On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his now famous 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenburg church in Germany. It was a list of problems that he had observed in the church at that time, which in his mind needed to be reformed. In the same spirit I offer these 25 theses in an effort to bring to light some of the problems of our own day. I do not compare myself with Dr. Luther, nor do I claim to be an authority in these areas, nor do I have any lofty ideas about sparking a world-wide reformation with this post. I am simply a follower of Jesus Christ, called by God to ministry, seeking to live a life that is worthy of the gospel. I desire primarily to accomplish 3 small things with this post. First, I wanted to establish a written form of my growing concerns for our churches. Second, I wish to encourage and challenge my brothers in the ministry to make every effort to live the biblical gospel before God. Third, I want to initiate discussion and friendly debate over these theses. Hopefully, some of you will take me up on my offer and some truth will come out of it to the glory of God. Let our consciences be “held captive to the word of God.”*
* Famous Luther quote
It is my contention that the modern American evangelical church (especially but not limited to the Southern Baptist Convention) no longer reflects New Testament Christianity. The church is in great need of a reformation which will restore the truth of God’s word back to its proper place in the life of the body of Christ. The statistics are in, and the professing church is no different from the world in character, holiness, ambitions, family life, etc. This is a great tragedy that may only be righted by the power of the Spirit working in the hearts of his people, through the means of biblical preaching, teaching, and church life. What the church needs are prophets of God, such as Martin Luther, who will not be afraid of challenging the status quo, and who can affect much needed change. The following are 25 theses for a new, and much needed reformation of the church. Continue reading →