tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299480319985902501.comments2020-06-10T06:28:43.875-05:00Fides Quaerens IntellectumBrock A. Ratcliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06050055143226318546noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299480319985902501.post-33832696351066731092014-02-07T08:04:24.251-06:002014-02-07T08:04:24.251-06:00Thank you for writing this response. I don't u...Thank you for writing this response. I don't understand why some people are attempting to frame Common Core as a religious debate rather than a public policy discussion. The extreme rhetoric (e.g. Common Core is going to steal the souls of our children and expose them to pornography, communist ideology and biometric data accumulation) seems to me to be politically motivated and cynical, designed to inspire hysteria not an honest and thoughtful discussion of the strengths or weaknesses of the actual standards. Mr. Chambers' essay is more measured and he avoids the outright conspiracy theories, but he still attempts to stir those same fears, uncertainties and doubts by questioning the intentions of those promoting the standards. Unfortunately, I think many Baptists will take the words of Mr. Chambers as the official policy of Mississippi Baptist Convention (maybe it is... I don't know) and not bother to flip through the pages of the standards themselves. In my opinion, the out-of-proportion response to CCSS by certain Christian organizations undermines their credibility to those people who, like me, are interested in truth, not spin. And that is truly unfortunate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299480319985902501.post-25802440359878964642014-01-16T23:47:37.240-06:002014-01-16T23:47:37.240-06:00There were many times this movie could have easily...There were many times this movie could have easily been sappy and manipulative, but it took the high-road. Eventually though, it got me tearing-up, as much as I hate to admit it. Good review Brock.Dan O.http://www.dtmmr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299480319985902501.post-43047663833230312752013-07-23T09:52:00.991-05:002013-07-23T09:52:00.991-05:00I am hearing some of my own thoughts echoed in you...I am hearing some of my own thoughts echoed in yours. Check out Dr. Mark Metcalf (whom you may remember from MC days), who left big-church student ministry to found a non-profit with a vision to create missional communities (small-group ministry-minded discipleship as the organizational model for the church). He has spurred interesting thoughts in me, and is fueled by the smaller-is-better concept. Look at his site, http://inciting.org.<br /><br />I'm convinced that local church evangelism will work out to be slow and small in our current culture as it secularizes further, but this will be more effective and more faithful to disciple-making as a whole. The mega-church model seems to be gaining the most traction as a response to our sinking-ship baptism numbers. This is especially disturbing, though, considering the high percentage of small (and often rural) churches in the makeup of the SBC.<br /><br />I think that Matthew 7:13-14 is stating the way the world works. Most will not say yes to Christ (the wide gate). But some will choose to follow (the narrow gate). This should not dissipate our fervor for the gospel, but rather should warn us that there are many different kinds of responses to evangelism, but most responses are not favorable (parable of the sower and seed, Matthew 13). For me, this means that if something is bringing in the crowds, it needs scrutiny. Not all methods that produce big results are effective (we remember Willow Creek). But none of this cynicism should lead to less passion for evangelism (which it could easily do)!Tuckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02688395939139957227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299480319985902501.post-55371522351067517442013-02-22T12:28:40.748-06:002013-02-22T12:28:40.748-06:00Brock,
It's difficult to lump Baptists togeth...Brock,<br /><br />It's difficult to lump Baptists together. That's why I and many Baptist historians prefer to describe to multiple Baptist denominations.<br /><br />With regard to those different denominations of Baptists, without a doubt, American Baptists who are part of American Baptist Churches USA are and should be described as mainline Protestants. <br /><br />Historians have described them this way for many decades as American Baptists have worked closely and shared a set of common principles with the other mainline Protestant denominations such as EC, PCUSA, UMC, Disciples of Christ, ELCA, etc.Big Daddy Weavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270791070315400815noreply@blogger.com