Observations From Glorietta
GUEST AUTHOR: Adam Groza
I am recruiting for Southwestern Seminary at Collegiate Week in Glorietta, NM. I hate being away from my family but love the cool weather of northern NM. There are probably about 1,200 college students from around the United States and Canada, speakers, bands, and all the typical college camp stuff. Here are some observations about my time at Glorietta thus far:
- David Platt reminds me of a young Piper. This guy is a gifted young preacher who has been very faithful to proclaim the gospel. He preached last night out of Luke 9, and his message was that Jesus is the Savior of our Souls, Goal of our Salvation, Lord of our Life, and Ultimate Affection. He preached against our tendency to present a Jesus who needs us to accept Him. Jesus doesn’t need us, but He does love us.
- Peal Merchant is a good worship band and the lead singer (Laney) sounds like a young Melissa Etheridge. I like bands fronted by a woman such as 10,000 Maniacs, and female vocalists such as Kathleen Edwards (whose Asking for Flowers is the best album of 2008) and Lucinda Williams. Pearl Merchant has a great female vocalist, does good harmony, and includes a violinist in the line-up.
- The Southern Baptist Convention is the best denominational home for young, theologically conservative (even Calvinistic) Baptists. I think denominations express the catholicity of the church, and (when done rightly) local, autonomous, and congregational bodies of believers live out the faith in particular communities as instructed and modeled in the NT. If you think denominations are important (as I do, for the above reason) then I cannot think of a group that is more committed to the Gospel than the SBC.
- I love visiting churches when traveling. If I have to travel on Sunday or Wednesday, I try to worship with a local congregation wherever I may be. Recently, I have had the blessing of fellowshiping at Hosanna Family Fellowship of Pawtucket in Providence, RI and Covenant of Grace just east of Albuquerque, NM. I found these churches at Nine Marks. It is great to see God at work and to visit with brothers and sisters whom you have never met and to detect the instant bond of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Glad Glorietta was a blessing. Always glad to hear to hear a good word about our denomination.
Thank you.
Tim
http://www.musingaboutministry.blogspot.com
Can you clarify a bit on this line:
“I think denominations express the catholicity of the church”?
Thanks!
Hi Adam! Glad everything is going good. I’ll talk to you soon. I love you bro.
Katie
Jake,
Sure I can, and thanks for asking:
The church is both local and universal. The universal church is affirmed in scripture and in the 2000 BF&M (article vi)when it says the church includes the redeemed of all ages. So the church is not merely local (even though, admittedly, most references to the church are to the local church…this does not negate the clear teaching of scripture that the church is both local and universal).
Denominations cooperate and commune around agreed upon beliefs and goals. Why do they do this? Is it merely for pragmatic reasons? I hope not! Denominational participation is a way to act upon the Christian belief that the local church is part of a larger body of believers. Cooperation with other churches is a way to live out our belief in the universal (or catholic..rightly understood) church. When done well, I think denomination participation can be a picture of the church universal, in that it is a gathering of many local bodies. It can promote unity of faith, missions and evangelism, and in general, serve to illustrate the church that is beyond our own congregational walls.
Hope that helps, Jake. Let me know if something about that is misguided!
Peace,
Adam