Why “Barnabas File”?

I have posted more than 1000 offerings on this blog over the past 10 years. My first post was “Hello! I'm Ircel. Trying a blog is something of an adventure for me, but I am willing to give it a shot.” Yes. That was it!

This blog was a continuation of a monthly column I wrote first for Reflections, the collegiate ministry newsletter of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. I took the title with me as I began writing a column for the Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship newsletter. Where did I get the title? The “file” part predates the computer file and goes back to an old manila file into which I would drop notes with ideas about future projects or things I wanted to comment about. “Barnabas” is one of my favorite characters in scripture; he was a person who looked for the best in others and was called “son of encouragement” by the early apostles. The name honors those who have been encouragers to me and embodies what I hope to be to others

My topics over the years have been varied. I first wrote about my involvement in the work of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and concerns about the future of the church. Increasingly, I began to talk about personal insights—spiritual, relational, and professional. More and more, I just write about what interests me from book and film reviews to space travel. I won't say that I don't have an agenda; everybody does, but I hope I express mine with courtesy and curiosity.

The most important driver of my writing is that I write about what interests me. I am always surprised when there is a spike in readers of a particular post. Here are the five most read posts:

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist Dec 13, 2016	2577
Calling a Woman as Pastor Jan 14, 2015	1005
The Topic Churches Avoid Jul 18, 2016	791
Are Seminaries “Selling Their Souls”? Nov 26, 2015	753
Leadership at the Summit Day One Aug 11, 2016	731

From time to time, I touch on a subject with which others resonate. I am grateful for those who read, respond, and share with others.

What will I write about in the coming year? I have no idea. I don’t even know what I will write about next week. But I will write something and look forward to response and feedback. Thanks for reading.

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Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist. I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age. I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving. This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students. We supported missionaries at home and abroad. We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course). I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition. Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect. There were significant...

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself. The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church. Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs. What once worked no longer seems to be effective. Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educa...

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor. He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.” In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.” Jesus turned this around. In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner. His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced. He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality. These are metapho...

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church. On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter. Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year. He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability ...

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business. For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates. He has already left the church and resigned from the board of t...

Barnabas File

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