Whirled Views with Dan Burrell

For those who are wondering, yes, I’ve done my annual “Top 10 List of Fundamentalist/Evangelical News Stories” for 2007.  It is now safely in the vaults of the Sharper Iron Blogsite which will be releasing it on Wednesday according to my “sources”.  I will post it on this blog as well in case you don’t frequent SI.  This was the most difficult list I’ve done to date largely because there weren’t that many “big” happenings in our neck of the religious world, this year.  But this is a popular Whirled Views feature and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, so go ahead and prepare your arguments, find new ways to express disbelief, make your own list up — fewer than 48 hours to go.

Meantime, have a Happy New Year!

(And don’t forget to root for the Missouri Tigers over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.)

It has been my privilege to preach with Dr. Wendell Kempton several times over the years and to get to know him on a personal level.  I received an email from ABWE President, Dr. Michael Loftis this evening requesting prayer for Dr. Kempton who has been diagnosed with advanced cancer.  The Association for Baptist World Evangelism (ABWE) is one of the great missions agencies in the world and God used Dr. Kempton at its helm for many years to stir folk’s hearts for missions, support missionaries on the field and to take the gospel around the globe.

Those who know Dr. Kempton know that he is the consumate gentleman whose Godly demeanor and testimony have marked him and blessed legions.  He is a passionate communicator who has built incredible bridges to professional athetes and teams.  He loves the Lord and loves the Word.

You can read additional details HERE and please join me in praying that the Lord would give him grace and peace during these days on his earthly journey.

A good friend of mine from Florida recently sent me a link to a documentary that is scheduled to hit the theaters in early 2008 that has been put together by Ben Stein.  It is called “Expelled” and uncovers the great political intimidation taking place in academia against any mention that a) Darwin was wrong and b) the existence of a Creator is a plausible explanation for the complex universe in which we live.  If it is anywhere near as powerful as the trailer on THIS website, then it has the potential to rock the world of a lot of academics and scholars.

I generally never take the time to go to promotional websites, let along watch a trailer for a movie.  Trust me on this one — take a look at the trailer for “Expelled“.  I’m guessing you’ll be as interested in seeing it as I am.

For a variety of reasons, we did not send Christmas cards and our annual update letter this year, so we decided to post a blog article giving everyone an update on the comings and goings of the Burrell clan. 

One of Dan’s favorite books has always been the Dickens’ classic, “A Tale of Two Cities“.  The first chapter begins with the line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  In many ways, that sentence describes 2007 for us.  This has been a year of great change for us as the Lord has redirected our ministry focus that has resulted in a change of houses, a change of schooling for some of the kids and a change of ministry.

The year began with a trip to Missouri to spend New Year’s with Dan’s family. The kids always enjoy time with the cousins and we all enjoy the slower pace of rural life for a few days.  Shortly after returning to Charlotte, Dan enjoyed his annual trek to Boston to teach for a week at Boston Baptist College.  The first week of February involved a trip to Cuba where Dan enjoyed renewing his acquaintance with his Cuban national pastor friends and making many new acquaintances as well.  Dan was able to spend a week teaching and training nearly thirty national pastors and their wives and to be part of the planning for a new seminary in central Cuba.  It opened this fall with over thirty students enrolled.

In the late Spring, circumstances within Northside Baptist Church, some physical and health-related problems and a sense that the Lord was bringing to a close Dan’s calling to pastoring in general led to our resignation from the ministries in Charlotte.  In the transition, we found the value of real and genuine friendships from those who assisted with our transition including moving from the parsonage to a house about half the size.  We are grateful to the membership of Northside who blessed us with a generous severance arrangement that has given us the time to ascertain what the Lord would have us do next.

After spending a few weeks in Missouri recuperating at Dan’s mom, we returned to Charlotte to move and get resettled into our new life.  Shortly after his resignation, Dan’s good friend, Pastor Dino Pedrone of the New Testament Baptist Church and Dade Christian Schools in Miami called him to ask him to help him out with a temporary part-time position in his 1,400 student main school.  Dan’s background lends itself to the kind of ministry and he’s been working there 2-3 days a week as the lead adminstrator since August having made over 40 trips back and forth.  USAirways loves him!

He has also been picking up some courses teaching for Liberty University and Southern Evangelical Seminary where he primarily teaches Discipleship, Church Administration and Bible Teaching Methods.  He’s also scheduled to return for his annual class at Boston Baptist College again in a few weeks and making another trip to Cuba in February.  Dan was invited to give the commencement address by the Class of 2007 at Piedmont Baptist College in May and to take part in a trip with two dozen pastors and Christian leaders to Israel in December.

At this point, Dan believes that God is moving him toward the field of education at some level.  He’s had several interviews with Christian colleges in regard to administrative positions and is scheduled for a couple of more in January, but as of now has no real leading yet.  The ministry in South Florida where he has been working has also indicated a desire for us to join their team.  We are just awaiting confirmation from the Lord before taking the next step.

Julie has been such a huge blessing to Dan and the kids this year.  She somehow manages to balance her roles as a Bible study teacher, a wife and a mother with grace and balance.  Last spring, she concluded the three weekly ladies Bible studies she was conducting through the church and this fall, she did a home Bible study with a group of ladies as well.  She is now homeschool our two youngest in addition to holding down the fort as Dan does his traveling.  Julie had surgery in December to investigate some symptoms that were causing her doctors some concern and we praise the Lord that we just received the biopsy reports and there were no malignancies.  With her family and health history, this is a constant concern.

Nathan is home for the holidays and will be 20 this year.  He is a sophomore at Liberty University where he is majoring in Graphic and Computer Design.  He loves college life and has made many great friends there including a special one from Florida.  We found out that her pastor is the son of the man who led Julie’s mother to the Lord many years ago in Florida.  Nathan is also playing guitar in a Christian group called the Mike Parker Band and has spent the first few days of his Christmas break cutting a new CD.  He is now gainfully employed in the food services industry and working toward paying off a newer model car he picked up over the summer.

Megan is 16 and a junior at Northside Christian Academy.  She has a busy social life with some of the sweetest and neatest friends you could ever meet.  We have always been blessed by the friends of our children and our house often resembles a teen hangout which is just fine with us.  Megan has developed a real eye for photography and she feels like this may be where she is headed career-wise.  She continues to develop her musical talents and enjoyed going on a missions trip to the Bahamas last summer.  The night she got home from her missions trip, she accidentally slammed her finger in a door and cut off the end of it.  (Thankfully, dad was out of town!)  Julie put it in a bag and rushed her to the ER where they were able to successfully reattach it.  It looked pretty nasty (in both the good and bad definitions of that term) for several weeks, but is now about 90% of normal.  The Lord was very gracious to her as it was touch-and-go for several weeks and she just hates it when dad called her “stumpy.”

Katie is eleven and enjoying homeschooling which is primarily done on the computer via the internet.  She loves to cook with mom and for her, housecleaning and helping in the kitchen aren’t work, but fun.  She also enjoys singing and music in general and is a generally happy-go-lucky kid that just enjoys life wherever she is.  She’s still deciding what she wants to be when she grows up and facilates between being a full-time mom and working with dogs.

Josh is also ten and homeschooling.  He loves all things military and will talk your ears off regarding his expanse of knowledge on wars if you give him half a chance.  He was able to play football for the first time this fall and enjoys the occasional trip to the lake and mountains for some father/son time with dad.  Ever the social guy, he has made plenty of friends in our new neighborhood.  He loves being outdoors or wrestling with his big brother (and sometimes dad).  He hasn’t decided what he wants to do when he grows up, but you be sure it will be something that involves a lot of “activity”.

As for the rest of our family, our “fifth kid”, Rene, lives in Miami and is working and finishing up his last couple of classes at Florida International University.  It’s hard to believe he’ll be 25 this year!  Zoe, our toy poodle and chocolate afficiendo, still is a lot of fun for the Burrells.  Dan’s mom “retired” this year and is still working about as much as she ever has.  Julie was able to visit her sister, brother, nieces/nephews and cousins this summer for a few days.  Dan’s sisters and their families continue to grow and we always look forward to anytime we can spend with them.

This year has been an interesting year filled with laughter and tears, changes and challenges, heartache and growth — but in all, we have seen and experienced God’s sovereign grace and mercy in ways we could not have imagined a year ago and know that His faithfulness will continue in the year to come.  We’ll keep everyone updated on this blog as the Lord continues to write the story of our journey.  If you need our address or cell phones (we don’t use land lines for now) drop me an email at DLBurrell@Liberty.edu.

May the Lord bless you and your house this Christmas and in 2008.

In recent weeks, I received word of yet another peer in the ministry who has lost his pastorate due to a personal failure.  Sadly, I have seen these things happen far too frequently over my lifetime and it never fails to break my heart and frankly, surprise me.  Often, my first response has been unbelief as in “surely not HIM!”.  At the same time, it also reminds me of my own need to be accountable, be careful and be perseverant as none of us is beyond the potential for a ministry-ending decision.

Coincidentally, Dr. Charles Wood wrote on the topic into today’s “Woodchuck Den” and I thought I’d share a few of his thoughts here:

The fact that I hold the pastoral ministry in such high regard is not a result of any form of “pastor-on-a-pedestal” thinking.  I was disabused of that line of reason many years ago by the notable failures of some very prominent men in fundamentalism.  In fact, my concern lies in the opposite direction.  I see no difference between the spiritual standing before God of a layman or a pastor.  I think both stand on absolutely even ground and really see no basic difference at all between clergy and laity (which is why I am comfortable with the younger pastors today who prefer to be called by their first names rather by some formal title).  I do think, however that there are certain obligations that fall on a pastor that do not fall on a layman (feeding the flock, guarding the sheep, etc.).  I also think that there is some Biblical reference to at least some small measure of  authority involved in the leadership roles of the pastor.

This leadership authority is the point at which my concern for the highest of standards for pastoral leadership comes into play.  I don’t think there is much, if any, exercisable authority that goes with the position or office.  I think the primary authority of the pastor lies in his influence and his ability to influence others to move in the direction that he believes the Lord has directed him to go.  Influence does not come with office or position; it is the product of good character displayed over the long-haul in all the circumstances of life (which is why I tend to prefer longer pastorates).  A careful look at the requirements for pastor/elder in the Pastoral Epistles quickly reveals an emphasis on unassailable character.

Once a man has violated those “canons of character” in any significant way, it seems to me that the strength of his influence is greatly diluted, if not totally lost.  If the matter is not revealed, he will spend the rest of his ministry with the nagging realization that someone could step forward at any moment and either reveal his past or use a threat to do so as a means of “blackmail” (if you don’t believe this can happen, ask Gordon MacDonald).  If the matter is known, there will always be some measure of doubt, however slight, in the minds of thinking people regarding his trustworthiness.  Forgiveness is not a question; God forgives totally and completely and so should we.  As many a former alcoholic has found, however, there are sometimes lasting natural effects from bad practices of habits that have been  readily and immediately forgiven by God.  David was forgiven and even allowed to stay on the throne, but his influence - particularly among his own children - was forever limited (with dire consequences).

The question of the point at which character is so damaged that it can no longer be exercised effectively is another subject, and a very subjective one at that.  This is just my opinion, but the occasional use of a postage meter for one’s own personal mail is hardly the stuff of which disqualification is made, but I do believe that an accumulation of “minor” infractions can amount to serious questions about qualifications.  Character is no one single issue, and it is not limited simply to sexual purity and/or fiscal integrity; it is the accumulation of all our reactions to the stimuli and temptations of life.  A pattern of seemingly minor aberrations can actually be a symptom of far deeper problems.

The “pastor-on-a-pedestal” concept is invalid (and more and more churches are coming to that conclusion).  Unfortunately, in some situations, the “pedestal pastor” has been replaced by the “charismatic clown.”   We have men who are talented almost beyond belief, personable to the ultimate degree, able to communicate like the angels and a variety of other “goodies.”  The shame of it is that they often are almost completely devoid of character or have issues or incidents in their past that would raise questions in any rational mind (not all Christian minds are rational minds - I give you the followers of Ted Haggard who would happily have kept him in the pulpit and the continuing limited popularity of Jimmy Swaggart - and I can even think of a now-deceased “fallen fundamentalist” who appears to have an on-going group of adherents).

Perfection in a preacher?  You’re simply not going to find it.  A shortage of pulpit skills, a somewhat distant manner that makes him appear less that truly compassionate, and other such things are detractions, but they hardly disqualify for ministry.  I continue to think that a man who can no longer be a pastor may well be able to serve in other capacities in ministry, but I do think it essentially that safeguards be built into any such situation.  Some have been given a second chance in the pastorate and failed miserably, but others have been given opportunities in other areas of ministry and have failed equally as badly.

Bottom line?  “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.”

——————-

Now on a personal note, Julie and I appreciate the prayers of those who have been aware of some medical concerns we’ve had with her health and her necessary surgery.  She had her surgery this morning and I was able to bring her home late this afternoon.  She is resting in relative comfort in her own bed tonight.  The surgery went without any surprises and we should know the results of the biopsies within 3-5 days, but we remain positive and absolutely confident in God’s Sovereign Grace and Authority regardless of the results.  The Lord gave me the most spiritual and consistent woman I’ve ever known to be my wife.  In the last year, she has been an absolute rock for me on every level and I am the most blessed man around to have her as my partner.  Thank you to many of you who were aware of her situation and have offered prayers and encouragement for and to us.  We’ll keep you posted here on any results and I’m sorry I can’t call everyone with a personal report.  Your friendship remains a great encouragement to both of us as we conclude one of the most challenging years in our life.

I’ve just returned from my recent trip to Israel.  I’m still fighting off the effects of jetlag, a brutal 15-hour return flight in a middle seat and a respiratory bug I picked up along the way, but it was a tremendous trip.  This was what is known as a “Fam Trip” (for Familiarization Trip) that was sponsored by the Israeli Department of Tourism.  I was invited by my pastor, Dr. Dino Pedrone, who lead 24 pastors and Christian leaders on this seven day whirlwind trip.  Many on the trip will be returning next June for an extended tour of Israel as part of a formal tour.

The closest I had ever been to the Holy Land was to visit the Holy Land Experience theme park in Orlando.  So this was an incredible opportunity for me and the fact that the whole trip cost less than a regular plane ticket to Israel would cost was just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

We were able to spend three days in Jerusalem and then we moved to Haifa and stayed for three more days and used it as our “base” as we explored other areas.  Israel is relatively small and you can travel most of the country in just a matter of a few hours.  Among the highlights I experienced:

• Visiting the Old City of Jerusalem at day and at night.  It’s an amazing place.
• Meeting the head of the Temple Institute where they are making plans and the furnishings for the next Temple.
• Being there for the surprise movement of the $3,000,000 gold menorah that has been built for the new Temple from its storage place to a permanent location on Temple Square.  It was a surreal, historical moment.
• Meeting the Chief Rabbi for Israel for a private 30-minute conversation with our group.
• Meeting with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a private 30-minute conversation with our group.  A very robust and interesting leader.
• Going under the Temple Square area into a labyrinth of tunnels and excavations where history has occurred and is being made today.
• Visiting the Garden Tomb and the crucifixion site where we had communion and a praise/worship service.
• Traveling across the Sea of Galilee during a storm.
• Walking the root of the Triumphal Procession into Jerusalem and having a time of private prayer ‘neath the old olive trees on the Mount of Olives.
• Visiting the River Jordon from it’s origin.
• Visiting Cesarea-by-the-Sea and seeing the ancient ruins.
• Visiting multiple archeological sites that had Biblical history.
• Overlooking the Valley of Giddon where Armegeddon will be fought….an awesome and sobering location.
• Looking over into Jordon and Syria knowing that their hatred toward the Jews was palpable.

This is just a tiny bit of what I experienced and I am already looking forward to my next trip.  In fact, many have signed up for a trip that I may be taking part in (if I get enough to go with me) this coming June.  I had planned on taking a group to the Holy Land from my former church this coming summer, but as things worked out, it wasn’t possible.  But if you’d be interested in going on a great Holy Land Trip for a reasonable cost, drop me an email at DLBurrell@liberty.edu with your name and address and I’ll send you information.  If at least 12 go with me, I’ll serve as your coordinator and semi-guide.  The tour has professional guides that go with us and we would be part of a large group of a couple of hundred, but it’s nice to go with someone who can help you by answering preliminary questions, help you get organized and be available throughout the trip for fellowship and assistance.  I have had several indicate interest in going already, so drop me an email right away and I’ll give you additional information.

If you’d like to see a photo album of some of my journey, click HERE and you can see about 60 of my 500 pictures.

From the “What ARE They Thinking?” department, another one of those infamous “joint letters” that come out of touchy-feely evangelicalism every so often has recently been published which touts the potential for “unity” between Christians and Muslims (think “oil” and “water“).  This particular effort is sadly reminiscent of the dastardly ECT document of the 1990’s in which “Evangelicals” and “Catholics” tried to make nice.

Once again, several leading evangelicals and evangelical institutional heads have signed onto a document that is unBiblical, confusing and just simply wrong.  To suggest that Allah has anything in common with Jehovah or Christianity capable of working alongside of Islam is just blasphemous and shows an apalling lack of comprehension about orthodox doctrine and the necessity of Biblical absolutism and ecclesiastical separation.  As I have often said, “Compromise may be the lifeblood of politics, but it is the deathknell of sound theology.”

Inexplicable, among the scores of rank theological liberals, one will find a smattering of “evangelicals” who have signed on to this wrong-headed tripe.  Among them is Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Leith Anderson, the President of Wheaton University and various officials from Bethel University, Taylor University and Youth with a Mission.  If the so-called leaders of evangelicalism have no more discretion or no deeper commitment to Biblical orthodoxy than this, then evangelicalism may be further lost than many have thought.

In a word, it’s just disturbing.

Read the document HERE.

I’m off to Israel for a few days and will not be available to approve comments submitted regarding this article until I return.

I’ve had multiple people ask me about the soon-to-be-released movie, “The Golden Compass”.  I don’t have the time now to do an in-depth article on the origin of the movie, the trilogy of books that were written as an atheistic response to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and other issues with the movie and the author of the books.  But I am going to re-publish a brief warning issued by the National Coalition for Children and Families.  I join them in urging families to avoid the movie and the books.  This is a non-subtle attempt to undermine confidence in God among children.

Here’s a portion of the NCCF email:

“Google The Golden Compass, an upcoming movie based on a trilogy book series His Dark Materials by British author Philip Pullman, and you will find more than 4.5 million resource results. And as the December 7 release date draws closer, even more attention will be focused on the movie!

Why all the attention on one children’s Christmas movie, you ask. The Christian Post reports, “Christian groups such as the Catholic League have criticized the movie and charged the intentional removal of anti-religious themes as a ploy to encourage kids to read Pullman’s pro-atheism books.” The Catholic League has even published a brochure aimed at exposing the atheistic elements of the work entitled The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked.

Pullman denies his work is selling “atheism for kids” as accusations assert. Rather he says, “I prefer to trust the reader…everybody has the right to form their own opinion.” But in an article by The Washington Post he said, “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief,” adding that C.S. Lewis would describe his books as the “devil’s work.” And upon the release of his book trilogy in Australia in 2003, Pullman told The Sydney Herald that his “books are about killing God.”

If you’d like more information on this movie, simply “google” “The Golden Compass” and a lot of material will come up.