Whirled Views with Dan Burrell

Perhaps one of the most frequent questions I’m asked is “Do you believe it is always wrong for a Christian to drink alcoholic beverages?”  For many years, I taught and believed that the Bible taught unequivocally that alcohol should not be consumed by Believers.  In order to defend that position, Scripture would often be twisted to make it say things it simply did not say.  Eventually, I would reach the point when I would refuse such tactics as theologically and intellectually dishonest and philosophically unnecessary.  Simply put, I don’t believe that Jesus turned the water into Welches, but into real wine — and probably mighty fine wine at that.  I do not believe that using wine for medicinal purposes was banned…in fact, in both the Old and New Testament, there are passages that indicate that in that time in history, alcohol may have been the best “medicine” available — though one would have a hard time making that case today and still maintain their intellectual integrity in the process.

That said, I am a tee-totaler.  I simply do not drink.  I’ve been called a legalist because I don’t, but frankly, I’ve reached the conclusion that for many, any one who holds a position with spiritual overtones that is MORE conservative than them makes the other person a “legalist”.  Conversely, if it is LESS conservative, they are considered a “liberal”.  Both views are silly.  In my mind and conviction, I do not find using alcohol something that I should do.  So I don’t.  If you reach a different conclusion and don’t violate Biblical edicts regarding drunkenness or addiction or moderation, then I really am not interested in engaging you in debate.  It’s just not that important to me to insist that you agree with me.  In my own mind, I’m convinced that it simply isn’t for me.  I respect your position; please respect mine.  That includes not asking me to pay for the alcohol of others at meals out, bringing into my home or using it in front of my children.  In that area, as the head of my home and accountable to God for the influences in my family, I would ask respectful deference.  I certainly would yield to others wishes if/when roles were reversed.

However, I’m not just a person in the audience.  By virtue of my calling and public ministry, I do get asked about such things frequently.  So, in the interest of having a place on this blog to which I can refer people with questions about the topic or who are curious as to what principles I feel are in play, I will offer the following Five Reasons Why I Don’t Drink Alcohol.  Feel free to think on them, comment on them, study them for yourself and then ask yourself what is best for a Believer.  I think it is unwise to give such a topic no thought.  Many lives, homes and reputations have been destroyed by alcohol.  Even those who exercise their Christian libery to imbibe often do so for reasons that I find suspect — like to cope with stress, to relax, to unwind.  But again, I’m not interested in lengthy debates on the topic.

So, here’s my rationale….for better or worse.  Now when someone asks me this question, I can just refer them to this Blog article.

Five Principles of Discernment Regarding Drinking

1. Is this habit forming?  I Corinthians 6:12

Principle: Believers should avoid anything that results in a loss of self-control.

2. Could it lead to excess?   Ephesians 5:18-21

Principle: Believers are to be marked by moderation so that our consistency will point others to Christ.

3. Could this cause someone to stumble?   Romans 14:21

Principle:  Believers should be willing to yield their “rights” to Christ so as not to be a hindrance to others.

4. Could this harm my Christian testimony?   Romans 14:16

Principle:  Believers should guard their Christian testimony by rejecting anything that would harm it.

5. Am I certain that it is right?  Romans 14:22-23

Principle: If you are in doubt or sense conviction about something, then don’t proceed.  Otherwise, it is sin.

Several years ago, during a time in my life when I was under huge stress, had been betrayed by several close friends and members of the staff from the large church where I was the pastor and was trying to figure out what God was going in my life, I became acquainted with the ministry of The Institute of Biblical Leadership.  Usually when I had previously been involved with an organization regarding leadership, I was interacting as a colleague or even as a lecturer or an officer.  Now, for the first time in my life, I was in need of someone to help me find order in the chaos of my own life and leadership.  It was IBL that helped me refocus and regain my footing in what was some of the darkest days of my professional life.

It was the beginning of a relationship that has recently included an opportunity to join the Board of Directors. Ironically, (or perhaps, providentially) it is located in the same tiny mountain community where we have a family retreat.  Lake Lure, North Carolina is located in the foothills and first mountains of the Blue Ridge chain near Asheville and Hendersonville.  It’s “old” North Carolina and sits along side a beautiful and historic lake.  It is there that leaders from all over the world have visited to unload some of their baggage, re-energize in a beautiful setting and receive Godly counsel from IBL Founder, Dr. Russ Lloyd and Executive Director,  Dr. David Phalen.

But coaching and counseling are just the beginning of what IBL does.  In addition, they train church lay leaders on how a church should be structured with Biblical Leadership.  (A service, had I utilized it when I was a Lead/Senior Pastor, would have saved me  hours of aggravation and problems.)  Internationally, they train national pastors around the world.  The produce training materials for local churches and similar ministries.  They do crisis intervention with people in the ministry who have experienced failures or struggle with weaknesses.  Finally, the provide consulting for churches seeking to make internal changes in leadership or organizational structure, including those who are in interim situations and without pastoral leadership.

IBL fills in gaps that are not not being filled anywhere else or by few other organizations and they do it with a servant’s heart and a Biblical foundation.  They are supported by churches and individuals who understand the need for Biblical leadership and structure in the local church and ministry organizations and who also know that many times pastors have no one to whom they can turn with confidence that they will receive Biblical support while acknowledging the unique pressures and circumstances around being a ministry leader.

So as my own personal ministry and journey have taken multiple unexpected turns in the last four or five years, the leadership IBL have been  counselors, mentors and now colleagues.  I look forward to investing in a ministry that stood in the gap for me on a personal and professional level and which provides support and encouragement for ministry leaders at every level.  From someone who felt like no one was or could understand what was happening in his life at the time, having the opportunity to meet leaders like Dr. Lloyd and Dr. Phalen was just what I needed as they allowed me to vent, question, challenge and wonder.  In response they listened, counseled, admonished and ministered.  I want to help them meet and be available to others who might just need that support.

If you are a lay leader seeking information, training or coaching for your church as they form or search for a pastor, if you are a pastor who is in a time of stress, transition or even rebuilding, if you need someone to come and train your team and make them function more Biblically and effectively or if you are looking for a ministry that is worthy of your support, prayers and even gifts during the difficult days of this economic recession, The Institute of Biblical Leadership should be ministry you consider.  Take some time and visit their website.  If you have any questions, contact me at DLBurrell@Liberty.edu.  You’ll be glad that you did!

I’m honored to now be part of the IBL team.  Plan on hearing more about this ministry in the days to come on this site.

I enjoy reading about, learning from and teaching others about Worldviews.  When you start mentioning worldview, philosophy, apologetics, theological implications, etc…, the average person starts to glaze over with disinterest.  Not me.  I lean forward and start listening more closely.  I know.  I’m strange.

One of the things that I like to do is take complicated things and break them down so everyone can understand them.  That is what I have been trying to do in regard to Worldviews and Philosophy for the last 20 years.  Recently, my pastor at Life Fellowship Church where I serve as the Executive Pastor, asked me to fill in on a Sunday and I did a sermon entitled, “Whose View Have You? — Beware of an Unsure Foundation.  You can actually hear it HERE.  In fact, this very topic is why I call this blog, “Whirled Views.”

But I often think and communicate better through my fingers, so I have also put much of what I said (or intended to say) in writing as well.  I’m going to start posting the text to this lecture/lesson here, on “Whirled Views”, over the next few updates.  It is not intended to be a deep philosophical treatise on all the Worldviews, but a simple primar to help people get started on why what we accept as TRUTH in our lives really matters.

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Whose View Have You? — Beware of an Unsure Foundation
Copyright 2011 - Dan Burrell

Whether you are building a skyscraper or painting a portraint or writing a term paper or preparing a sermon or laying a sidewalk or making soup – the key to whether or not you complete the job well or not is dependent upon whether or not you lay the “foundation” correctly.  The beginning is absolutely crucial to success.  Mess up the first step, the foundation, the base, the core – and there will be trouble from that point forward.  Done improperly, everything that comes after it will be faulty, flawed and fatally weakened. 

God gave man the perfect start.  Paradise.  Furnished flawlessly.  Everything needed for happiness, health and harmony.  He provided companionship.  He stocked the “refrigerator”.  He gave mankind purpose and opportunity.  He protected us from sickness and death, from pain and suffering, from hatred and wickedness.  His only stipulation – was that He wanted us to love Him and trust Him above all else.  Not as the consequence of a genetic preprogramming that would have turn us into a droid that had no other choice than to obey, worship and love his creator, but as because we simply loved and trusted Him.  That was all. 

And in that sacred design, he gave us the power to choose.  To rebel.  To decide whether or not we would love Him or not love Him.  To rebel or yield.  To demonstrate that our devotion was real and not required. 

But Satan had another plan.  A plan which would empower Him.  Everything that God would create perfect, Satan would attempt to pervert.  That was the name of his game.  In doing so, he hoped to displace God.  His strategy was to exploit that unique relationship between the creation and the Creator and turn that which was created against He Who had created him.  At the heart of his agenda, Satan knew that he had to change the way they made decisions.  They way they discerned.  The way they thought.  The only way he could do that was to replace the Truth of God with a lie.  How could he do that?  He would have to inject mistrust and distrust.  He would need to challenge God’s authority, veracity and ability.  And with this in mind, he connived his diabolical plan and launched it upon the ones created in God’s very image. And they fell for it. And so do we.  We buy into the lie.  We question God and choose NOT to believe Him.  We refuse to accept His authority as absolute and in our hearts, we suspect that perhaps He’s holding something better back from us.  And that which was stable and firm and whole and secure – was BROKEN.  Irretrievably so.  All because we left our firm foundation.  And the consequences are devastating. Today, we have a crisis in our culture because we have lost our orientation and the consequences have made us culturally and intellectually and emotionally and at times, even physically unstable.  We no longer know right from wrong and even if we suspect the answer, we are more likely to choose to do things our way than God’s.  Even among those who would wear his name.  We’ve lost our ability to discern and are ever reluctant to direct our will to submit to Truth. 

ü  Thus, we care more for baby seals than baby humans.

ü  We vote with our pocketbooks and not with our values.

ü  We no longer worship the Creator, but the creation.

ü  We have compromised away the definition of “family” as God founded it.

ü  We choose churches based on services and entertainment values than doctrine and sound teaching.

ü  We follow feelings rather than facts.

ü  We appreciate experience and emotion over Truth.

ü  We speak of our belief in God and we behave according to our wants and desires.

ü  We like form and aesthetics more than we care about substance and integrity.

ü  We act on our own desires and get mad at God when things don’t meet our expectations.

ü  We cry about not getting what we want when so many around us don’t have what they need.

ü  We consider Biblical virtues such as chastity, morality, purity and integrity to be quaint, old-fashioned and out of date; while we substitute new virtues of tolerance and compromise which permit or even promote deviancy, perversion and the destruction of cornerstones of civilization.

ü  We cry over our pets and sacrifice for their care, while we never shed a tear of a soul bound for hell nor will we even give to God the firstfruits of our resources which were His to begin with. 

We have developed consciences sufficiently hardened that will allow us to live like the devil during the week and then make a visit to church on Sunday and still consider ourselves “good enough. 

We want morality until it cramps OUR style.  We believe in the Sanctity of Marriage until OURS get a little difficult.  We think Hollywood is corrupt and evil, but we don’t mind enjoying it without a filter.  We think God is important, but will consistently choose to skip Sunday services and ministry rather than work so we can play without sacrifice.  We think the church should do more ministry, but if it comes down to giving our tithe or going to the movies – guess which one usually wins? 

Simply put – even in the church today, we’ve adopted the world’s way of thinking.  We’re attempting to change God into something that is acceptable to us rather than considering whether or not we are acceptable to Him. 

It all begins with “What is your view of Truth?”———-to be continued……..

Genesis 3:1-7 ¹Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.  He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” ²And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

I’ve been nagging my friend and mentor, Dr. Charles Wood, for years about turning his huge archive of articles that he has written over the years into a blog.  For some reason known only to him, he has resisted.  To me, it’s been like having a library behind lock and key.  Finally, the doors have been opened and all can enter!

Dr. Wood is a “semi-retired” pastor who is still a prolific writer, sometimes guest speaker, occasional adjunct professor, an expert on stamp collecting and one of the few men I’ve ever had in my life who put up with incessant questioning and probing and other flaws and listened, counseled and let me vent.  Truly one of the most influential men I’ve had speak into my life during my adult ministry.  He is a friend, father figure and a real “hoot” if you hang around him much.

Do yourself a favor and bookmark his blog website and then return to it often.  Read the past articles.  Send him questions and ideas — he might even write on them sometime.  I can’t recommend him more highly — he is truly a treasure!

You’ll find his blog link in my blogroll or you can go to it directly HERE.

While it may not go down well with politicians and those who don’t care about theology, Pastor Jeffries of the First Baptist Church of Dallas was 100% correct when he identified Mormonism as a “cult”. Jeffries — and all other pastors — have a responsibility that supersedes politics and politically correct speech and that is to clearly enunciate sound doctrine and the Gospel (as do all believers). I have HUGE reservations about Romney — both theologically/spiritually and politically. But we must all keep in mind that while compromise is the lifebreath of politics, but it is the death knell of good theology. Kudos to this man who called them cultists — he was point on correct.

Read a good apologetic on this topic HERE.

America’s history is punctuated, and at times littered, with the stories of religious leaders of every denomination, stripe and reputation. From Cotton Mather and Charles Wesley to Billy Sunday and D.L. Moody to Oral Roberts and Jerry Falwell, a nation born out of a desire to worship God as we are inclined to do so has given rise to some interesting personalities.Among the most flamboyant, notorious and controversial of these was “Dr.” J. Frank Norris, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas. He was, inarguably, one of America’s first “megachurch” pastors, but he was much more than that. He was also a showman, muck-raking journalist, astute businessman and, in the minds of some, a murderer.

Pastor David Stokes,* a man who grew up in fundamentalism and one who was well-acquainted with the reputation of J. Frank Norris, has written a mesmerizing book about the sensational murder trial of the pastor from Fort Worth as he stood to account for the shooting of D. E. Chipps with a pistol from his desk—right in the pastor’s office. The Shooting Salvationist is impeccably researched from the archives of Ft. Worth and Austin, Texas newspapers, Norris’ own Searchlight tabloid and numerous other documents located in the archives of the local libraries, the University of Texas at Arlington and the Arlington Baptist College.

The book is not intended to be a treatise on southern fundamentalism, the gifts of Norris or the history of religion in Texas or elsewhere. Instead, it is clearly a historical work with nary a suggestion that it was being written by a minister—let alone one who can trace his spiritual heritage back to the doorstep of the infamous “Texas Hotel,” located very near Norris’ office. It is a work of history and fact that has the feel and vibe of a John Grisham novel about some sort of trial in a hot and humid southern town.

Every generation or so, Hollywood takes the story of some real or imagined colorful religious icon and makes a movie about it. Works like “Elmer Gantry,” “The Apostle” and “Leap of Faith” are examples. If ever there was a book that was ready to be turned into this generation’s “Elmer Gantry” it is The Shooting Salvationist. In fact, the book reads much like a movie script with a precise coverage of detail that can, at times, be almost mind-dulling. Stokes expertly captured the feel and atmosphere of American life during that era from his examination of the Scopes Monkey Trial to the heydays of Ft. Worth’s rise to prominence to the powerful influence of the tabloid style of journalism then practiced by the likes of William Randolph Hurst and Norris himself.

Norris’ story

The story begins with a look at Norris’ fascination with William Jennings Bryan, who was winding down his public career as the lawyer who represented the plaintiff in the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial. Norris had a yearning for notoriety and attention that flew right past simply having a strong ego or excessive self-confidence. As such, he constantly looked for ways to find the limelight, to attach himself to others who would bring him acclaim and an attitude that gave little thought to representing the softer and more humble attributes of the gospel he thundered from his pulpit. Stokes gives the reader insight into Norris’ childhood and early days, which would later encourage inferences as to why he ended up shooting a man in what appeared to many to be cold blood. The author tracks and traces the meteoric rise of Norris’ career to assume the role as one of Texas’ most influential pulpiteers, as he took on the role of pastor of First Baptist Church of Ft. Worth.

Norris quickly made a name for himself by combining lead articles in his weekly periodical, The Searchlight, with sensationalist sermons that were promoted and then printed in it. He would foreshadow sermon topics and promise scandalous revelations about local politicians and businessmen that he called out by name from his pulpit. Accuracy of speech was not an encumbrance to Norris and innuendo and suggestion were tools he artfully deployed when speaking and writing. As a result, he made myriad enemies with people of influence across Texas.

Ultimately, one of the most pivotal experiences of his life, and the source of the topic for this book, occurred when Norris shot D. E. Chipps after Chipps allegedly threatened him and perhaps even made a move toward him with the intent to do the minister harm. Interestingly, not even twenty-four hours later, Norris was back in his pulpit—soon to face the charge of first degree murder and the possibility of the death penalty. Stokes masterfully reveals different facets of Norris’ complex personality. As the trial unfolds in Arlington—moved there to find a better venue—we see a man who was unrepentant and arrogant, charming and witty, and even at times frail and sickly. Indomitable, he took on the trial process and its tapestry of politics, law and theatrics and made his case through his attorneys. Truly, it was the O. J. Simpson trial of his day.

In the end, though Norris was acquitted, Stokes never quite answers the question of whether or not the flamboyant preacher indeed murdered the oft-drunk Chipps. Certainly, reasonable doubt existed and, at the same time, the specter of plausibility as the facts of the trial and the testimony of the witnesses played out.

Value for fundamentalists

So why is such a book featured in a fundamentalist website in the form of a review? I admit that the book was quite different from what I anticipated. This is a secular book—that does not even covertly defend or explain Norris’ theology. Nor does it give a rolled-eye or an up-turned nose toward Norris’ excesses and arrogance. The author simply lays out precisely what happened and lets the reader draw his own conclusion. The book reads like a crime novel, only it’s true. It is peppered with the earthy, and at times blasphemous, language of the unconverted. It doesn’t hold back on the details of hypocrisy, yet it doesn’t try to portray the story as a microcosm of a bigger movement. This book is simply about J. Frank Norris and his murder trial, nothing more or nothing less.

Yet, for those who might be familiar with Norris and the fundamentalist names of that era ranging from Jones, Rice, Vick, Sunday and others, the book offers fascinating insight into the cradle of modern fundamentalism—particularly of the Southern variety. We see ego and the KKK, cantankerous spirits and pragmatic methodology, raw ambition and yet, a concern for reaching others with the gospel. It’s hard at times to sift through the debris in search of the good elements, but it does help us understand the nature of many who lay claim to the title of “fundamentalism” today. Indeed, many of the same tactics, techniques, manipulation and even mannerisms still exist in some branches today.

Norris, post-trial

At the conclusion of the book, one is left slightly unsatisfied. Unsatisfied that we don’t have a sure conclusion as to the guilt or innocence of the “preacher.” Unsatisfied that we don’t have a lot of additional insight into Norris’ activities, or even accomplishments, after the trial. Unsatisfied with the lack of dogma or conclusions that would allow us to agree or disagree with the author. Obviously, that was his intent.

Norris went on to found a movement of Independent, fundamentalist Baptists. That movement split in the 1950’s and the Baptist Bible Fellowship based in Springfield, Missouri formed. The remaining movement became the World Baptist Fellowship and Arlington Baptist College became their flagship institution. Norris was the pastor and co-pastor of the Temple Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan whose pulpit he shared with G. Beauchamp Vick—the eventual lead pastor and the first president of Baptist Bible College in Springfield. Today, that same church bears little resemblance to its famous pastor of years gone by and is known as Northridge Church, led by Pastor Brad Powell—himself the son-in-law of a firebrand fundamentalist icon—the late Wally Beebe. The roots of many in today’s fundamentalism and evangelicalism can be traced back to one J. Frank Norris, the shooting salvationist.

If you are into history of any sort, curious about the origins of today’s fundamentalism or simply interested in one of the most colorful and controversial characters in American religious history, read this book. It is not a brief tome, but it kept my attention from start to finish.

In an interesting twist of irony, the school founded by one of America’s most flamboyant and controversial religious leaders has just hired another one of America’s most flamboyant and controversial leaders to serve as its provost and vice-president—Ergun Caner. Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Notes

* David Stokes is a friend and colleague of mine. In addition, I was once active within the Baptist Bible Fellowship and served as the senior pastor of a Baptist Bible Fellowship affiliated church.