Duck Dynasty, Wine, and Homosexuality

Duck Dynasty has become a huge success story on TV. 
Some of the reasons for Duck Dynasty’s success:

Even though they get a little edgy, they are still a refreshing change from the filth and immorality regularly shown on TV.

They emphasize Faith, Family, Fun, Facial Hair.

They often show men acting like men, and women acting like women. Of course, they play to an audience and act a little crazy. Some of the rest of us on occasion do so in real life.

They’re like a lot of country folk I grew up with. Take away the money, the beards, and the wine, and they’re like some of my family, myself included.

Some appreciate educated, intelligent people that do not necessarily have to “act like” they are important, educated, or intelligent.

Again, while we will disagree with some of their theology and practices, it sure is nice to see their emphasis on faith, family, and a Christian sense of morality.

I obviously disagree with some of their theology and their vineyard. Not that I have a problem with a vineyard. I just have a problem taking the fresh, un-intoxicating fruit of the vine, and turning it into a dangerous, addictive drug. Maybe they could check out Draper Valley Vineyard, a vineyard that produces nonalcoholic wine/ grape juice from wine grapes (their Pinot Noir is outstanding).

While I enjoy Duck Dynasty, I agree with the stand Free Will Baptists recently took against the Robertson’s promotion of alcohol. They were right that it would send a mixed message to the kids in their Children’s Home. For a good article on this see:

http://www.brnow.org/Opinions/Guest-Columns/November-2013/Free-Will-Baptists-cancel-Duck-Dynasty-event


While I criticize them on the issue of alcohol, I agree with them on the issue of homosexuality. I would not have put the issue quite as crudely, but Phil Robertson was biblically correct in this opinion. We are to love all people, but God makes it perfectly clear that a homosexual lifestyle is sinful.

Hollywood and the Media one day will have a stark surprise at how a holy God views their creative work:

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. -Romans 1:26-27

While a little less crude, Holy Scripture bears a striking resemblance to Phil Robertson’s words.

For more on this most recent issue, see Baptist Press:

http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=41702


This is not just an issue of Free Speech. It is also an issue of Religious Liberty. Do America and our Media now only have room for one view? Just this morning national news labeled Phil Robertson’s view against homosexual acts as “homophobic.” Yet this is what the Bible and Christianity have taught for 2,000 years.

We also note their hypocrisy in ignoring these issues when it involves one of their own.

May America continue to be the land of the free. May Christians continue to have the freedom to speak the truth of the Bible. And may we strive to “speak the truth in love.”

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 20, AD 2013. 

News Media's Unbalanced Reporting of Same-Sex Marriage
Jesus Christ on Same-Sex Marriage
That Night, A Christmas Poem



  

Conservative United Methodists

Those who know me and have read much of Gulf Coast Pastor know that I am a Christian and a conservative Southern Baptist. I have strong Baptist convictions. 

I have great respect, however, for those who stand for the fundamental or basic Christian doctrines, whether they are Baptist or not. I know there are many godly, Bible believing Christians of other denominations.

Some of the great preachers of the last 300 years or so have been of the Methodist persuasion. The United Methodists of today, though, are engaged in a struggle over the basics of the Christian faith. This has been seen recently in a Methodist Church trial concerning a minister who officiated in a homosexual wedding.

Many do not know there is an active, conservative Methodist organization that is making a heroic stand against theological liberalism. That group is the Good News Fellowship. If you are interested in what is going on in the Methodist Church, check out the following website and subscribe to their Good News Magazine:

http://goodnewsmag.org/

If you know any Methodists, let them know about this magazine and this conservative Methodist organization. They deserve more support.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 11, AD 2013.
 

Nelson Mandela Quotes; and Comments About Mandela

Nelson Mandela (AD 1918-2013) was an outstanding South African and world leader. I’m sure I would not agree with him on every detail of religion and politics, but there is no doubt he accomplished great things. 

A few significant quotes by and about Mandela:

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
-Nelson Mandela. Spoken in 1964, he lived out the truth of this statement. 

Baptist Press noted Mandela rarely discussed religion outside the arena of religious freedom, but gave this quote of Mandela from a 2000 Christian Science Monitor interview:
"Religion has had a tremendous influence on my own life. You must remember that during our time - right from Grade 1 up to university - our education was provided by religious institutions. I was in [Christian] missionary schools. The government [of the day] had no interest whatsoever in our education and, therefore, religion became a force which was responsible for our development.
I appreciate the importance of religion. You have to have been in a South African jail under apartheid where you could see the cruelty of human beings to each other in its naked form. Again, religious institutions and their leaders gave us hope that one day we would return.”

Comments on Mandela from Gordon Fort: 
"While tackling the daunting task of dismantling institutionalized racism, poverty and inequality, [Mandela] gave a clarion call to national unity and religious freedom. This atmosphere led to a season of opportunity for the church and its missionary representatives to advance the Gospel, engage new people groups, and play a part in the healing of the deep rifts within the nation.
President Mandela was among the first to invite and welcome the role of the church in the new nation he was seeking to build. After retirement from the presidency, he continued to provide leadership and an example of statesmanship that allowed the church to flourish.”
-Gordon Fort, SBC International Mission Board Senior Vice-President, and former IMB missionary in Africa.

Adeniya Ojutiku on Mandela: 
Nelson Mandela was “an epitome of forgiveness, kindness and love" who had "a dogged resolve for the pursuit of peace and justice."
"His extraordinary life story, witty sense of humor and lack of bitterness toward his former oppressors has ensured global appeal for his type of charismatic leadership.
Mandela has no antecedence, parallel or equal in the contemporary history of harmonious race relations.
He rekindled hope in the humaneness and greatness of the black, colored and white races, as he soared above the petty confines of party politics and prejudice.”
-Nigeria native Adeniya Ojutiku, a Southern Baptist in the U.S. who fights for Christians and their livelihood in his homeland; from Baptist Press.

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” -Nelson Mandela

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.” -Nelson Mandela

“Appearances matter - and remember to smile.” -Nelson Mandela

“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” -Nelson Mandela

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 7, AD 2013.

10 Commandments For Christmas

More Articles (Labels) in lower right margin.

Obituary - Pastor O. O. Ervin

O. O. Ervin (April 6, 1924 - September 2, 2013) was born in Briggs, Texas and pastored churches in Corpus Christi, Bynum, Mount Calm, New London, Kingsville, South Padre Island, and Lewisville, TX. He graduated from the University of Corpus Christi and attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX. He retired to Wimberly, later to Lewisville. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; daughter, Kitty Gant; son, Mackey; sister, Jean Dudley; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

My dad, Joe Brumbelow, attended UCC with Ervin, and they and their wives were lifelong friends. A number of times through the years Joe would preach revivals for him, and O. O. would preach revivals for Joe. O. O. Ervin was an outstanding soul-winner and preacher of the Word of God. He would tell others about Jesus as a part of his regular lifestyle.

On one occasion Joe Brumbelow said O. O. Ervin taught him more about soul-winning than anyone else. On another occasion, O. O. Ervin said the same about Joe Brumbelow. They both loved pointing the lost to Jesus Christ.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, November 12, AD 2013. 

Moody Bible Institute's Weakening Stand on Alcohol

I was amazed and disappointed to hear that Moody Bible Institute (founded by Evangelist D. L. Moody in 1886), has dropped their long-held ban against its professors using alcohol. 

All my life I’ve heard good things about the conservative, biblical stand of Moody Bible Institute. I’ve recommended them through the years; as my dad did before me.

Evangelist D. L. Moody himself opposed alcohol. But now his school has dropped that biblical conviction.

Now, according to WORLD magazine, the Moody Bible Institute Board Chairman is involved in gambling and poker. This “comes after the board of trustees he chairs established, in August, a new Moody employee policy that permits gambling, tobacco use, and the consumption of alcohol while off duty.” -WORLD, 11-2-2013. See the article at:

http://www.worldmag.com/2013/10/no_bluffing

In the future, any recommendation of Moody needs a disclaimer concerning their weak stand on alcohol. 

As Judge Pressler, one of the leaders in the SBC Conservative Resurgence says,

“The upcoming generations need to know the havoc brought on our society and upon individuals by the use of alcohol. If we use it ourselves, we recommend its use to others. A Christian should not exercise his freedom to put himself and others at such a risk.”
-Judge Paul Pressler, quoted in Ancient Wine and the Bible. 

Mark Creech of the American Council on Addiction & Alcohol Problems (ACAAP) has written an article on this issue:

http://sapacap.com/?p=294

We desperately need more pastors, youth ministers, seminary professors, and laymen willing to speak out on these issues. We need more individuals and churches willing to give to organizations like ACAP. May we stop this backward slide of Christians using drugs for recreational purposes. 

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 21, AD 2013. 

What About Halloween?

Obituary - Bonnie Brumbelow

Joe and Bonnie Brumbelow; November, AD 2001

Mrs. Joe (Bonnie Galyean) Brumbelow was born November 26, 1933 in Old Ocean, TX. She passed away October 4, 2013. Her parents, who had moved from NE Mississippi to Texas, were Thomas Jefferson Galyean & Maude (Mincy) Galyean. She graduated from a one room schoolhouse, San Bernard School (out of Old Ocean), and West Columbia High School in 1950. She married a Baptist preacher, Joe E. Brumbelow, in 1951. Brother Joe was a graduate of Damon High School, University of Corpus Christi, and pastored churches in Old Ocean, Houston, Corpus Christi, Cypress, and Dawson, TX. 

Bonnie and Joe had a very close, loving marriage. Bonnie was known for her singing, Sunday School teaching, general work in the church, cooking, and serving as an excellent mother and pastor’s wife. Through the years many came to her for counsel. She raised three boys who now all serve as SBC pastors. She left her family an incredible legacy.

Bonnie wrote a Cookbook, Masterpieces From Our Kitchen, in 2004; it has gone through two printings of 1,000. A number of folks have said they reach for her Cookbook first when looking for a good recipe. She wrote a chapter in the book, The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow (Foreword by John Hatch and endorsed by Adrian Rogers, Paige Patterson, Franklin Atkinson, and others). She was also influential in her son’s book, Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case for Abstinence. In 2011 she wrote an unpublished autobiography, Lest I Forget, that was given to a few family and friends. A later addition to this book included a number of family photos.

Mrs. Brumbelow loved gardening; especially her antique roses and fruit trees. Some of her favorite roses: Cadenza, Souvenir de la Malmaison, Maggie, Duchesse de Brabant, Kronprincessin Viktoria, Sombueuil, Dame de Coeur, Cramoisi Superieur… 

Through the years she ministered with her husband, and more recently taught Sunday School at First Baptist Church, Lake Jackson, TX.

Because of her personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, she is now absent from the body, but present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Bonnie is preceded in death by Husband Joe Brumbelow and still-born Daughter Donna Marie Brumbelow. Sisters: Maryland Richardson, Ruth Hobbins, Edith Beaugh. Brothers: Jeff & John Galyean.

Bonnie is survived by 3 Sons: Steve and his wife Nelda of Willis, TX. David of Highlands, TX. Mark and his wife Cherry of Brazoria, TX.

Grandchildren: Amy and her husband Jim Wall of Kurten, TX. 
Lori and her husband Brett Mosser of Cypress, TX. Daniel Brumbelow and his wife Amy of Sweeny, TX. Micah Brumbelow and his wife Sarah of Sweeny, TX. Jeremiah Brumbelow of Brazoria, TX.

Great Grandchildren: Courtney, Ashley, & Andrew Wall of Kurten. Taylor, Tori, & Trenna Mosser of Cypress. Hannah, & Abigail Brumbelow of Sweeny.

Sisters: Ruby Mickey, Delphia Jackson, Stella Kubecka.

“Adopted” Sons: Mike McReynolds of Wortham, TX; Benny Lau of Markham, Ontario, Canada. 

Pallbearers: Daniel Brumbelow, Micah Brumbelow, Jeremiah Brumbelow, Brett Mosser, Gary Lee, Greg Lee.
Visitation at Lakewood Funeral Home, Clute, TX October 7, 2013 from 6-8pm. 
Funeral Service at First Baptist Church, 401 Yaupon Street, Lake Jackson, TX 77566 October 8, 2013 at 10am. 
Ministers: Chad Alexander, D. O. Foster. 
Singers: Kyle B. Gulledge, Daniel Jennings.

Burial at Yelderman Cemetery, Damon, Texas.
Family may be contacted at P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, TX 77566.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to FBC, Lake Jackson (address above).

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” -John 11:25

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. -Proverbs 31:28

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 5, AD 2013. 
nsbc77562@LWOL.com
281/705-3433

Note: A photo may be added later. Check back for updates or tributes. 

Tributes:

“Bonnie Brumbelow is one of the greatest women I've ever known. Aside from my beloved mother and my precious wife, no woman has made a greater impact on my life. Some of the sweetest fellowship I have ever experienced has been in her home, sitting at her dinner table, eating her delicious food, visiting with her and her family. She is a woman of profound wisdom, Godly character, strong convictions, high morals, and courageous faith. Alice and I will always been indebted to Bonnie for the love and support she showed us during our years at FBC Lake Jackson. We had no greater supporter. No greater cheerleader. No greater advocate than Bonnie. We will miss her dearly.” -Dr. John A. Hatch, Director of Missions, Gregg Baptist Association, Longview, TX. 

Annual Meeting: American Council on Alcohol Problems

The annual meeting of the American Council on Alcohol Problems (ACAP) will be September 23-24, 2013 at the Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama. 

More people need to be aware of this organization and it’s resources. More pastors and churches should be involved in the work of ACAP. I hope to see some of you there.

Find out more at:

http://sapacap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Annual-Meeting-Agenda-2013.pdf


and,

http://sapacap.com/

New Address:  American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems (ACAAP.us). 


Or call Cheryl Corley at 205-989-8177 for assistance in registering.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, September 4, AD 2013.

SBC Resolution on Alcohol, 1988

Previously I’ve published the 2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol. A link to it is listed below. 

But I thought it might be informative to publish another of the many Baptist resolutions against alcohol. I was present at the San Antonio SBC where the following Resolution was adopted. This was in the height of the SBC Conservative Resurgence and the convention in which Jerry Vines was elected president.

RESOLUTION ON ALCOHOL
June, 1988

WHEREAS, Previous Southern Baptist Conventions have passed resolutions on many occasions about the destructive effects of beverage alcohol consumption; and

WHEREAS, Beverage alcohol consumption is responsible for untold thousands of accidents, deaths, illness, and dysfunctional families; and

WHEREAS, We acknowledge that alcohol use is a problem that affects some members of Southern Baptist churches.

Be it therefore, RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting June 14-16, 1988, in San Antonio, Texas, express our total opposition to the advertising, manufacturing, distribution, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we support stringent laws which will both deter drinking and driving, and also ensure swift prosecution of those who are accused of such; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptists to work toward making these views known through secular and spiritual organizations, including local, state, and national governments; and

Be it finally RESOLVED, That we commend organizations which treat alcohol related problems as well as those organizations which promote prevention, using scripturally based principles.
-San Antonio, Texas

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 4, AD 2013.

2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America

Ancient Wine Production and the Bible

Biblical Principles Condemn Alcohol
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
Other articles in lower right margin. 

Back To Bethel Bible Conference, 2013

Back To Bethel Bible Conference
25^th Annual Conference
July 15-18, 2013
Red River Valley Bible Camp
Paris, Texas  USA

Preaching: 
Clark Bosher
Paul Boughan
Malcom Ellis
Phil Hoskins

Singers: 
Kasey Boughan
The Calvary Singers
Mackey Willis Family

Bible Conference Leader:
Kyle B. Gulledge

Others will also be singing and preaching.

No charges or fees to attend. Meals are free. This Conference operates on a love offering basis. You may stay at the Camp or in town. Child Care available.

For more information:
www.rrvbcparis.org

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 9, AD 2013. 

More articles in lower right margin.   

News Media's Unbalanced Reporting of Same-Sex Marriage

Ever suspect the national news media may be biased against Conservative Christian values? Below is one of many confirmations of their prejudice. 

Pew: Media's Gay Marriage Support Evident
by Erin Roach

WASHINGTON (BP) -- The mainstream media's focus on support of same-sex marriage outnumbered news stories opposing it by roughly 5-to-1, according to a new Pew Research study showing the influence such coverage could have on the American public.

Nearly half of the stories studied in the two months marked by Supreme Court deliberations on the subject, mid-March through mid-May, focused on support of gay marriage and only 9 percent focused on opposition.

Pew said in its study, released June 17, 44 percent of the news stories included an even mix of support and opposition or were objective. Pew defined support or opposition by mandating that statements expressing that position had to outnumber the opposite view by at least 2-to-1.

All three of the major cable networks, Pew said, had more stories with significantly more supportive statements than opposing, including Fox News.

William Proctor, an evangelical commentator and author of "The Gospel According to The New York Times," told Baptist Press the research shows the mainstream news media continues to demonstrate a "significant bias against biblical values on social and other issues."

"But second, and even more important, through a process I've called 'culture creep,' the values espoused by the media inexorably draw the public away from traditional biblical values and toward moral and social standards that are antithetical to those affirmed by historic Christianity," Proctor, a two-time Harvard graduate, said.

Proctor pointed to polls by Angus Reid Public Opinion that found as news reports have increased in support of gay marriage, Americans' opinions have shifted dramatically as well. In 2010, he said, only 36 percent of Americans affirmed same-sex marriage; in 2011 the figure had risen to 46 percent; and now a Gallup poll shows support at 51 percent or higher.

Same-sex marriage supporters in the news coverage had a more consistent message than those arguing against it, Pew found, with supporters focusing on gay marriage as an issue of equality in nearly half of the news stories studied.

Opponents argued that same-sex marriage would hurt society and traditional marriage, but Pew said that argument only appeared in 18 percent of the stories and other arguments included the idea that homosexuality is immoral (10 percent).

"A powerful mechanism through which culture creep operates involves the identification of the wishes of certain interest groups, such as the gay community, with minority 'rights,'" Proctor said. "As the Pew report noted, 'the central argument among proponents of same-sex marriage was one of civil rights.'

"Such an argument is especially potent in our society because many Americans have a great difficulty denying anyone's claim to a special rights status, no matter how far-fetched that claim may be," Proctor said.

Amy Mitchell, acting director of Pew's Project for Excellence in Journalism, said the study shows how same-sex marriage supporters had a clear message and succeeded in getting that message across in all sectors of mainstream media.

"In addition," Mitchell said, "many of the events during the period studied, such as announcements by politicians and state legislation, reflect movement toward same-sex marriage."

One bright spot for gay marriage opponents, according to the Pew study, is that an analysis of Twitter conversation found that despite the nation's shift toward acceptance of same-sex marriage, significant opposition remains. Statements on Twitter were closely split between those who supported and those that opposed, Pew reported.

Read the entire BP story at: 
http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=40606

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 2, AD 2013.

Is America A Christian Nation?
More articles in lower right margin. 

B. H. Carroll on the Gift of Tongues

Benajah Harvey Carroll (AD 1843-1914) was born in Mississippi, a veteran of the Civil War, and was pastor of First Baptist Church, Waco, Texas. 
B. H. Carroll was the founding president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas (swbts.edu). His sermons and writings have been influential in the Christian world.

Following are some of Carroll’s quotes on the Gift of Tongues:

The next question: Was the gift of tongues a power to speak in other languages, or a mere ecstasy, unintelligible to other people, and that the man himself oftentimes did not understand?,,,

Now, was it the power to speak in other languages? Certainly it was, or I have to take back what I said about Pentecost reversing the incident at Babel. Let the record answer whether this was a mere ecstasy, or actual power to speak in different languages:

"Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans? And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born?" (Acts 2:5).

That does not describe mere ecstasy, but the power to speak in the different languages; and the record goes on to specify the nations from which they came:

"Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and Proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God."

While they were all Jews, yet Jews of the dispersion, who had ceased speaking the Hebrew tongue, they spoke the languages of the country where they lived, and what amazed them – the thing that startled them – was to see these ignorant Galileans, having a corrupted dialect of Aramaic, speaking better than they could these words in their own languages, to which they were born.
-B. H. Carroll, Interpretation of the English Bible, Acts 2.

Let me show that this speaking in tongues meant to speak in a language that a man had not acquired, and had not studied. Turn to Acts 2, where this gift is first manifested and commence at verse 6:

"When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans? And how hear we, every man in our own tongue wherein we were born? Parthiana and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God."

A man must have more brass on his face than was ever in the brazen gates of Babylon to assume that that doesn't refer to speaking in different languages.

Here came a man from Cyrene over in Africa; there came a Roman; here a Cretan; there an Arabian; and they heard these men under the influence of the Holy Spirit speaking in the tongues in which they were born.

My second argument is based on 1 Corinthians 14:14: "If I pray in a tongue . . . my understanding is unfruitful." I don't know what the words mean, but if it was an ecstasy that language would not be so applicable. I have no doubt that when God gave power to Balaam's beast to speak audibly, his language was not understood by him. He spoke in a language that he himself didn't understand….

Let us advance again in the argument in this issue. Paul says, "If I speak in an unknown tongue which the people cannot understand, what good will it do unless I translate?" That shows that it was an unknown language. If we send a missionary to a foreign country and he does not know their speech and they don't know his speech, and a particular man knows both theirs and his, that man is asked to be an interpreter. The missionary says a few words, and then the interpreter speaks these words in the language of the people addressed. He understands. "Now," says Paul, "what good does it do to speak in unknown tongues unless you interpret?"

He shows again that this is the thought. He says, "If you give thanks in an unknown tongue, how shall he that is unlearned say, 'Amen,' to your giving thanks, since he does not understand what you say?" And how powerfully the reformers quoted that against the Roman Catholics whose public services were conducted in Latin whether anybody understood Latin or not. The reformers quote this passage and say, "How is that going to help the people? Speak it if you want to, but tell them what the Latin means.”…

I used to be a soldier, and every morning there was a certain bugle-sound called "reveille," which means "get up quick"; then a certain other sound of the trumpet meant, "saddle up," and a certain other sound meant, "mount," another very lively one meant, "Forward march." "Now," said Paul, "if a man just gets up and blows a noise out of a trumpet that doesn't signify anything, how can anybody prepare himself for battle?" Therefore he says, "I would rather speak five words to the church with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
-B. H. Carroll, Interpretation of the English Bible, 1 Corinthians 14.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 25, AD 2013.

B. H. Carroll on Inspiration of Bible
B. H. Carroll on Pastors and Alcohol
L. R. Scarborough on Soul-Winning
Ancient Wine Production and the Bible
Other articles in lower right margin.

 

Is America A Christian Nation?

No, and yes. Let me explain. 

No. 

America is a secular government that practices freedom of religion. My church has freedom to worship and evangelize, but is not favored by the government over those of other denominations or faiths. There is no religious test for a politician other than what the public perceives. With enough votes a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. can be elected to office. Non Christian nations should not fear that America as a government is trying to spread or force religion on others. They do not force religion on their own people. Therefore, do not expect our government to bring Revival to America. That is up to God, and God’s people.

The American government, however, should do more to strongly promote religious liberty in countries around the world. Thank God for the cases in which they do.

By the way, Muslims are free to build their mosques in America and worship in safety. Why aren’t Christians free to build their churches in Saudi Arabia? And worship and evangelize in safety?

Americans are free to convert from one faith to another; why aren’t those in predominately Muslim countries free to do the same?

No.

The majority of Americans have not placed their personal faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And the majority of Americans certainly don’t live like followers of Jesus Christ.

Yes.

America was founded on Christian principles by Christian people. That does not mean all the founders were perfect Christian people. But they had a profound respect and reliance on the Bible and Judeo-Christian beliefs. Their early writings often referred to God and the Bible. Our earlier monuments are filled with biblical references.

Why can’t we still make biblical references on governmental monuments today?

By the way, if Scripture on governmental property is not allowed today, perhaps churches and individuals should place Scripture on monuments and markers outside the churches, and on private property. Place them by sidewalks where they can be seen by the public.

Yes.

In the broadest definition of Christian, the big majority of USA citizens claim Christianity as their religion as opposed to Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.

Yes.

True Christians are a strong moral influence in America. Thousands of Christian churches throughout the land proclaim the Word of God. Christianity and the Bible have had, and continue to have, a profound influence on the culture, morals, and government of the USA.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance. -Psalm 33:12

May God bring Revival to America.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 24, AD 2013.

Patriotism and Christian Worship
Why Should I Vote?
Other articles in lower right margin.     

Thoughts on the Houston SBC, 2013

As usual, I enjoyed the fellowship with friends and preachers I had not seen in a year or more. Heard some gracious, encouraging comments on my two books and my mother’s Cookbook. Did so much walking and standing, my feet and legs paid for it for several days. Had an SBC hangover! 

Also enjoyed the Pre-SBC Bible Conference held at Southview Baptist Church, Rosharon, TX. Heard some great preaching and singing, and was pleasantly surprised at the SBC messengers from around the country who showed up.

SBC President Fred Luter seems to be doing a great job. He was reelected by acclamation. Glad to see Bart Barber elected as SBC First Vice-President.

The Calvinism Report seems to be generally well received. Two points in their report deserve note.

First, they affirm both Calvinists and non-Calvinists (aka Moderate Calvinists, Traditionalists) have been a part of the SBC since it’s beginning in 1845.

"We affirm that, from the very beginning of our denominational life, Calvinists and non-Calvinists have cooperated together.” -Calvinism Committee; 2013.

This affirmation is important because some of the New Calvinists have argued only strict Calvinists comprised the SBC for about its first 100 years.

Second, the statement said those who believe infants inherit Adam’s guilt, and those who believe infants do not inherit Adam’s guilt (both sides agree we inherit a sinful nature because of Adam) both fit within Southern Baptist orthodoxy.

“We agree that everyone has inherited Adam's hopelessly fallen sin nature, but we differ as to whether we also inherit his guilt. We agree that men and women are sinners, but we differ about the effects of sin on the mind and the will. We recognize the differences among us between those who believe that sin nullifies freedom to respond to the Gospel and those who believe that freedom to respond to the Gospel is marred but not nullified.”
-Calvinism Committee; 2013.

This is important because some have accused Traditionalists or non-Calvinists of being heretics or leaning toward heresy.

The Calvinist Statement will do some good, but both sides will continue to do what they’ve been doing. Perhaps it will quiet down the more extreme on both sides.

There seemed to be confusion by some that the SBC Pastor’s Conference was going to be all panel discussion, with no preaching. Some of the early schedules seemed to indicate that. I hope we continue to have revival type, and expository preaching at the Pastor’s Conference. Hope we continue to get great older, and younger preachers; traditional as well as contemporary preachers of the Gospel. I’d also like to see an evangelist or two preach each year at the Pastor’s Conference. Our evangelists have been too often neglected.

As always, there was good singing and preaching at the SBC. The Resolutions Committee presented some good resolutions. You can see the resolutions at sbc.net.

The display areas are always interesting to me. Calvinists had at least a couple of booths; non-Calvinists need to get a little more involved and have a booth or two as well. They also had some good hot dogs in the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Attendance was low this year, 5,103. I was present at the SBC that had a record 45,000 messengers. That was at the height of the SBC Conservative Resurgence. When there’s an incumbent President and no huge controversy, attendance is usually low.

But I believe more pastors and others need to commit to attend the annual SBC. And those who do, need to commit to be present when important business is taking place. We need to be more committed to voting for the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice President. We need to be ready to vote on Resolutions and motions.

During the 1960s and 1970s conservative pastors got in the habit of attending the SBC Pastor’s Conference, enjoying the preaching and fellowsip, and skipping the SBC business sessions; and the moderates took over. Dr. Williams, an HBU professor, told our class years ago that conservatives study their Bibles, and liberals study parliamentary procedure; and the liberals win every time. That changed in the Conservative Resurgence. But now many are regressing back to the old ways. Come to the SBC and vote your convictions! We need you.

Next year the SBC will be in Baltimore, Maryland. We will be electing a new president. It will be an important convention and conservatives need to start making plans to attend. It will be a sacrifice for you to attend, but one that needs to be made.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 18, AD 2013.

SBC Resolution on Tithing
Southern Baptist Convention, Houston, 2013 - Interesting Details

Other articles in lower right margin.

SBC Resolution on Tithing

ON TITHING, STEWARDSHIP, AND THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM
June, 2013
 
WHEREAS, Biblical stewardship is a generous response of loving obedience that constitutes an essential part of our worship of God (2 Corinthians 9:6–7); and

WHEREAS, Tithing predates the Law of Moses (Genesis 14:20; 28:22; Hebrews 7:2) and is affirmed in the Old Testament (Numbers 18: 21–24) as well as in the New Testament (Luke 11:42); and

WHEREAS, The Scripture equates failure to tithe with robbing God (Malachi 3:8); and

WHEREAS, Christ affirmed the tithe (Matthew 23:23); and

WHEREAS, Proportional giving of at least a tithe is expected by God throughout Scripture (Numbers 18:21–24; 1 Corinthians 16:1–2; Hebrews 7:2); and

WHEREAS, Tithing is essential for Kingdom work through the local church and ministries around the world (1 Corinthians 9:13–14); and

WHEREAS, According to the Great Commission Task Force Report, Southern Baptists give just 2.5 percent of their annual income to the local church, demonstrating the need for Southern Baptists to teach and faithfully obey the biblical command to tithe; and

WHEREAS, The current economic climate and other factors have resulted in financial challenges for many of our churches and mission entities; and

WHEREAS, Faithful stewardship is a privilege and an honor for all Christians; and

WHEREAS, The Cooperative Program is funded solely by tithes, offerings, and gifts through the churches; and

WHEREAS, Cooperative Program giving from the churches has declined significantly from $548 million in 2007–2008 to $488 million in 2010–2011, reducing our support of missions and ministries by $60 million; and

WHEREAS, Frank S. Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, has challenged Southern Baptist churches to increase their Cooperative Program giving by at least 1 percent; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, exhort all Southern Baptists to tithe cheerfully and give sacrificially as good stewards of God’s blessings to their local churches; and be it further

RESOLVED, That Southern Baptists and Southern Baptist churches evaluate the faithfulness of their stewardship to financially support missionaries and ministries at home and abroad through the Cooperative Program and Great Commission Giving; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we commend those who tithe faithfully in loving obedience to God.


-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 17, 2013.

Articles:
Baptists on Tithing
Other articles in lower right margin.

Southern Baptist Convention, Houston, 2013 - Interesting Details

Sam Houston, 1861
 
I hope you’re attending the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting this year at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas. It will be a great time of fellowship, learning more about the ministries of the SBC, some important votes, and hearing some great singing and preaching.

You may not know that Houston, TX is named after a Baptist, a Southern Baptist. It is named for Sam Houston.

Sam Houston (AD 1793-1863) is the only man who served two states as Governor, Tennessee and Texas. For a time he lived among the Cherokee Indians and had great respect for American Indians when few others did. Previous to his arrival in Texas he served in battle with General Andrew Jackson and they remained lifelong friends. Houston served in Texas as General, President (before Texas became a state of the USA), Senator, and Governor. He opposed the Civil War and Texas succeeding from the Union, and was deposed as Governor. Often drunk before his conversion, he later became a temperance speaker.

Influenced for Christ by his wife, and Baptist preachers George W. Samson and R. C. Burleson, he accepted Jesus as his Savior and was baptized in a creek at Independence, TX in 1854. He became a very dedicated Baptist layman.

While in Houston, be sure to visit the San Jacinto Battlegrounds where Texas won it’s independence from Mexico under the leadership of General Sam Houston in 1836. It also includes the Battleship Texas. 

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/san-jacinto-battleground

You might also be interested in eating at the Monument Inn, by the San Jacinto Monument and Park:

http://www.monumentinn.com/romantic-waterfront-dining-at-houston-seafood-restaurant.html

The Monument Inn is right next to the Houston Ship Channel and the Lynchburg Ferry. Be sure to go across the Ship Channel on the Ferry; the kids will enjoy it. The Lynchburg Ferry begin in 1820, but its boats have been updated a little since then. And, it is free!

If you are arriving early for the SBC, you may want to attend the Southview Bible Conference June 7-9.

Preaching: Paige Patterson, Phil Hoskins, Jeff Schreve, Malcolm Ellis, Jerry Vines, Bill Harrell. 

http://www.sview.org/ministries/conference/

Your kids might also like driving through the Washburn Tunnel, the only one in Texas. It goes under the Houston Ship Channel. Take Federal Road south off of Interstate 10 on the east side of Houston:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washburn_Tunnel

One final note. Some feel they have to be an official, elected messenger from their church in order to attend the SBC or Pastor’s Conference. That is not true. Anyone is welcome to attend, whether or not you are a messenger. If you live in the area, go to one or two of the sessions. Check out the Display Area with displays and booths from a number of our SBC seminaries, mission boards, and agencies. It can be a real education. Go to sbc.net for more details on the convention, or look for them in your state Baptist paper.

Hope you have a great trip to Houston this year. While you’re here, tell someone about Jesus. Give them a good tip and a Gospel tract. Pray that God will do great things in Houston, the SBC, and our nation.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 14, AD 2013.

Note:  More information on Sam Houston is found in The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow.  Click book cover in right margin. 

Other articles in lower right margin.

John Kitto on Wine in Bible Times, and Isaiah 25:6

John Kitto (AD 1804-1854) was an outstanding Bible scholar. His work was highly praised by Charles H. Spurgeon. A keen observer of physical detail, while living in the Middle East he gained detailed knowledge of the land and the people; people who lived much as they did in Bible times. Kitto’s Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature (1852) was a standard for decades. 
 
John Kitto has the following to say about wine in Bible times:

“WINE. No fewer that thirteen distinct Hebrew and Greek terms are rendered in our common version by the word ‘wine.’ Besides the pure juice of the grape, frequent mention is made in Scripture of a kind of boiled wine or syrup, the thickness of which rendered it necessary to mingle water with it previously to drinking (Proverbs 9:2, 5), and also of a mixed wine, made strong and inebriating by the addition of drugs, such as myrrh, mandragora, and opiates (Proverbs 23:30; Isaiah 5:22). This custom has prevailed from the earliest ages, and is still extant in the East.

We are not, however, to conclude that all mixed wine was pernicious or improper. There were two very opposite purposes sought by the mixture of drinks. While the wicked sought out a drugged mixture, and was ‘mighty to mingle strong drink,’ Wisdom, on the contrary, mingled her wine with water or with milk (Proverbs 9:2, 5) merely to dilute it and make it properly drinkable. Of the latter mixture Wisdom invites the people to drink freely, but on the use of the former an emphatic woe is pronounced.

In Isaiah 25:6, mention is made of ‘wines on the lees.’ The original signifies ‘preserves’ or ‘jellies,’ and is supposed to refer to the wine cakes which are esteemed a great delicacy in the East.” 
-John Kitto, The Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature; 1852.

Note: This boiled down, thick, strong wine was not alcoholic and would not spoil or ferment. It would be mixed with water to drink. I have some, kept at room temperature, that is in perfect condition after several years. See much more on wine in Bible times, and on Isaiah 25:6 in the book, Ancient Wine and the Bible.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 11, AD 2013.

Articles:
When I'm An Old Lady
Ancient Wine Production and the Bible
Charles H. Spurgeon on Alcohol
Alabama Baptist Review of "Ancient Wine and the Bible"
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
 
Other articles in lower right margin.

Pre-SBC Bible Conference, Southview Baptist Church

Southview Baptist Church will hold an outstanding Bible Conference just prior to the annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting this year in Houston, Texas. If you arrive early, be sure to attend.

Southview Bible Conference, 2013

June 7-9, 2013

Preaching: 
Paige Patterson
Jerry Vines
Phil Hoskins
Bill Harrell
Jeff Schreve
Malcolm Ellis

Southview Baptist Church is pastored by Steve Brumbelow and Kyle Gulledge.

Southview Baptist Church, Rosharon, TX is located on Hwy 288 south of Houston, and one mile south of Hwy 6.

For more information:
 http://www.sview.org/ministries/conference/

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 7, AD 2013.


More articles in lower right margin.

John R. Rice and KJV Only

KJV Only is the relatively modern belief that the King James Version of the Bible is the only one that should be used by English speaking people. There are different versions, if you will, of this view. Some believe the KJV itself is inspired, perfect, and inerrant. Others would simply say it is by far the best and other English translations are in error, liberal, leave out the Word of God, or they are even of the devil.

Many have wondered what Dr. John R. Rice (AD 1895-1980), a well-known independent Baptist preacher, author, and founding editor of the Sword of the Lord, had to say about KJV Only. Some have wrongly assumed he was KJV Only.

Rice did use the KJV in the pulpit. It was obviously his favorite translation. And it should be remembered he was writing in 1969 when the KJV was by far the most popular and a number of the modern versions of today had not yet been translated. But Dr. Rice was far from KJV Only. In addition to the quotes below, during his leadership, Rice had others such as Robert L. Sumner write articles in the Sword of the Lord against KJV Only.

The quotes below are from -
Our God-Breathed Book The Bible
by John R. Rice, Sword of the Lord Publishers, Murfreesboro, TN; 1969.

“When we say that the Bible is inspired, we do not refer to the translations or copies but to the original autographs, written down under God’s direction.”

“We think now not of translations and copies but of the original autographs. Of them we are told that “…every word…proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew4:4). So all must be true. If the Scriptures are God-breathed, theopneustos, as II Timothy 3:16 says, then God did not breathe out errors and mistakes.”

“We are not now discussing the translations. Translators are not inspired, and there can be mistakes in translation although these mistakes are largely overcome by having translations checked and double checked by numerous godly scholars. There may be mistakes in copying, though such mistakes can usually be found by comparing manuscripts with manuscripts since there are hundreds of manuscripts of the New Testament available and many of the Old Testament. But when we speak of inspiration, we speak of the original autographs written down in the Old Testament in Hebrew, except for a small part of the book of Daniel which is in Chaldaic, and the New Testament, which is in koine Greek.”

“Well, there are many, many translations. The differences in the translations are so minor, so insignificant, that we can be sure not a single doctrine, not a single statement of fact, not a single command or exhortation, has been missed in our translations. And where the Word of God is not perfectly translated in one instance, it is corrected in another translation. And if the Word of God is not perfectly portrayed in one translation, it is portrayed, surely, in the winnowed sum of them all. And besides, one can go back to the original Greek and Hebrew texts to check for himself the translations. Or those who do not know Hebrew and Greek may use Young’s Analytical Concordance. There you will find in every single case the original Greek or Hebrew word, find how it is used, and thus can check the translations.”

“A perfect translation of the Bible is humanly impossible. The words in one language do not have exactly the same color and meaning as the opposite words in another language, and human frailty and imperfection enter in. So, let us say, there are no perfect translations. God does not inspire particular translations, although He may illuminate and give spiritual wisdom to the translator.”

“The translators of the American Standard Version had the advantage of having access to the three oldest manuscripts with which we are familiar - the Vatican, the Alexandrian, and the Sinaitic manuscripts.”

“The scholar and the preacher would do well to have the American Standard Version at hand and to consult it when necessary, but generally would do well, we think, to use the King James Version in the pulpit, in memory work, and in class teaching, since it is actually the translation of the mass of people. And the beauty of its language is not equaled in other translations, we think.”
-John R. Rice, Our God-Breathed Book The Bible, Sword of the Lord Publishers, Murfreesboro, TN; 1969.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 1, AD 2013.

John R. Rice and the Sword of the Lord; Part 1
B. H. Carroll on Inspiration of Bible
The Girl Who Saved His Ministry
Other articles in lower right margin.

Jesus Turned Water To Wine, Not Alcohol

The Bible says Jesus miraculously turned water into wine. It never says, however, He turned water into alcohol. Don’t let anyone push you into believing the Bible says otherwise. I’ve not dealt directly with Jesus turning water to wine at Gulf Coast Pastor, but I have in Ancient Wine and the Bible. 
 
Mark H. Creech,* however, has recently written a couple of excellent articles on Jesus turning water into wine. These are well worth your time. Links are given below.

I appreciate his stand, and am honored that he uses Ancient Wine and the Bible as a reference. He also references another book I highly recommend, Alcohol Today: Abstinence in an Age of Indulgence.

Drinking and Jesus Turning Water to Wine
 
Drinking: Continuing the Conversation
 
*Mark H. Creech has served as pastor of churches in New York and North Carolina. He now serves as Executive Director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, and is a writer, radio commentator, and speaker.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 23, AD 2013. 

Ancient Wine Production and the Bible
　 Other articles in lower right margin.

Earth Day

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. -Genesis 1:1 
The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. -Psalm 24:1

Thoughts on Earth Day (April 22) and the environment:

1. Christians should be concerned about the environment.

It is the creation of our Heavenly Father. Support reasonable measures to decrease pollution and enhance the environment. Don’t litter. Enjoy nature and the outdoors. Plant a garden, a tree. Plant to provide food and shelter for wildlife. Learn about and enjoy God’s creation.*

2. We are to have dominion over it. Genesis 1:28

That doesn’t mean to trash it - but to use its resources wisely. Farming, ranching, logging, hunting, fishing, trapping can be reasonable ways to use and balance the resources God gave us.

Drilling and using the oil God gave us is a reasonable use of the earth’s resources. If you drive an automobile, apparently you agree as well. If you disagree, I expect to see you riding a bicycle.

3. Be honest, truthful about the environment.

Many of the radical environmentalists are deceptive and untruthful about environmental issues.

Knowledge, opinions, weather cycles change.

For example:

On the first Earth Day in 1970 - people were protesting against Global Cooling. When I was in grade school we were taught Global Cooling. For several years now they have used the same evidence to teach Global Warming. Now they are beginning to speak of Climate Change. That seems to be a winner - the climate will change, and weather cycles come and go.

Once they protested against nuclear power - now they’re for it.

Environmentalists were for plastic grocery bags, now they’re against them.

There is a growing concern about Ethanol increasing the cost of food for the poor and actually hurting the environment.

Let’s be honest about the facts. Let’s be reasonable about environmental laws.

4. Worship the Creator, not the creation.

Worshipping the creation is idolatry.

Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. -Romans 1:25

Never confuse worshipping the Creator with worshipping the creation.

5. Most important, tell people about the Creator. John 3:16

No matter how well we take care of this world, we are all going to leave it some day. We must be prepared for the life to come.
 
* This year I’ve planted six pecan trees, three persimmon trees, one grapefruit tree, a rose, and a number of other plants. In the next day or two I’ll be grafting a couple of pecan trees. I now get fruit and nuts from a number of trees I’ve planted in the past. I’ve studied and enjoy nature, the environment and how it all works together. I invite you to do the same.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 22, AD 2013

Global Warming, Global Cooling, & Climate Change
Other articles in lower right margin.

Obituary - George Beverly Shea

One of the most beloved Gospel singers, George Beverly Shea (AD 1909-2013), moved from this world to Heaven yesterday, April 16, 2013.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association published the following obituary:

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 16, 2013 – George Beverly Shea, 104, of Montreat, North Carolina, soloist of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), died this evening following a brief illness.

Since George Beverly Shea first sang for Graham in 1943 on the Chicago radio hymn program, “Songs in the Night,” Shea has faithfully carried the Gospel in song to every continent and every state in the Union. Graham’s senior by ten years, Shea devotedly preceded the evangelist in song in nearly every Crusade over the span of more than one-half century.

Shea was the recipient of ten Grammy nominations, a Grammy Award in 1965, and was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grammy organization in 2011. He was also a member of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame (1978), and was inducted into the Religious Broadcasting Hall of Fame in February 1996. Shea was also inducted into the inaugural class of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists’ “Hall of Faith” in 2008.

“I first met Bev Shea while in Chicago when he was on Moody Radio,” said Billy Graham. “As a young man starting my ministry, I asked Bev if he would join me. He said yes and for over 60 years we had the privilege of ministering together across the country and around the world. Bev was one of the most humble, gracious men I have ever known and one of my closest friends. I loved him as a brother. My prayer for his wife, Karlene, and his children, Ron and Elaine, is that God will strengthen them during this time.”

Born in Winchester, Ontario, Canada, where his father was a Wesleyan Methodist minister, Shea’s first public singing was in the choir of his father’s church. Between Crusade, radio, and television dates in many countries, he sang at hundreds of concerts and recorded more than 70 albums of sacred music. At age 23 he composed the music to one of his best known solos, “I’d Rather Have Jesus.”

“Even though Bev was 10 years older than my father, he never acted his age,” said Franklin Graham. “He was absolute fun to be with. Bev was one of the most gracious and unassuming men I have known. He was always encouraging and supportive, a man of deep faith and strong commitment to Jesus Christ.”

Shea is survived by his wife, Karlene, and his children from his first marriage, Ronald and Elaine. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Erma, who died in 1976.

Ron, born in 1948 in Chicago, graduated from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill., in 1971. For more than 30 years, Ron has been an associate in Crusade ministry through the BGEA, assisting in preparatory work for evangelistic crusades involving Mr. Graham and more recently for Franklin Graham’s ministry. He is married to the former Kathy Ford.

Details on the funeral service for Shea will be forthcoming.

Visit www.billygraham.org for additional information.

*******

For those interested, Bill Gaither has DVDs available featuring the singing of George Beverly Shea.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 17, AD 2013.

More articles in lower right margin.

The Killing of Infants

Ever wonder why Christians oppose abortion? Part of the reason is found in the article below. 

Why has the national news media ignored this story? Could it be because they do not want to show any negative aspects of abortion clinics? Could it be they are biased in favor of abortion?

　
Gosnell's Abortion Clinic Horrors Described

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Testimony to the horrors inside Kermit Gosnell's clinic continues to mount in the Philadelphia abortion doctor's murder trial.

In a trial that began in March, Gosnell faces seven counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of viable children who were killed after delivery and a count of third-degree murder in the death of a Virginia woman during a 2009 abortion.

Those seven babies were only some of hundreds at least six months into gestation who were killed outside the womb after induced delivery at Gosnell's clinic, a grand jury reported in 2011. After delivery, Gosnell -- or another staff member in his absence -- would jab scissors into the back of a baby's neck and cut the spinal cord, according to the grand jury. Gosnell called the killing of these children "snipping."

In recent testimony regarding practices at the Women's Medical Society clinic in West Philadelphia:

-- Former Gosnell employee Steven Massof said April 4 a "snipping" is "like a beheading," The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Massof, serving a residency with Gosnell he later learned was unaccredited, performed abortions at the clinic. During his testimony, he guided jurors to feel the spot on the back of their necks where the children's spines would be severed. Several jurors did so, according to The Inquirer. When mothers were given drugs to induce sudden contractions, "[I]t would rain fetuses. Fetuses and blood all over the place," Massof said, according to Operation Rescue's Cheryl Sullenger, who was in the courtroom.

-- Lynda Williams said April 9 part of her job was to pick up the bodies of babies expelled from their mothers' wombs in the waiting room after receiving large doses of drugs to dilate their cervices. When a second-trimester child was still moving after being expelled into a toilet, Williams said she followed Gosnell's training by using scissors to cut his spinal cord. "I did it once, and I didn't do it again because it gave me the creeps," she said, The Inquirer reported.

-- Photos of several dead babies were shown to the jury April 2. Each had a "gaping wound" in the back of his neck, Sullenger reported.

-- Karen Feisullin, who performs abortions in her practice as an obstetrician/gynecologist, said April 2 she had never heard of a doctor "snipping" the spinal cords of babies, according to The Inquirer. She also said there was no medical reason for Gosnell's habit of severing the feet of babies and storing them in jars.

-- Philadelphia Fire Department Lt. Don Burgess testified March 25 that firefighters were unable to take a woman on a stretcher through the clinic's hallways because they were too narrow, The Inquirer reported. Paramedics were trying to save the life of Kamamaya Mongar, 41, who went into a coma during an abortion and died. Though an emergency door was near Mongar, it was chained shut and no one on staff, including Gosnell, had a key, Burgess said. Firefighters opened the door with a bolt-cutter to take her to the hospital, where she died.

Gosnell could receive a death sentence if he is found guilty of a first-degree murder charge. The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks.
-Baptist Press; bpnews.net.

See more at: 
 http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=40073

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 14, AD 2013. 

More articles in lower right margin.

What the Bible Says About Homosexuality

Often people speak of a biblical subject as though everyone knows what the Bible says. They may not know, however, and may have never taken the time or do not know how to look up the biblical teaching. 

Since the Bible is God’s holy, inspired, inerrant Word, we should approach it with reverence and as our final rule for faith and practice. It is God’s manual for how we are to live our lives.

While one should read them in context, following are the major Scriptures that deal with homosexuality and same-sex marriage:

Sodom and Gomorrah
Homosexuality is first mentioned in the Bible in connection with Sodom and Gomorrah. This was not their only sin, but it was certainly a prominent one, and a reason God judged these cities.

But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. -Genesis 13:13

And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave. -Genesis 18:20

4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” -Genesis 19:4-5

Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. -Genesis 19:24

The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves. -Isaiah 3:9

Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! -Jesus Christ; Matthew 10:15

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly. -2 Peter 2:6

As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. -Jude 7


Other Scripture
You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. -Leviticus 18:22

If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. -Leviticus 20:13

No one is asking for this penalty of death today, but this Scripture shows the seriousness with which God viewed this sin. What a contrast to our present day culture in entertainment and pornography where most any deviant practice is acceptable. Some things are an abomination (abhorrent, disgusting) to a holy God.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting. -Romans 1:26-28

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. -1 Corinthians 6:9-11

This is perhaps the most important Scripture about homosexuality. Notice that some of the saints were involved in immorality, but they were saved by faith in Jesus. Whether this sin or any other sin, after all we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), Jesus blood can make the vilest sinner clean.

For fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. -1 Timothy 1:10

Jesus’ View on Marriage
6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” -Jesus Christ; Mark 10:6-9 (Jesus is referring to Bible passages in Genesis 1:27; 2:24; 5:2).

Forgiveness of Sin
We are all sinners. But if we repent (turn from) our sins and ask God’s forgiveness, He will forgive and cleanse us of all sin.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9

God has a Plan A and a Plan B. 
2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. -1 John 2:1-2

God’s Plan A is that you do not sin in the first place. That is always the best practice. It is easier to not start in a particular sin, than to start and then struggle to stop. Some sinful practices will grab you and not let you go. So stay far away.

But we are human and sometimes fall. God still loves us and has a Plan B. If we sin, we may still have to deal with the consequences, but if we repent and come back to God, He will forgive us. Jesus loves you, and He died for you. Trust in Him. Stay close to Jesus, His Word, and His church. Stay far from sin.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 9, AD 2013. 

　
Jesus Christ on Same-Sex Marriage
Why Wait?
Other articles in lower right margin.

Robert A. Baker on Original Sin, Guilt, Sin Nature

“Sin as Inheritance and Choice

Sin is presented in two aspects in the New Testament - as inheritance and as voluntary choice. The first is known as original sin - the mark of sin upon the human race (Romans 5:19). Original sin does not involve guilt (John 9:3; cf. Ezekiel 18:20). God does not condemn for personal sin the innocent babe who does not know right from wrong. Original sin means, rather, that the nature of every child born into the world is corrupted so that when he becomes old enough to know right from wrong the child will choose sin instead of righteousness (1 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 7:18). Before a child is able to choose, he is not guilty before God; but when he learns to know right from wrong, because of original sin he will choose against God and become guilty before God.

The second aspect of sin has been suggested already. The whole human race has become tainted through original sin (Romans 3:9). As soon as any child reaches the age of accountability, he, by reason of that taint, chooses personally to sin (Romans 8:7-8). Then he becomes guilty of sin as a personal choice.”

-Dr. Robert A. Baker, The Baptist March in History, Convention Press, Nashville; 1958.

Dr. Baker (AD 1910-1992) served in the U.S. Secret Service, and as pastor. He was a graduate of Baylor University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Yale University. He served for many years as professor of Church History at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Further information on Inherited Guilt vs. Inherited Sin Nature see:
Born Guilty? by Dr. Adam Harwood 
Interview with Dr. Adam Harwood

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 25, AD 2013.


Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of Salvation
Other Articles in lower right margin. 

Ancient Wine Production and the Bible

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
-1 Thessalonians 5:6

Misperceptions abound about the Bible and wine. Many believe the wine of the Bible was the same as today and always alcoholic. But the biblical and ancient words for wine were generic; they referred to both alcoholic and nonalcoholic wine (much like the English words: drink, cider, liquor, punch, eggnog).

 For example, Jesus referred to unfermented wine as “wine” (Greek word, oinos; Matthew 9:17). The Old Testament referred to just pressed grapes as “wine” (Proverbs 3:10; Isaiah 16:10; Joel 2:24). Just pressed grapes produce nonalcoholic wine or grape juice. It refers to grapes on the vine as “wine’ (Isaiah 65:8). Scripture even speaks of infants crying for wine (Lamentations 2:11-12); parents do not give alcoholic, but nonalcoholic wine to infants.

Ancient writers did not have a word for alcohol, but Aristotle, Plutarch, Pliny, Hippocrates, Columella, Athenaeus and others recognized some wine would intoxicate and some would not. Aristotle said sweet wine (which had not fermented, thereby taking away it’s sweetness) would not inebriate. Plutarch gave a confused discussion of why sweet wine would not intoxicate, and other wine would.

Nonalcoholic wine was common and when the Bible refers to wine, it must be determined by the context whether it is referring to alcoholic or nonalcoholic wine. Some wine was dangerous (Proverbs 20:1; Isaiah 28:7), some was not (Judges 9:13; Psalm 104:15; Zechariah 9:17). Scripture says Jesus turned water to wine (oinos); it does not say the sinless Christ turned water to beverage alcohol. Remember Jesus Himself called nonalcoholic wine “oinos.”

Another misperception is that all ancient wine was fermented and alcoholic, except for a brief period between pressing the grapes and when fermentation set in. Many contend fermentation could not be prevented until the 1860s discovery of pasteurization (and Welch’s). Some authorities have said Passover wine had to be fermented since Passover was in the Spring, months after the grape harvest. History, ancient knowledge, and science disprove this assumption.

Actually, unfermented wine was easier for ancients to produce and preserve than alcoholic wine. Methods included boiling down fresh wine to a thick consistency that would not spoil or ferment. When ready to drink, they simply added water. This thick, strong wine (grape molasses, pekmez, vincotto) was also used for cooking.* The grape harvest lasted six months and certain type grapes would keep fresh for months. These grapes could be pressed into wine at any time of the year (Genesis 40:11). Dried grapes or raisins were re-hydrated and pressed into fresh un-intoxicating wine, a practice used by many Jews right up to modern times. Ancient warriors were issued cakes of dried grapes to make their own wine as needed. Nonalcoholic wine was also preserved with salt and lactic fermentation.

These and other methods were commonly used by ancients to produce and preserve nonalcoholic wine. Just because we do not know these ancient methods, in no way means they did not know. This unfermented wine was widespread and held in high esteem. In contrast, drinkable alcoholic wine did not just magically happen; it was difficult to produce and preserve.

While most Baptists oppose alcohol, they still debate whether the Bible directly condemns it. I believe it does. Proverbs 20:1 directly calls wine a mocker. Proverbs 23:29-35 describes the effects of alcoholic wine and says not to even look at that kind of wine (23:31). 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 and 1 Peter 5:8 command us to be sober. Sober (Greek, nepho) literally means “wineless.” In addition a number of biblical principles teach against using alcohol (or any other mind-altering drug) for pleasure or recreation.

For these and many other reasons, for well over 100 years Baptists and the Church Covenant have wisely advised to abstain from the manufacture, sale, and use of beverage alcohol.
  
* I have some of this thick wine (grape molasses); made in Lebanon, purchased through amazon.com. While it says to refrigerate after opening, I opened it, then kept it at room temperature. It has kept in perfect condition, without spoiling or fermenting, for over two years.

-by David R. Brumbelow, P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, TX 77566 USA.
© AD 2013. Brumbelow is a pastor and graduate of ETBU and SWBTS. He is author of Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case for Abstinence, freechurchpress.com; and The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow. David writes at gulfcoastpastor.blogspot.com. 

Permission granted to reproduce this article.   
This article was first published at SBCToday.com.

Note: This article is available in PDF form, and available for Alcohol and Drug AbusePrevention Sunday (3^rd Sunday of March), etc. Find it at:
Alcohol And Drug Abuse Prevention Sunday - Free Resources


Read more in: 

Ancient Wine and the Bible - the Book
Adrian Rogers on Alcohol, Drinking, Wine

11 Reasons to Not Drink Alcohol
More articles in lower right margin.  

Dr. Roy Fish on Calvinism, Predestination; part 2 of 2

Predestination and Foreknowledge
Scripture plainly teaches that predestination, which means to destine beforehand, is based on foreknowledge. God chose those whom He knew beforehand would choose Him! That’s why Paul said, in Romans 8:29-30 in that tremendous passage, “For whom He foreknew…” You’d better start where Paul starts. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…” But He predestines on the basis of foreknowledge! The same thing is said in I Peter 1:2...

God elects, God predestines on the basis of knowing beforehand. That’s what the word “foreknowledge” means. I’ve checked it out in the Greek. It just means God knows what’s going to happen.

I had the privilege, last Saturday flying from DFW to Atlanta, I had the privilege of sitting by a schoolteacher who is going to Germany to be a teacher at one of our English-speaking schools in a military area of Germany. And she had a church background. But she had a deep deep disturbance in her soul. In fact, she was so deeply disturbed that she went to a chaplain there and told him how deeply disturbed she was, but she didn’t get any satisfaction or any peace. Well, needless to say, that kind of situation to a professor of evangelism means “Sick ‘em.”  Excuse me for my failure in decorum and dignity there. But I knew that God was dealing with this lady. Her heart was hungry and open. See, God knew the situation. She said, “It’s sheer accident that I’m in this seat. I’m supposed to be in another seat.” But God knew the hunger of her heart. And God knew that she was ready for the message of Jesus. And He took all of the factors regarding her background, her hunger, and He chooses to use a vessel that was committed to Him to share the gospel. And sometimes I’m not that vessel that I want to be. And that is God’s way of demonstrating His election.

God elects and God foreordains and God predestines, but on the basis of foreknowledge.

Limited Atonement

The L in the TULIP stands for Limited Atonement, or Limited Love, or Particular Redemption. It really says that God did not love all men enough to have Christ die for all. It says that God didn’t care about the non-elect. He loved only those who would respond to Him in repentance.

I was discussing with an adamant Calvinist one day this very subject. He is a man of God but he doesn’t give 2 cents for the non-elect. He’s not interested in them. He couldn’t care less. I said, “You mean God doesn’t love them?” He said, “No, God doesn’t love them. He doesn’t love the non-elect.” I said to him, “Do you believe that the rich young ruler was one of the non-elect?” He said, “Yeah. He flatly turned down the Lord Jesus Christ. He turned Him down. He was one of the non-elect.” So I just turned my Bible to Mark 10. I said, “I want you to read this and stuff it in your Hyper-Calvinistic pipe!” The Bible says that when Jesus looked on the rich young ruler who was just about ready to reject Him, when Jesus looked on him, He loved him! And that word “love” is the same word that’s used in John 3:16. It’s the famous Greek word, “agape”! Jesus looked on this lost person and He loved him! And you will never pass a person on the streets of Mobile that God doesn’t love. You will never rub shoulders with anybody in a crowded shopping center that God does not love.

Limited atonement almost brings me to the point of righteous indignation. Why? Well first of all because limited atonement depersonalizes the offer of the gospel. You see, you cannot look a person in the face, if you want to witness to them about Jesus, you cannot look at them in the face and say to them, “Jesus Christ died for you.” You can’t do that. Because you don’t know that He did! You don’t know if they are one of the elect or not! Many Calvinists say, “We can offer the gospel to all,” but I want to say that that is impossible under Calvinism. How can you offer a salvation that is not provided? And If Jesus didn’t die for somebody, then salvation is not provided, and you cannot offer salvation to all.

Friend, I want to tell you, when I began to wonder how is God going to receive someone who has made as many mistakes as I, who has sinned as much as I have, friend, I look to the Cross. I look to the Cross. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the Cross I cling.” He died for me, God. That’s the only way I expect to be received. That’s the only way I expect to get into heaven. But if atonement is limited, how can I be sure that He died for me? In final analysis, I can’t! And that’s a part of the reason why I detest the tenet of limited atonement.

Now scholastic Calvinism says it is the duty of all people everywhere to believe. But listen, in the light of Limited Atonement, I ask you - believe what? They can’t believe that Jesus died for them because they don’t know that for sure! All people are commanded to believe, but it becomes a very nebulous proposition at that point. Believe what?

Irresistible Grace

The I in the TULIP is what is called Irresistible Grace. That means that people who are going to be saved have no other option. They really don’t have a choice. The grace of God cannot be resisted. They cannot resist this special saving grace. Now the corollary to this follows: That is that those who are not elected are irresistibly damned– they cannot be saved. Like those who receive grace cannot resist it, so those who receive damnation cannot resist it.

Now, this is one reason why some groups have virtually given up on evangelism. Because it follows that if God works so irresistibly to either save or damn, Christians cannot affect the salvation of sinners, so they feel no responsibility for sharing that which might even have a tendency to interfere with the immutable purposes of God.

Sovereignty of God and Free Will of People

Now, ladies and gentlemen, all of us here, I trust, believe in the sovereignty of God – the absolute sovereignty of God. It is taught in the Bible. But along with the sovereignty of God, taught in the Bible also is the free will of people. You and I can choose. You say, “How can that be reconciled? That God is sovereign and yet people can make choices – people have a will regarding what they are going to do? If God is sovereign, how do you reconcile it? I don’t have to. Friend, there are times when you start looking at God that you scrutinize the inscrutable. And God doesn’t have one bit of trouble reconciling His sovereignty with man’s free will.

It was Spurgeon who was trying to lead a person to Christ, and somebody got frightened – they were always having to caution Spurgeon. “You may be speaking to one of the non-elect!” Spurgeon said, “Well….it’s all right. I don’t think God would mind too much if a few of the non-elect got saved.” My kind of Calvinist.

Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist wisely said, “The elect are the ‘whosoever will’s.’ The non-elect are the ‘whosoever wont’s.’”

God’s grace can be resisted. People do not have to say “yes to the call of God, and nobody is compelled to say “no” to the call of God.

I believe getting involved in Reformed theology is a backward step that you as an individual or that you as a church do not want to take.

-Dr. Roy Fish, Excerpts from “The C Word (Calvinism)” preached August 11, AD 1997 at Cottage Hills Baptist Church, Mobile, Alabama. Part 2 of 2

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 4, AD 2013. 
　
Other Articles:
John 3:16 Conference, 2013
 
Roy Fish on Calvinism; part 1 of 2
Books on Calvinism, Predestination
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Sunday; Free Resources
Robert G. Lee On Calvinism
Unlimited Atonement, Jesus Died For All
Other Articles on this and many other subjects in lower right margin.