Readers of this blog (see here), and hearers of my preaching (see here), will know how the primacy of the local church is extremely important to me. There is nothing that comes above, or even along side of, the local chuch in importance to the life of the believer. Russ Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has recently wrote a brief article titled, “Jesus Didn’t Die for a Campus Ministry: The Spiritual Danger of Unchurched Spirituality” for the Carl F. H. Henry Institute For Evangelical Engagement of which he is Executive Director. While brief, it is extremely helpful. Dr. Moore is sharp and astute and everything he says and writes is worth reading. I had the privilege of picking him up and dropping him off at the Toronto airport when he came to speak at the 2007 TBS graduation. He is a good man!
On that note, check out his recent chapel message at SBTS on which Justin Taylor calls, “one of the most prophetic pro-life messages I have ever heard.” Listen to “Joseph of Nazareth is a Single-Issue Evangelical: The Father of Jesus, the Cries of the Helpless, and Change You Can Believe in” (Matt 2:13:23).
Working out Salvation with Fear and Trembling 