David P. Nelson is senior vice president for academic administration and dean of the faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he teaches courses in systematic theology and worship. He is a contributor to the Between the Times blog. Dr. Nelson has served on church staffs in Texas, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. He has contributed to A Theology of the Church, Authentic Worship, and Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue. He is currently working on editing “A Biblical Theology of Mission” in a series called The Mission of God and He is authoring “40 Questions about Worship.”
Baptist21 is grateful to have had the opportunity to interview Dr. Nelson for the Baptist21 Podcast.
[podcast]http://www.baptisttwentyone.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/david-nelson.mp3[/podcast]
In this interview, Dr. Nelson covers some of the controversial topics surrounding the GCR. He answers the claims by Bart Barber that he has sold his Baptist birthright by calling for a “good ecumenism.” He addresses why those who are calling for a more sectarian Baptist outlook need to listen to those that are calling for some types of Ecumenism. In addition, he speaks to those who say there should be no theological triage. He addresses what he considers a major problem in our convention. This major problem is that we preach a message that the gospel is about saving us from “hell” but never draw out that the gospel is for all of life, and he believes this is just as dangerous as a “self-help” gospel. You will want to hear his thoughts on the Gospel and Southern Baptists. Finally, he addresses the controversial 9th commitment of the Great Commission Resurgence.
If you are not familiar with David Nelson, you need to become familiar with him. This interview is a must listen.
In part two, he will say some controversial things in the context of if “he were king for a day in the SBC,” Stay tuned.
Questions:
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Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary recently held a panel discussion on the topic of the Generational Divide in the SBC. The panel consisted of Danny Akin, JD Greear, David Nelson, and Nathan Finn. This panel discussion covers some very important topics. This panel discussion may be seen as quite controversial, but it is a must view.
Some of the topics included:
Some of the questions posed:
1. How can young SBC’ers pursue holiness, while abstaining from alcohol, but at the same time not being legalists?
2. Why should young SBC’ers stay in the SBC, especially when it is frustrating to plant churches because of the red tape at the state and with NAMB, and there is less with an organization like Acts29?
3. What can young Calvinists in the SBC do when so many are being passed over by local churches because of their Calvinism, should they really commit to the SBC if they do not feel a part of the family?
4. What does the bible really say about homosexuality and how do we respond in a pastoral way?
5. What do you think is the heart of the issue of this intergenerational challenge, who are the stakeholders and what is at stake?
We think that the following audio and video resources are worth checking out.
The opening video is to the recent debate aired on Nightline entitled, “Does Satan Exist?“, check out the rest of the video at the Nightline Website. The rest of the sermons, lectures, and interviews come from the Acts29 Boot Camp in Raleigh, the 20/20 Collegiate Conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminar, Southeastern’s Chapel, and random Sunday sermons.
Nightline Debate on the Existence of Satan
ACTS29 Boot Camp- Raleigh, NC 2009
SEBTS 20/20 Conference- The Gospel Comes to Life
SEBTS Chapel
Sermon Audio:
The First Baptist Church of Durham hosted a conference last week entitled The Politics of Jesus. Here is an excerpt describing the questions addressed by the conference:
The modern church finds itself riddled with internal contradictions between the teaching of Jesus and politics. The demands of caring for the poor, the elderly, and children fiercely interact with the issues of war, economics, abortion, and homosexuality. Christians of all denominational associations struggle to construct a comprehensive and biblical view of the state without compromising the content of the gospel. Does the Bible offer any help when dealing with issues of politics? Did Jesus speak directly to matters of government? Can theological conservatives be socially active without compromising evangelism? What can Christian history teach the modern church about the political future?
Speakers and Topics:
David Nelson – Adorning Our Savior’s Teaching: How the Gospel Matters for Public Life
Andy Davis – Babylon: An Ancient Assessment of a Present Reality
C. Ben Mitchell – Remaking the Future: The Looming Challenge of Resurgent Islam and Evolving Transhumanism
Greg Thornbury – Marriage: If Not Sacred – What?
Ken Fentress – The Ancient Church of Antioch and the Future Southern Baptist Convention
Nathan Finn – The Pulpit and the Public Square: Some Observations from the Ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
This is a timely conference, check out the website and Owen Strachan’s live-blogging of the event. The audio is available via podcast through the website.
