Michael Clary Profile picture
May 4 9 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Some say the SBC isn't woke & there's nothing to be alarmed about. Don't be so sure.

Paul said "a little leaven leavens the lump."

The broader SBC may not be full-blown woke, but some places are.

A friend recently shared notes from a SEND Philly training.

See for yourself🧵
My friend attended a training who's purpose was "to assist planters, pastors, ministry leaders and lay persons with a heart to serve those within the urban context."
The "urban context" is defined according to progressive priorities using leftist buzzwords.

Page 8 describes "marginalized" people as "the other."
They are subject to:
* Systemic racism
* System disparity
* Modern day slavery and
* Environmental oppression Image
Jesus' ministry is presented as a social justice crusade to empower "the least of these."

This is a misuse of that text. The "least of these" in Mt25 refers to Christians who are socially ostracized because of their faithfulness to Jesus. It doesn't teach social activism.
The biblical justification they provide is simply to accept the social justice framing as valid and then quote texts where Jesus ministers to people who fit those categories.

* Poor
* Women
* Disabled
* Strangers
* Prostitutes
* Criminals

Jesus is the "marginalized savior"


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Ministry leaders are instructed to do "incarnational ministry" like Jesus (dubbed "biblical justice") by focusing on marginalized peoples.

The definition of biblical justice is provided by Ron Sider, a well known progressive social justice advocate. Image
What does this kind of incarnational ministry look like in practice? A buffet of buzzwords.

* Opposing systemic oppression
* Protest events
* Recognizing inequity
* Use your power/privilege to be a voice
* Advocate for the oppressed

Preaching the gospel is barely acknowledged. Image
The pastor's #1 task is to preach Christ & him crucified.

Trainings like this take a church planter's zeal & guilts them into using worldly means to accomplish spiritual ends.

They're taught that Jesus is more of an activist than savior.

It's a false gospel that cannot save. Image
According to Linked in, the author of this training material is still employed by NAMB. Image

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More from @dmichaelclary

Jul 19
My oldest son turned 18 this week. I wanted to give him something special that would last a lifetime.

So I asked some godly Christian men of all ages to write him a letter sharing life wisdom they'd acquired. I got 37 responses. Their answers blew me away. 🧵 Image
Their letters were packed with centuries worth of experience and wisdom. So I printed them all out, put them into a notebook, and gave them to him on his birthday.

He was overjoyed to received it. So he sat down right away and carefully read each letter.
His response made me realize that this gift was much larger than I intended. These men took seriously the request to pass down their wisdom to a younger man.

So I went back through each letter and extracted a few of my favorite nuggets to share here, arranged by topic.
Read 46 tweets
Jul 13
When I was on staff w CRU, I was trained to immediately offer new converts assurance of salvation. That was a mistake.

In the 15+ years since then, many of those people have abandoned the faith.

With so much apostasy going on, the doctrine of perseverance is badly needed.🧵
Altho true believers cannot actually lose their salvation, neither should they presume to be saved simply because they once made a profession of faith.

That's decisionism.

The initial "decision" to follow Christ is only the first step in a lifelong commitment to discipleship.
The apostasy we experience these days is especially troubling for Calvinists (like me).

Second Peter 1:10 is a key text.

It says, "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall."
Read 16 tweets
Jun 21
Melchizedek is one of the most fascinating characters in the Bible.

He reveals who Jesus is in remarkable ways.

Melchizedek only appears 3X in the Bible (Genesis 14, Psalm 110, and Hebrews 7), but significance to the story of redemption in Christ cannot be understated.

1/
Some data points (cf. Heb 7)

1. He is a king (Gen 14:18)

2. He is a king of righteousness (by translation of his name, "Melchizedek")

"Melchi" from the Hebrew "melek" means "king"

"Zedek" from the Hebrew "tsedeq" means "righteousness"

2/
3. He is a king of peace (by the name of his city, Salem, cf Gen 14:18)

"Salem" from the Hebrew "shalom" means "peace"

4. Salem was likely the city later to be known as Jeru-Salem.

Ps 110:2, "the LORD sends forth from Zion (AKA Jerusalem) your might scepter."

3/
Read 11 tweets
Apr 8
In light of the recent news that NT scholar/ethicist Richard Hays is now gay affirming, I pulled my old copy of his ethics book from seminary and revisited the chapter on homosexuality.

In 1996, he said homosexuality is sinful. In 2024, he reportedly believes the opposite. Image
After a casual perusal of this chapter, it was there all along. We should not be surprised by Hays' announcement. Further, current evangelical leaders exhibit similar warning signs.

I'll mention three here.
First, Hays misapplies the concept of "nuance."

He opens with a sad story about Gary, his Christian friend who was gay and dying of AIDS.

Through this friendship, Hays realize that "public discussion of [homosexuality] has been dominated by insistently ideological voices."
Read 12 tweets
Feb 16
The church planting craze of the 2000s and 2010s was a mess. We're feeling the downstream effects of it now.
🧵
Here's a dirty little secret of the church planting world. It's a haven for guys that don't want to take the traditional route of waiting their turn in an established church so they could move up when the senior pastor retires.
Most of them are young, high-charisma, youth/music guys with a knack for technology. They're good at marketing too. They know how to sell a product. They deploy these skills to great effect, attracting people by creating hype and buzz around a exciting Shiny New Thing.
Read 19 tweets
Feb 2
Guilt and shame are powerful, negative emotions that are like warning lights in our souls that something is wrong. They are gifts of God for our good, but can also be manipulated for our harm.

In our day, progressives use shame as a manipulation tactic. Here's how it works. 🧵
Guilt is the feeling that something you did was wrong. It's the sense that you violated some external standard.

Shame is the feeling that who you are is wrong. The standard is vague and internal. Your very existence is wrong.
Being "put to shame" was greatly feared in the Bible.

To be "put to shame" is to be utterly cast out as worthless, humiliated, exposed, and naked.

It's the feeling of a child on the playground, knocked down and surrounded by bullies, pointing, laughing, and mocking you.
Read 13 tweets

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