Fred Luter... A Help? Or A Hindrance?

[Standing Firm In Christ]

Fred Luter, newly-elected President of the SBC, said, "We can't reach an iPod generation with 8 track ministries"

Sadly, this seems to be the mindset of many, despite the fact that we are told to seek the ways of the Lord.

When Jesus walked this Earth 2000 years ago, He did not conform to this world's religious system, but rather He sought to do the will of His Father. We are told to do the same.

So many would rather bring the world into the Church and thereby defile the Church. The Church is slowly becoming conformed to the ways of the world and such a move is not pleasing to God. "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

We are to reach the world, but we cannot dismiss God's way in our efforts to reach it. God has His way laid out in His Holy Word. We must reach the lost through God's methods or we have not reached them at all. If we bring the world's ways into the Church, we defile the Church and only accomplish deceiving the world into thinking they are accepted of the Father. In reality, we have only given them an appearance of godliness and piety on the outside while the inside is still unclean.

Light has no fellowship with darkness. Fred Luter may think he can compromise and "reach an iPod generation" by conforming to their ways, but in reality, he is hurting them.

[John81]

I'm not sure what exactly you are saying. Are you saying that iPods are worldly things Christians shouldn't use?

[Standing Firm In Christ]

I'm not sure what exactly you are saying. Are you saying that iPods are worldly things Christians shouldn't use?

Not at all. I myself have an iPod... and an iPad.

The connotation in Luter's quote is that we cannot reach people using old methods. It is an argument that is given in many of the modern churches today who have their "rock", "rap", "hip-hop", etc.. they allow to draw the world into the Church.

We are not to conform to the world.

[John81]

Thank you, I understand now. I had to ask because there are some who take the view that since modern devices are used for wicked means, Christians shouldn't use them.

When our church board first recommended our associate pastor, who is also our pastor of Christian education and outreach, set up the means to text with our youth he wasn't too keen on the idea. However, he followed their recommendation and it has been a great means of keeping in touch with our youth and increasing their participation.

I agree that we don't need the worlds entertainment in order to reach the world for Christ. As our pastor says, we could draw a big crowd to church if we put a band on stage or even had clowns come in and perform, but the crowd would be there for the entertainment, not Christ, and once the entertainment left, so would the crowd. Far better to preach the Word and allow the Holy Ghost to determine the size of attendance.

As to what Fred was meaning, I don't know from the statement above since I don't have the context. From that statement, he could be saying we need to use modern tools to spread the word, or he could possibly mean we need to adopt things from the world, I don't know.

I'm for using new technologies to serve the Lord, but not using them for bringing in the world and certainly not for using worldly means to try and draw a crowd.

[Guest]

SFIC, I agree with your assessment. We either propagate the Gospel of Christ his way or we aren't propagating the Gospel.

I attended Bob Baptist Church (SBC) outside Pollack, LA. (visiting relatives). My son, 4 YO, sang What A Day That Will Be for his Pa Irvin (saved saint gone on to glory) at that little country church. The song was one of Pa Irvin's favorites. You know what there were several Christians attending there who were and some are attending there today.

[JerryNumbers]

The SBC has become very worldly, & they hold up false teachers. They have attended to become conservative once again, but they have to many liberals for that to happen.

You catch them with worldly ways, you will have to hold to worldly ways in order to keep them

[Standing Firm In Christ]

I noticed that Fred Luter's Church in New Orleans is into "holistic health".

Some of the practices of alternative holistic health include, but are not limited to:

• natural diet and herbal remedies
• nutritional supplements
• exercise
• relaxation
• psycho-spiritual counseling
• meditation
• breathing exercises
• acupuncture
• homeopathy
• massage therapy
  

All New Age practices. Yep, they've really gone downhill.

[Salyan]

Umm... Nutritional supplements, diet and exercise aren't exactly New Age...

[Standing Firm In Christ]

Depends on what those supplements are.
While people meditated on the Word of God in Bible times, the m

The practices of holistic health are not God centered practices, they focus on man.

[No Nicolaitans]

Luter described what he hopes to achieve for the convention, saying he has always had the ability to get along with everyone. He plans to use that skill to bring denominational leaders together to discuss how they can leave aside their differences and work together to spread the Gospel.

http://news.yahoo.co...-200546902.html

Help or hindrance...hmmm...sounds like he's going to help them slide farther and farther down the road to ecuminism; therefore, in his zeal to bring denominations together "to spread the Gospel", he will actually hinder people from being saved, because different denominations don't agree on how a person is saved. Edited June 20, 2012 by No Nicolaitans

[LindaR]

Umm... Nutritional supplements, diet and exercise aren't exactly New Age...

Nutritional supplements, diet and exercise, in the context of "holistic health care" definitely lean towards New Age teaching. Have you ever shopped at a "health food" store? They are very subtly New Age.

[HappyChristian]

Nutritional supplements (aka vitamins & herbs) existed long before New Age devotees co-opted them. As did exercise and proper (natural) diet. We need to be careful not to get involved with New Age gunk, but we also need to be careful not to just lump it all together. As to homeopathy...if you know anyone who uses nitro-glycerin for heart issues, or someone who has malaria and needs quinine: those are both homeopathic remedies that were taken by the AMA and "normalized".

Discernment is necessary, as is not just falling into the trap of declaiming things that are not the way "normal" medicine is today (remember - medicine as we know it was not practiced in this way years ago...I'll take homeopathy over blood-letting [which was one of the things that prompted the discovery of homeopathy] any day) are wrong. Chiropractic care used to be lumped in with New Age practices, too. I wouldn't be walking (that is no exaggeration) if it weren't for chiropractic care. (I realize that "our experiences" don't make a practice right or wrong - but nowhere in the Bible can anyone show that natural care is wrong at its root)

And not all health food stores are even subtly New Age. There are some that are run by Christians who are careful what they order. Granted, they are rare, but they do exist. That said, I do think this man's methods are not all they should be...

[JerryNumbers]

http://news.yahoo.co...-200546902.html

Help or hindrance...hmmm...sounds like he's going to help them slide farther and farther down the road to ecuminism; therefore, in his zeal to bring denominations together "to spread the Gospel", he will actually hinder people from being saved, because different denominations don't agree on how a person is saved.

Help them towards a more liberal path of tolerance & acceptance, leaving out separation.

2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Today, even in Baptist teaching circles these verses are usually ignored.

[No Nicolaitans]

Help them towards a more liberal path of tolerance & acceptance, leaving out separation.

2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Today, even in Baptist teaching circles these verses are usually ignored.

Amen Bro. Jerry! Seems like more and more, people are more concerned with pleasing man than the Lord.

"Let's all just get along..." :grouphug:

[JerryNumbers]

Amen Bro. Jerry! Seems like more and more, people are more concerned with pleasing man than the Lord.

"Let's all just get along..."

And what does tolerance & acceptance do? It encourages them to stay in their sin, be bold about their sins, & encourages others to join in into that sin or sins. And it also causes them to call out those who hold to God's truths as being unloving & uncaring.