The Pursuit

Let me first say that this is not an attack on Dr. Akin. I personally think that Dr. Akin is a great guy. I truly believe that he wants what he thinks is best for all Christians/Southern Baptists. This critique of his email is merely an attempt to put out a different perspective. My perspective might be seen as liberal, or dangerous, but I believe it is the most biblical perspective.

Dr. Akin and I agree that integrity is an important thing when choosing our leaders (1 Timothy 3). My main question regarding this essay is, what is integrity? Integrity isn’t avoiding unusual situations, it is what you do when you’re in an unusual situation. Dr. Akin himself admits that he has been accused of being a Pharisee, legalist, sexist and Neanderthal but then says that he has never been accused of adultery. What does this tell us? Nothing. The people who are closest to Dr. Akin, those who know him best, have seen him accused of these other things - but they know him well enough to either realize that they are not true, or perhaps realize that they are. I personally feel that if Dr. Akin was alone with another woman, he would not cheat on his wife. In other words, I feel that Dr. Akin does have integrity, not because he refuses to be with another woman alone, but because of who Dr. Akin is, what I know about him, etc. By the way, Dr. Akin has two secretaries in an enclosed office (window on the main door), I could be wrong, but I doubt that he has another male in the room with him at all times. Regardless, I have never thought that he was having a three-way with his secretaries or sending one off to run an errand so he could be with the other.

You see, the Saddleback Ten Commandments, do not mean that the staff of Saddleback have integrity. These rules only give the appearance of integrity. There is a huge difference between integrity and the appearance of integrity. If I wanted to give someone the appearance of integrity, I would make rules that seemed to be noble and then sneak around behind those rules (many cult leaders do this). If I moved to Saddleback and was hired as their staff, how would they know that I had integrity? They wouldn’t, they don’t who I am, what I truly believe, etc. (perhaps you can find some other applications here).

Consider this fragment of scripture as an example of what Jesus did when he was in the face of unusual circumstance:

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “I am a man of integrity and I cannot be seen with a harlot like you.” Immediately, Jesus left that place and protected his integrity. - John 4:1-7

You probably won’t find any examples in scripture of Jesus protecting his integrity, you’ll probably find that Jesus did things a little differently. It seemed like he didn’t care about what the world thought about him. Jesus had integrity and only a man of true integrity can chat with a prostitute about the Kingdom of God without worrying about what others will say. I think I will follow Jesus’ example this time. Even if it means that I open myself up for attack from pharisees, non-Christians, and the like.

What do you think?

A few days ago I received an email sent to all students, staff, and alumni of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The email from Dr. Akin was an essay concerning Integrity in Ministry. In Part 1 of this post I am merely going to attach this email. Afterwards, I would love to hear what everyone else thinks about what Dr. Akin has written or what your thoughts on the subject are. In Part 2 I will discuss the essay and hopefully will discuss what everyone else has commented.

Here is the email:

Integrity In Ministry: A Word From The President’s Heart

By

Daniel L. Akin

For 30 plus years I have been burdened for the personal integrity of those in the ministry. The reasons are simple. Integrity is a biblical requirement (1 Tim 3:1). And, the respect for those in ministry is at a low ebb, especially in our nation. Of course one major area of importance is how ministers conduct themselves with the opposite sex. I have always challenged fellow pastors to make a rock solid, non-negotiable commitment: “I will never be alone with a woman who is not my wife.” This commitment and conviction has not always been applauded. I have been accused of being a Pharisee, legalist, sexist and Neanderthal. I was once accused of having “psycho-sexual hang-ups in need of therapy!” But praise God and by His grace, I have never been accused of adultery because in almost 30 years of marriage, I have never been alone with a woman other than Charlotte. I have no plans to change this.

Sexual temptation is a powerful reality, and a wise person will never forget that no matter how much you love Jesus, “the wrong person plus the wrong place plus the wrong time will equal the wrong thing happening.” Look no further than to the tragic story of King David, a man the Bible says was after God’s own heart.

Sexual immorality exacts a heavy price tag. It will cause you to dishonor Christ, wound the church, break the heart of your mate and lose forever the respect of your children. That is a price only a fool would pay.

This issue was brought to my mind again in a recent blog by my friend Ed Stetzer. By the way, I am excited to tell you that Dr. Stetzer is going to join our faculty as a visiting research professor. Personally I am thrilled we will get to share him with our friends at LifeWay. In Ed’s blog he referenced the “The Commandments for Saddleback Staff” by Rick Warren. Here is Rick’s list.

1. Thou shalt not go to lunch alone with the opposite sex.*

2. Thou shalt not have the opposite sex pick you up or drive you places when it is just the two of you.*

3. Thou shalt not kiss any attender of the opposite sex or show affection that could be questioned.*

4. Thou shalt not visit the opposite sex alone at home.*

5. Thou shalt not counsel the opposite sex alone at the office, and thou shalt not counsel the opposite sex more than once without that person’s mate. Refer them.

6. Thou shalt not discuss detailed sexual problems with the opposite sex in counseling. Refer them.

7. Thou shalt not discuss your marriage problems with an attender of the opposite sex.

8. Thou shalt be careful in answering emails, instant messages, chatrooms, cards or letters from the opposite sex.

9. Thou shalt make your co-worker your protective ally.

10. Thou shalt pray for the integrity of other staff members.

*The first four do not apply to unmarried staff.

These are wise words for any minister of any sex or age. These are principles that will help us in finishing the race well for King Jesus. Integrity as it relates to your sex life is not optional for the minister of the gospel. It is essential. Take the high road in this area. Be cautious and be careful. Stay close to Jesus and stay close to your mate. End your race with no regrets. It will glorify God, and you will be glad you did. I love you, and thank God for the honor of serving you here at Southeastern Seminary. What a blessed man I am.

This is my conclusion to my paper. I still have a lot of work to do to it, but I hope you enjoyed it so far. Let me know what you all thought about it.

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Conclusion

As any driver knows there are many road signs they need to be aware of. Of the many signs there are “Do Not Enter” signs and “Caution” signs. The “Do Not Enter” sign tells the driver that it he should not enter the roadway. The “Caution” sign tells the driver to know where he is, to stay alert, and to pay attention; all of these things so he can avoid any possible danger. This is the same attitude the bible takes concerning alcohol use. God has warned His creation over and over again about the misuse and abuse of alcohol. At the same time, God’s word claims that He has blessed His creation with wine and strong drink and both can be used to the glory of God, for rejoicing in God, and for edifying each other. To teach that the best solution to the alcohol problem is abstinence as a biblical principle falls short from the truth. 1 Timothy 4 touches very deeply on the topic of abstaining.

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

– 1 Timothy 4:1-5

It has been show that wine is a food that God has created to be gratefully shared by those who believe and know the truth (i.e. Christians). As Romans 14 says, if a Christian decides to drink they should do it in the honor of God, if a Christian decides to abstain they too should do it in the honor of God. It would be equally an error to say that abstaining from alcohol is wrong, but clearly as Paul tells his readers in Romans 14, “Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats.” And by all means, if you are tempted to get drunk, abstain and pray that you may not enter into temptation, remembering that “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

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Wine & Strong Drink - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10

This is the third section of my argument, Specific instances of alcohol use commanded in the Bible.

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Specific Instances of Alcohol Use Commanded in the Bible

In Deuteronomy 14, God tells Moses what is proper to do with the tithe. In verse 23 he specifically commands to drink their new wine (tirosh) in the presence of the Lord. Later, in verses 22-26, God talks about people who are too far away to bring their tithe. He tells them to sell their tithe and to use the money to buy whatever they want, including wine (yayin) and strong drink (shekar), and to eat what they bought in the presence of the Lord and to rejoice. One cannot make the assertion that God is commanding the people to get drunk, but it cannot be denied that He is commanding them to drink wine and strong drink. Another command to use alcohol can be found in 1 Timothy 5 when Paul directs Timothy to stop drinking water and to drink wine (oinos) to help relieve his stomach and other ailments.

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Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

My pastor and friend, Alan Knox, gave a lecture to one of Dr. Black’s (of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) classes about how his Ecclesiology was developed. He was able to record the lecture and post it to his website. I listened to it, thought it was great, and wanted to share it with you all.

This is taken with Alan’s permission from here.

Developing a Biblical Ecclesiology Lecture
This is a lecture that I delivered concerning how my ecclesiology - my understanding of the church - has changed over the last few years.

Click here to download a pdf version of my PowerPoint presentation.

Click here to download the entire file (52 MB). Or, click the play button below to play the file online.

Click here to read Alan’s post regarding his lecture.

This is the second part of my argument, Specific instances of alcohol use permitted in the bible.

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The Author’s Argument

Specific Instances of Alcohol Use Permitted in the Bible

Psalm 104 recounts the splendor and majesty of God. The psalmist is blessing God for all the great wonders and works He has done for the earth and its creatures. God established the Earth upon its foundations (v. 5). He causes the grass to grow for the cattle (v. 14a). He made the moon for the seasons (v. 19). The psalmist also blesses God for the fact that He causes vegetation to grow for man “so that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine (yayin) which makes man’s heart glad” (v. 14b-15a). Obviously the use of wine is permitted by God and is seen as a blessing by the psalmist.

John 2 recounts the story of Jesus turning six pots containing water into wine. The headwaiter (or the master of the feast – NKJ) tested the wine and noticed that it was good wine, as opposed to the poorer wine that would normally be served at that stage of the feast, that is, when the party-goers were drunk. If they served the good wine until the party-goers were drunk, it is easily deduced that the good wine is fermented wine, not unfermented grape juice. If this is true, then Jesus must have turned the water into fermented wine; which He could have done easily regardless of fermentation time, since this is a miracle and He is God. As a former lost person, I have been inebriated on more than one occasion. There was never a time when I was inebriated that I could not distinguish between things that tasted good and things that tasted bad. To say that the headwaiter was not inebriated because he noticed the wine was good wine is a failure in experiential logic. But as any drunkard knows, if he is already drunk, he stops caring about what he drinks; as long as it helps keep his “buzz” – which is consistent with the headwaiter’s terminology.

In 1 Timothy 3, Paul gives clear ordinances for the overseer and deacon regarding their lifestyle. An overseer is not to be a drunkard (or given to strong drink) and a deacon is not to be “given to much wine (oinos).” From this biblical evidence, it must be concluded that overseers and deacons are permitted to drink some wine.

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Wine & Strong Drink - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8