Barnabas File

Some of the most creative work coming out of the Southern Baptist “shop” these days has been the product of the work of Ed Stetzer, the Director of Lifeway Research and Lifeway's Missiologist in Residence. Because of his creativity, Stetzer has sometimes found himself at odds with some of the “old heads” in the convention. In a recent article in Christianity Today , however, Stetzer has compromised his objectivity. The article, titled “Life in Those Old Bones” carries the subtitle “If you're interested in doing mission, there could hardly be a better tool than denominations.” He attempts to present the case that denominations have a great future in fulfilling the Great Commission, but his examples are highly qualified and tend to be contradictory. The denominations he values look more like those of the past than those of the future. For example, he suggests that newer efforts at cooperation between congregations (such as Willow Creek Association and the Acts 29 Network) “c...