Matt Capps Religion

Every Christian a Theologian.

Theology, simply put is ‘what we know about God’. It is a compound word derived from the Greek; Theos: God, and Logos: word, or knowledge. All Christians are Theologians in some sense or another. How can this be, well if you claim to be a Christian, you must have beliefs about God, right? This has implications that stretch beyond mere belief itself. What you beleive about God effects how you view reality, the world around you, and even has implications on your day to day actions.

Now, Graeme Goldsworthy makes an excellent point in his book ‘According to Plan’ that all Christians are theologians, “but some are more able theologians than others”. (29) I have often thought, what is a better test of ones ‘able-ness’, their words or their actions? This is somewhat of a trick question, I do not think beliefs and actions can be separated.

I think Bonhoeffer sums it up nicely, “only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes”. (63)

Dr. Daniel Akin has written a wonderful article on this matter.

Matt Capps Thoughts

Al Gilbert’s Challenge to the SBC!

On June 11th my pastor Al Gilbert delivered the convention message at the annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Indianapolis. In his exposition of 1 Corinthians 4, Al said that we have been given the stewardship of this incredible mystery (the Gospel), but we have also been given a mission to proclaim the gospel to all nations.

The challenge to the convention was clear. When one looks at the way the SBC supports missions (national and international) through the cooperative program, you cannot help but question the current allocation process, and the efficiency of that process in fulfilling the great commission.

The intended ideal is a 50/50 split of funds between the state conventions (for local ministry), and the national convention (for foreign missions and other ministries). It has been noted in a recent book that the average amount of funding that actually reaches the national level is under 40%.

Al asked a good question in his sermon, Soon we’ll be passing the baton to the next generation, adding that some aren’t sure they want it. We cannot continue to do business as usual. Al then added, Can we really defend our bureaucracy to the next generation?

As Dr. Daniel Akin put it, “Al Gilbert’s charge in the Convention sermon to our denominational entities and our churches was a clarion call we all need to heed. A bloated denominational bureaucracy on the national, state and associational levels is choking us, and it must receive attention. The stewardship of our financial resources and how we account for and count those resources needs to be rethought.”

I would be willing to assume that many faithful members who give to SBC churches assume that (much of) their money is reaching the local and foreign mission fields. But is this truly the case?

Matt Capps Thoughts

Why this Blog exists…

The term blog was introduced in the late 1990’s, when the Internet was just on the rise. A somewhat ‘recent’ study by the Pew & Internet Project found that the number of blogs and blog readers has continued to climb. This becomes more apparent when you consider how wireless Internet continues to become more easily accessible.

Why am I blogging? Well, I was thinking about it…I write all the time. Must of us do, we spend all day sending and reading emails, researching information, keeping up with the news, and so on. Why not have a place to archive all this information? Why not have a place to record thoughts and resources? Basically, this blog has two purposes, 1. a virtual storage unit for thoughts and helpful information, and 2. A venue for me to become more disciplined in writing and expression.

It really is interesting to consider how most of us use our valuable time. I hope this blog adds to promoting thoughtful reflection on the world around us.