The Gospel Coalition

This week, I am interviewing Dr. Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Seminary. Check out part one of our conversation here.

Trevin Wax: When you look our over the horizon of the Southern Baptist Convention, what do you see as the biggest challenge we are facing?

Daniel Akin: Apathy.

I think that Southern Baptists have lost their first love, and therefore, we are apathetic in too many areas when it comes to the Great Commission and the glory of God in seeing the nations brought to Christ for his fame.

With the younger generation, I observe apathy in that they do not see why they should buy into the vision of the SBC. They are not too excited about the mechanics of the SBC. They resonate with the fact that the SBC says we exist to take the gospel to the nations, plant churches across North America, and provide good healthy theological education. My observation is that people in their twenties, thirties, and even forties resonate with this vision.

The problem is that they do not see the SBC pursuing those three agendas with laser-beam passion and the kind of focus that they themselves aspire to have. As a result, there are many guys your age that are asking the question, “Why should I be a part of this big behemoth that I feel is wasting way too much money and seems too top heavy and bureaucratic to be worth expending effort and energy. We can just simply take our money, and we can do church planting and missions on our own apart from the SBC.”

I understand that unhappiness, and I understand that dissatisfaction. That is why I, along with a number of others, and in particular the current president of the SBC – that is why we are working very hard to try to steer the SBC in a new fresh direction that would cause young men like yourself and like my own sons to say, “It’s not perfect (of course nothing perfect exists this side of heaven), but it’s the best thing going. I can see why I would be a wise and good steward to invest in what the SBC is trying to accomplish.”

Trevin Wax: What do you think are the major reasons for the declining number of baptisms and our shrinking membership?

Daniel Akin: First, we have become practical inclusivists. Even though, in theory, we will say that we believe that heaven and hell are real, and that Jesus makes all the difference, we have emotionally disengaged ourselves from that theological proposition, and we are convinced that if someone is a good person, somehow God is going to let them get into heaven. So we do not have the sense of urgency about the plight of the lost.

Secondly, Dr. Mohler has pointed out a fact that is kind of funny and sad at the same time. You can almost document the stagnation and decline of baptisms within the Southern Baptist Convention as the decline in the number of children that Baptist have.

The truth is, (and I said this in my Axioms sermon that’s either famous or infamous depending on your perspective) we have bought into the mindset of the modern world in that we think that less children is best or at least better. Because we have less children, we have less family members coming to faith in Christ.

Of course, I am not for baptizing children at a very young age. We have made a huge mistake there. So let’s just go ahead and recognize the elephant in the room: many of the baptisms we record every year are re-baptisms. People that are baptized as children come to be convinced that they had not understood the gospel, had not been converted, and therefore went through baptism again.

Every so often, when I am doing a forum here at Southeastern, I will raise this question. (I used to do this at Southern too and I always got the same result.) I ask the students, “How many of you went under the waters of baptism more than once?” It was never less than 40% and almost always about half.

About half of the adult baptisms we report each year are re-baptisms. The other majority of them are among children ages 5 to 12. That number has been shrinking because we have less children in our churches now.

You put all that together with the fact that we are less passionate about the plight of the lost and you see why there is a significant decline and stagnation in baptisms. We have not been keeping up with the population growth in America for thirty to forty year now. Even though we saw modest increases in the number of churches, and modest increases in terms of total membership, we were losing ground every step of the way.

We have been very deficient on the doctrine of regenerate church membership. We have baptized far too many at a young tender age when they were not capable of grasping the truth of the gospel.

On any given Sunday, we do not have 16 million Southern Baptists in worship. More likely, we have around 8 million present. And if you use as a criteria for “faithful church attender” someone who comes just once a month, we might have 10.5 to 11 million true Southern Baptists, not 16 million. You put all that in a pot and you can see that we have some serious issues.

Trevin Wax: Some have said that one of the best ways to evangelize the next generation is to give birth to it and to raise it up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. What should pastors do to encourage people to embrace that vision of having children or adopting children all for the glory of God?

Daniel Akin: They should teach the Scriptures and point out that Psalm 128 talks about the beautiful gift that children are from the Lord. God blesses the one who has a large number of them. The psalmist uses different analogies of the quiver full or the olive plants around the home.

Pastors should acknowledge that we do have a culture mandate to be fruitful and multiply and that the Scriptures consistently witness to the fact that children are a good gift from a great God. They are a prime avenue and a prime mission field. In fact, in my Axioms message, I said that our first line of doing missions is our own families. Of course, if you have one child as opposed to four, five or six, then you have a much smaller initial mission field.

You may have seen a YouTube video that’s being widely disseminated right now. I was watching a clip of it again this morning. The video is about the declining birth rate among white Europeans. According to some statisticians, Europe is now beyond recovery, and their particular culture is doomed and destined to die or at least to fade into insignificance. Many of the countries have a birth replacement of 1.1 or 1.3. Among Muslims, the rate is 8.1.

Europe is probably going to fall to Islam without a military conquest. Muslims will simply, by a natural process, outnumber the white Europeans (who are no longer truly Christian anyway).

We certainly do not want to say, “The way we need to evangelize the world is to have more children…period.” No, we do need to have more children and faithfully teach them the gospel and the Christian Scriptures.

But at the same time, there are 1.6 billion people on the planet who have never heard the name of Jesus, and 3.5 billion who have a nominal witness or no witness at all. It’s not an either/or. It’s a both/and. We should have more children, and we should also give away more money and send more people.

I’m convinced that God is calling out a lot more than are going. I believe that is especially true among men. Men have an absolutely pathetic track record in terms of missionary service in comparison to our sisters in the Lord.

Tomorrow, we will discuss Dr. Akin and Johnny Hunt’s Great Commission Resurgence document, including some of the controversial aspects of the document.

The following is a the first part of a transcribed interview with Dr. Daniel Akin, recorded over the phone on Tuesday, June 2, 2009. Dr. Akin is the president of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and one of the initial signatories of the Great Commission Resurgence document. Dr. Akin is the author of numerous books, 1, 2, 3 John (New American Commentary) and the editor of A Theology for the Church. For clarity purposes, I have edited portions of this interview.

Trevin Wax: What are your day-to-day responsibilities as president of Southeastern Seminary?

Daniel Akin: I oversee the total operations and administration of the school. I give guidance, direction, and (hopefully) vision to what Southeastern ought to be.

Southeastern has a very clear purpose statement: “We exist to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve our churches and fulfill the Great Commission.” We are very passionate about being a Great Commission seminary, and this passion colors and even dictates how we attempt to do theological education.

Trevin Wax: What are your responsibilities at the annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting?

Daniel Akin: I provide a report from the seminary. All the boards, agencies and entities are responsible for making a report. I have a fifteen-minute time slot in which to fulfill this responsibility.

In addition, all the seminaries have a luncheon for alumni. I oversee that luncheon and also speak there. This year, we are blessed to have both Johnny Hunt, the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Jerry Rankin, president of the International Mission Board, coming to speak at our alumni gathering.

I also take part in the workings of the Southern Baptist Convention, and I represent Southeastern at our booth and through my interaction with others. This year, I have additional responsibilities because I am the chairman of the Resolutions Committee. I will arrive in Louisville the Thursday before Convention week in order to lead that particular group.

I have also been asked to bring one of the messages at the Convention on Tuesday afternoon. Outside of that, I am speaking at the Founder’s Breakfast on Tuesday morning, a Baptist21 event at Tuesday during lunch, and a 9Marks meeting on Tuesday night. You can see I have a very busy Tuesday at this year’s convention. I will take my vitamins and eat my Wheaties before I get going that morning!

Trevin Wax: There are six Southern Baptist seminaries, all of which, thankfully, are now conservative. What is unique about Southeastern Seminary? What are you excited about when you look at the present state of the institution that you serve as president?

Daniel Akin: We are passionate about the Great Commission, and we believe every Christian should be a Great Commission Christian. We believe every church should be a Great Commission church. We believe every church should be a church planting church. We believe our churches should be about wedding both the mind and the heart in terms of bringing glory to God.

I often tell people who visit Southeastern that our goal for our students is that they would follow in the path of the apostle Paul. Paul was the greatest Christian theologian as well as the greatest Christian missionary who ever lived. Therefore, there should be no dichotomy between the mind and the heart. The two should be beautifully wed together in terms of service to the Lord.

We believe that you really cannot be a good theologian unless you are also a passionate missionary at heart. This does not mean you have to go to the nations full-time, but you certainly should be going some. You should be praying and sending. At the same time, you cannot be a good missionary unless you also have the passion of a theologian. The two should not be separated. The two need to be kept together.

I know we don’t do it perfectly, but if you were to ask, “What is the sign we hang outside our door?” it is this: We want to be a Great Commission seminary.

As a result of that, we have a lot of students that are in the 2+2 program here. We have a lot of students that go to a national mission field as career missionaries. We do a massive number of mission trips every year – three or four every summer and two or three every winter.

Unlike the other seminaries, we give two full weeks off in each semester. We have a fall break and a Thanksgiving break. We have a spring break and an Easter break. Always, those four weeks during the semester are occupied with mission trips for our students and faculty.

Of course, the other seminaries are also involved in fulfilling the Great Commission. But this passion is what we want to be known for. This is what we really try to emphasize.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about some of the bigger challenges facing the Southern Baptist Convention.

Help me to cling to the cross,
be crucified to the world by it,
and in it find deepest humiliation,
motives to patience and self-denial,
grace for active benevolence,
faith to grasp eternal life,
hope to lift up my head,
love to bind me for ever
to him who died and rose for me.
May Christ’s shed blood make me
more thankful for your mercies,
more humble under your correction,
more zealous in your service,
more watchful against temptation,
more contented in my circumstances,
more useful to others.

- Puritan Prayer (adapted) from Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, pg. 46

“The pro-life movement in America must not wage war against abortion by following the example of John Brown. Nor can we allow ourselves the luxury of the logic of defending the indefensible along the lines of Thoreau. We must confront this great evil of abortion from a higher plane, and know that the battle is ultimately in God’s hands.

“Murder is murder. The law rightly affirms that the killing of Dr. George Tiller is murder. In this we must agree. We cannot rest until the law also recognizes the killing of the unborn as murder. The killing of Dr. George Tiller makes that challenge all the more difficult.”

- R. Albert Mohler, Jr., from “A Wicked Deed in Wichita“

I am excited about the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville. One of the highlights of the Convention for me will be attending the Baptist21 panel discussion. The Baptist21 guys have two video interviews with current SBC President Johnny Hunt. (Part 1, Part 2)

The recession is hurting Contemporary Christian Music. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Tim Challies has some thoughtful posts on entertainment (Part 1, Part 2)

Justin Taylor on having a teachable spirit.

Doug Wilson cracks me up. Here are his ten reasons to be glad that President Obama has declared June to be LGBT month.

Embryo adoption.

Luke Hinton takes a look at N.T. Wright’s view of justification, taking care to avoid misleading rhetoric, but also showing his willingness to express his concerns.

Nick Mitchell on the “really really old perspective on Paul.” Some truths from the “really old” perspective look a lot like some aspects of what is being called the “new” perspective.

Ben Witherington has a Q&A with N.T. Wright on justification.

TWR Today out of the United Kingdom has recently done a radio show that focuses on the book Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis (Crossway, 2008). I am one of the guests on this program, discussing my thoughts on this book.

You can download the program or listen online here. Also, check out my review of Total Church.

Many thanks to Phil Walker and the other guests for contributing to the ongoing conversation… and to Steve and Tim for writing such a compelling book.

Russell Moore’s review of David Michaelis’ book, Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography (Harper Collins, 2007) is one of the best book reviews I’ve read in a long time. His recommendation is what initially prompted me to pick up a copy of this book. So let me point you to Moore’s excellent review first, and then to a few thoughts of my own about this fascinating biography of Charles Schulz, the creator of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang.

According to Michaelis, Charles Schulz was ambitious from his childhood. Not only was he artistically gifted, Schulz was aware of his gifts. Growing up, he longed for a way to use his gifts, but his family did not support his artistic endeavors. 

Later in life, Charles Schulz repeated the mistakes he saw in his own parents. His parents were distant and somewhat cold to him. But instead of growing close to his own children, Schulz showered his fatherly affection on his comic strip characters. At one point, his abdication of parental responsibility leads him to help his daughter travel to a different country in order to obtain an abortion.

Despite the fact that Schulz’s life story turns out to be sad, this book is fascinating. Michaelis believes that Schulz wrote his life story into the Peanuts comic strips. So throughout this biography, readers are treated to various Peanuts strips inserted into the narrative at crucial moments. These strips help us see what was going on in Charles Schulz’s mind at any given stage in his life.

For example, consider the fascinating example of Peanuts character Lucy Van Pelt before Schulz’s divorce and her subsequent personality after Schulz’s remarriage. Before the divorce, Lucy is a loud-mouthed selfish girl. After the divorce and in the later years of the strip, Lucy mellows out. Michaelis believes that the early Lucy was patterned after Schulz’s first wife. The later Lucy reflected his second wife.

Michaelis also exposes Schulz’s insecurity, even after his stunning success. Schulz felt threatened by the creator of Garfield and worried that Garfield might somehow usurp Peanuts. Even as Schulz is at the top of his game he is still insecure.

The saddest aspect of this book for Christians is watching Charles Schulz, who at one time embraced the Christian faith, slowly abandon his Christian convictions. By the time he dies, he seems to have lost all hope.

Schulz and Peanuts is a brilliant book. The childhood sections might be too long, and the narrative could have used a bit more editing. But overall, this is a terrific biography for anyone who is interested in the life of the man behind the comic strip that is still cherished by readers all throughout the world.

I have more than a hundred blogs represented in my RSS feed through Google Reader. But only twenty-one receive a spot on my side-bar. I thought today might be a good day to explain who’s who on the blogroll, and why I recommend you frequent these blogs as well.

PASTORS AND SCHOLARS

Tullian Tchividjian
Tullian’s pastoral blog often contains excerpts from his books and sermons. I love the passion he has for the gospel and for preaching truth.

Scot McKnight
A world-class New Testament scholar who is  unafraid to pose hard questions, tackle controversial topics, and engage those who may disagree. JesusCreed is one of the most popular Christian blogs on the web.

Ben Witherington
A seasoned scholar at Asbury Seminary who writes about a wide range of topics (including movies).

Mark D. Roberts
Mark is a blogger with a pastor’s heart. Plenty of food for thought. Even when I disagree with Mark, I admire his charitable spirit and the wisdom that comes from his experience.

Michael Kelley
Michael Kelley works as an editor for LifeWay’s young adult curriculum, Threads. He is also a great Sunday School teacher and an insightful writer. Wise beyond his years and well worth reading.

Children’s Ministry Blog
Tony Kummer’s terrific resource for children’s ministers. Lots of good give-aways, and good commentary on Sunday School and VBS curriculum.

BLOGS THAT MAKE ME THINK

Darryl Dash
Darryl specializes in giving his readers brief posts that get you thinking. (Not to mention he was able to interview Tim Keller.)

Gospel-Driven Church
Jared Wilson excels at pointing his readers to the gospel. His posts are fueled by gospel-driven passion and skillful writing. Look for his new book soon.

Internet Monk
The curmudgeon of the evangelical blogosphere, excuse me – “post-evangelical” blogosphere. Michael Spencer’s posts are often uncomfortably personal. Love him or hate him, he always leaves you with food for thought. Regardless… you can’t ignore him.

BLOGS THAT CONNECT ME TO GOOD CONTENT (AND BOOKS)

Justin Taylor
If I was stranded on a deserted island and only had one blog, this would be the one. Not primarily because of Justin’s own writing (which is itself terrific), but because of the great content he points me to daily. Truly, one of the best of the best.

Zach Nielsen
Zach is the first person to give me the nickname “T-Wax.” No wonder. The name of his blog is one of the most creative on the web: Take Your Vitamin Z. In your “daily dose of z blogorrhea,” Zach passes along interesting quotes and links, together with good commentary.

Tim Challies
Known as the world’s foremost Christian blogger, Tim excels in reviewing books, writing online essays (that people actually read!) and linking to other interesting sites on the web.

Tony Reinke
An avid reader like myself, Tony is a humble blogger who wishes to share the truths he is discovering as he reads and writes and seeks to serve the Lord.

CULTURAL COMMENTARY

Albert Mohler
Great commentary on current events. Mohler stays on top of cultural developments in the United States and then speaks to the issues with Christian concern. (I wonder if he ever sleeps.)

Scriptorium Daily
A mix of politics, culture and religion. Always great commentary and interesting perspectives.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST BLOGGERS

SBC Voices
Begun by my friend Tony Kummer and now hosted by another friend, Matt Svoboda, SBC Voices is a blog aggregator that connects Southern Baptists in the blogosphere.

Baptist21
A collaborative effort among several young Southern Baptists, this blog is about being distinctively Baptist in the 21st century. Always good insights and lots of truth to chew on.

Bart Barber
Bart is a rare voice within the world of SBC politics. A voice of sanity in the midst of heated rhetoric that keeps the differing perspectives of SBC life from truly communicating. He asks good questions and does so in a civil manner.

Between the Times
Put Danny Akin, Bruce Ashford, Nathan Finn, J.D. Greear, Ken Keathley, David Nelson and Alvin Reid in a room together, and this is the blog you get. Terrific insights from these Southeastern faculty, as well as pastoral application.

Russ Moore
Our “Fundamissional Dean” at Southern Seminary. Dr. Moore asks great questions and gives biblical answers. Furthermore, I am convinced that Russ Moore has no rival when it comes to creative titles for blog posts, sermons, and lectures.

Ed Stetzer
Ed is the big, lovable fuzzball of the SBC. Firm in his convictions, yet open to changing methodologies. His blog is like a monthly magazine that you read over the course of the month. Terrific insights, interviews, and commentary.

So there they are… the blogs on my sidebar. Take some time to check out the content. If you have some favorite blogs you believe I should add to this list, leave a comment to let me know.

In the current (June) issue of Christianity Today, I have two articles detailing the current debate over the doctrine of justification between John Piper and N.T. Wright.

The first article is a summary of Wright and Piper’s positions. Many laypeople have heard about this debate, but are not familiar with the actual arguments employed by the authors. I wrote the summaries as a way of helping people see the two positions ”in a nutshell.” Both Piper and Wright looked over their respective summaries and made slight revisions for the final version.

The second article is entitled “Not an Academic Question,” and features quotes from a variety of pastors and teachers on both sides of this debate, indicating how the discussion has influenced the way they preach and teach. I compiled the responses, and Ted Olsen (managing editor for CT) put together the article.

Both of these articles will probably be online within the next few weeks, and I will link to them when they are available. In the meantime, I encourage you to pick up a print copy of Christianity Today’s June edition in order to take a look at the two articles. (The cover story is on Tim Keller’s ministry in Manhattan – and that alone is worth the price of the magazine.)

I look forward to your thoughts!