culture. Five Basic Models In 1951 the Neo-orthodox theologian H. Richard Niebuhr authored the highly influential Christ and Culture, in which he proposed five basic models: “Christ against Culture,” “Christ of Culture,” “Christ above Culture,” “Christ Transforming Culture,” and “Christ and Culture in Paradox.”

The Christian Education Committee in a Local Church

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A church’s Christian education program is a large part of its overall ministry. It involves more people and more programs than any other part of a church’s life. How can a pastor effectively organize and coordinate the different parts of the Christian education program? By utilizing a Christian Education Committee. In this issue of Faith Pulpit Don Anderson, professor of Christian Education at Faith Baptist Bible College, explains the value and function of the Christian Education Committee. Christian education is an important part of a church’s ministry.

The Emerging Church: The New Worldly Church

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What are we to think of the emerging church movement? Does it have any validity? What are its dangers? In this issue of the Faith Pulpit, Dr. Douglas Brown of Faith Baptist Theological Seminary combines careful analysis with Biblical understanding to show us the hazards of this movement and how to help people avoid being enticed by it. The emerging church (or emergent church) is an elusive movement.1 Attempting to understand and explain the emerging church is admittedly difficult. However, the movement is impacting the church today and needs our attention.

The Call to the Ministry

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Does God call people to the ministry, or is it one of several career paths a Christian can choose? Pastors and church leaders need to be clear about this vital issue. In this article Dr. Douglas Brown of Faith Baptist Theological Seminary addresses this important question with Biblical answers. The gospel ministry is a high and noble calling. In 2 Corinthians 3:7–11 Paul proclaimed that the ministry is glorious. In 1 Timothy 3:1 Paul declared that pastoral ministry is a ”good”, or honorable, work (kalou ergou).

The Preacher and His Library, Part 2

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How to Build a Library As you work toward building a library of your own, consider borrowing books from a fellow pastor or people in your congregation. If you do, be sure to follow the ethics of borrowing: always treat a borrowed book better than your own, and do not mark in a borrowed book unless the lender specifically gives permission to do so. You will also find college or university libraries a helpful resource for borrowed materials. Such libraries do not have to be part of a Bible college or seminary to have theological volumes.

The Preacher and His Library, Part 1

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“And the books, but especially the parchments . . .” II Timothy 4:13 Introduction While no one knows for sure what Paul was requesting when he talked about the books and the parchments, it is probable that he was asking for a copy of the Old Testament, or at least for part of it. Even in his final days of life, Paul was a reader. Since the days of the apostle Paul, reading has been part of the lifestyle of preachers.

Definition and Direction Statement, Part 3

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Adopted by the Board of Directors—September 15, 2006 FBBC&TS exists as a Fundamentalist Baptist institution of Christian higher education to disciple vocational Christian workers and leaders. Faith stands committed to pressing the claims of Christ upon our students. We want our students to consider vocational Christian service, and we view such a calling as a sacred trust and a high honor. Annually, members of the Board of Directors, the administration, the faculty, and the staff reaffirm their support for the school’s objective, as mentioned in the “Historic Position Statement,” to train men and women for leadership roles in Christian service within fundamentalism.

Definition and Direction Statement, Part 2

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FBBC&TS Exists as a Baptist institution of Christian Higher Education. As a Baptist institution, we believe in the primacy of Scripture over creeds and the formulations of councils. We consider the New Testament, especially the Epistles, to be foundational for faith and practice. We hold to the two ordinances: communion as a memorial of Christ’s death and believer’s baptism by single immersion as a public testimony to the truth of the gospel. We believe in the New Testament origin of the Church and so we distinguish between the Church and the nation of Israel.

Definition and Direction Statement, Part 1

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Adopted by the Board of Directors—September 15, 2006 Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary exists as a Fundamentalist Baptist institution of Christian higher education to disciple vocational Christian workers and leaders for local churches throughout the world. Faith Exists as a Bible College. In 1893, at the Chicago World’s Fair, William H. Jordan heard Evangelist D. L. Moody speak about the importance of training Christian workers for the ministry. Deeply impressed by Moody’s comments, Jordan developed a burden to establish a school to carry on that vision.

Seeker Sensitive or Sinner Sensitive? Part 2

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In the last issue I presented what I believe to be the short-comings of the Seeker Sensitive movement. It has been my observation that this movement, though beginning with good intentions, has strayed from the biblical model of evangelism. “Seekers” have become a marketplace and the gospel a commodity, the price of which has been continually lowered to meet the demands of the consumer. The tragic loser is the sinner himself, who has been misled to believe that salvation can be on his terms rather than God’s.