Upcoming Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit

So, I thought I'd start the week off with some thoughts concerning the upcoming Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, TX. I've been asked to take part in a panel discussion on Saturday morning. I am also speaking at 3pm on the topic "Defining and Defending the Continualist Position." I've planned and led quite a few conferences, and my great hope in my participation in this one is that I'll be speaking at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, that time period takes the pressure off greatly.  Generally, only family members, the church custodian, and some guys moving chairs and tables in the back are around at that time, as most have retired to their homes and hotels for a much needed afternoon nap before returning in the evening. Those left in the room usually begin to sink down in their seats and drop their heads in an attitude of prayer that goes on for some time. If not careful, some have been known to actually fall out of their chairs as though they were slain, charismatic style. The 3pm crowd is quite pious, actually.

I'm thinking I really should blow the dust off the old family Bible, crack it open and prepare for this, since I will be surrounded by incredibly qualified people with academic degrees and what not. But, then I thought, why not just wing it?  Since many in the SBC consider those who believe in the continuation of miraculous Spiritual Gifts to base their sketchy theology on experience alone, I thought I'd just show up and see what happens. I'm sure it will turn out all right in the end. I have about 45 minutes to speak, I think, so I thought I'd show a video of people speaking in tongues to each other without interpretation for about 20 minutes. I could get some clips of all types of charismatic phenomena, like people barking, rolling around, and running around the church. It could be entitled, "Coming to a Baptist Church Near You If Continualists Get Their Way!"  Then, since we are experience based after all, I could divide the room up into small groups and ask people to share their feelings about the video. Was it scary? How did it make them feel? After that, I'd blast them for not having enough faith or something. I'm still working on my closing, but I don't want to put TOO much thought into, remember? Spontaneity and all.

In case you didn't realize, this was an experiment in satire. I'm not trying to insult your intelligence by stating the obvious, but I have read comments on some blogs that would lead me to believe that nuance is lost on more than a few. In all seriousness, I am VERY excited about this coming weekend. I feel that it will provide a much needed forum to discuss and debate one of the central controversies in Baptist life today. I am incredibly honored to be speaking and am very excited about the 3pm time, because I will get to go last, in a sense, and I will be able to respond to the statements made by the cessationist speakers before me, Bart Barber and Robin Foster. I am preparing as best I can, and do not plan to just wing it, even though I am sure to be dwarfed by the theological and mental heavyweights that will be my counterparts. So, I appreciate your prayers this week as I get ready for what should be a great experience.

Comments

[Bryan Riley]

Alan, standing in the gap in England.

[Steve Wright]

Hi Alan,
You are way way funny my brother. I will be lifting up the prayers for you and you better know that I will be praying in tongues for you. Bring on the heat.
Peace out,
Steve

[Bob Cleveland]

Alan:

Every time you want me to laugh at something a cessationist says, blink twice. Except I'll probably be laughing already.

Love the satire. See you there.

[Guy Muse]

Like I also wrote Bart Barber, it would be great if those of you sharing in the conference would be willing to share your material with the rest of us via web links, or blog summaries, etc. I know I would love to go to this conference if we were Stateside, but the next best thing is to get the material via the web in electronic form.

[Alan Cross]

Guy, I'll be posting my stuff after the conference. I hope that we'll have a good dialogue and, more than anything, both sides can respect one another and see that there is room in the SBC for both viewpoints. That is my constant prayer.

[Alan Cross]

Steve, I can always count on you, my friend! I'll take any and all prayers I can get for this weekend. That goes for you too, Bryan.

Bob, that might work as long as I don't get something in my eye. Then, it could get confusing!

[Bill Wilkie]

Alan, this post reminds me that in a post immediately following your extensive comments on this issue with the IMB that you reorganized your priorities on key issues that you would spend your time on in the future. I would be interested in your list/rank ordered if possible so that I can compare it against my own list. Or are you back on the same subject but in a different context?

[Alan Cross]

Bill,

Good to hear from you. Your question is a little confusing to me. I am speaking at the Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit this weekend, so I thought I'd write a funny post about the upcoming experience. I'll probably write a little more about the issue after the conference next week because it directly involves something that I'm involved in. I plan to also give a response to the IMB ad hoc committee reports on baptism and private prayer language when they come out in May. Those reports have real significance to the advancement of the gospel of Christ around the world, in my opinion. I am planning on going to the SBC Annual Meeting in San Antonio in June, so I'll probably write some reflections on that event as well.

After that, I plan to be finished (unless something else of interest really stikes me). That is the schedule that I laid out around two months ago and I have stuck with it. The Baptist controversies that I have been involved in have begun to bore me to tears. I see no end to them, although I still get drawn in from time to time on other blogs. My basic problem is that I don't think anything is going to change anytime soon, and I really need to focus on other things in my writing and ministry. However, this issue involving cessationism and continualism is a pretty big deal to me because the effects will be devastating if the current path is followed.

So, I'll write about this and a few other things, but if you want to see where I'm going, check out my writing over the past two months for an indication.

[Dorcas Hawker]

Alan -

You had better prepare! I'm going to be there, listen to every word, and take a bunch of notes, then I will blog on every single thing you said. Then all of blogdom can read what you said and parse it to bits. Be afraid, be very afraid. Ha! Seriously, I'm looking forward to hearing you speak. See you then.

[Paul]

Alan,

A little friendly advice. Change your flight plans. Make sure that you go to Dallas via Tulsa. Spend some time at Oral Roberts University and Kenneth Hagin's Rhema Bible college. I've actually seen Hagin Sr. break down with a "Holy Spirit laugh attack." Kenneth Copeland was there with him and they had a good holy hoot together. You might can even find the video on YouTube. This would be a great intro to your time. I would also recommend using about half of your time leading a practicum. If you can get Bart Barber or Robin Foster to publicly repeat, "Seemetiemytie," "Tiemybowtie," or "Shambala" you will have won the day.

I won't be there in the flesh, but I'll be there with you in spirit (insert your own continualist joke here).

[Beth D]

What, no snakes?

[Alan Cross]

Paul,

I've gotten a bit of feedback from your comment from a few folks who don't comment themselves, but found it hurtful by thinking you were making fun of those who speak in tongues. I saw you using the arguments of others in a sarcastic way to show that they are not totally valid. But, since I was questioned on it by a couple of people, I thought I would address it. Obviously, I don't agree with the perspective that you presented, but I don't think that you do either. In printed media, a lot gets lost in translation. So, I shared my opinion on what you meant. Do you want to do the same, or was I correct?

[Paul]

Alan,

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Yes, I was being sarcastic and maybe poking a little fun at what I consider to be a very extreme element within the charismatic movement. I've also known some charismatic churches that actually have classes on speaking in tongues, which seems a little odd to me if it is a gift of the Spirit. However, I have relatives who are Assembly of God and there is a lot of that influence on my dad's side of the family. It is certainly not my intent to demean people who legitimately speak in tongues or have other charismatic practices.

If I got carried away and offended any of your readers I do sincerely apologize. I can have a dry wit and I realize that doesn't always translate well in print. If you feel it is too offensive, even with this clarification, please delete my comment. It won't hurt my feelings at all.

[R. L. Vaughn]

Alan, I asked a question for you on Wes Kenney's blog, but noticed it was quite an old post. So I hope it won't be inappropriate to bring the question over here (since the topic is related).

In Wes' post "First Impressions" you wrote: "Even if I never see a miracle (and I have seen MANY)…I have seen the things that you and Bart say God is not doing anymore."

Would you clarify what kinds of miracles you have seen? When Jesus commissioned the disciples, He said “these signs” shall follow “them that believe”. These signs included laying hands on the sick for healing, drinking poison without harm, being snake-bit without harm (not necessarily deliberately on these two), speaking in tongues and casting out devils. Do you mean to say you have seen these kinds of miracles? Or do you mean something else?

Thanks.

[Alan Cross]

R.L.,

Sorry I didn't get back with you sooner. I was headed to the conference when I saw it and I completely forgot to answer. Yes, I have seen miracles. I have seen

Amazing Healings - quite a few
Demons cast out of people on two separate occasions
Storm stop immediately in answer to prayer on the Ganges in N. India
A gas tank go 50 miles beyond empty in the Jordanian desert
Prophecies come true
Supernatural guidance that was life saving
Speaking in tongues with interpretation (interpretation was prophetic and foretold an event that later came to pass exactly)

Basically, I have seen just about everything except for the raising of the dead. I am not saying that to brag or claim to be more spiritual, but only to say that what God's Word says is true. Maybe I was in the right place at the right time? Maybe God chose to let me see things because I believed? Maybe I'm a crazy loon and a liar (some might believe that)? I don't speak of my experiences because they really don't matter. People either believe or they don't, and I have found that me sharing my experiences does nothing to either increase someone's faith or diminish it. So, I normally just teach the Word.

[R. L. Vaughn]

That's ok, Alan. On some of the other recent blogs I'm following I had noticed your mention of miracles which answered my question.

I appreciate the explanation. What Baptists mean when they use the term "miracle" varies pretty widely, anywhere from something pretty amazing (like childbirth) to "special miracles" totally outside the normal laws than govern the world.