FrontLine Jul/Aug 2017: Proclaim and Defend
July/August 2017 | VOLUME 27 | NUMBER 4
Our theme for this issue of FrontLine starts with the words “Proclaim and Defend.” These words are the name of the FBFI blog (proclaimanddefend.org) and sum up the purpose of FBFI. We intend to faithfully proclaim God’s truth to saints and sinners alike and to defend God’s truth when it is under direct and indirect attack. Unfortunately, attacks on God’s truth come from professing believers as well as unbelievers—which makes a ministry based on the truth of God’s Word challenging and at times controversial.
This issue includes an opening article on that theme by the editor of our blog, Don Johnson. Since our activity in this arena is online, most of the rest of our articles are dealing with proclaiming God’s truth online in one fashion or another. Matt Recker gives us an article that explains how you can interact with Proclaim & Defend by your own activity on Facebook. (It is possible to do similar things with other social media as well.) Our friend Greg Baker leads a group blog of a similar nature, Rooted Thinking (rootedthinking.com). We asked him to explain his vision for an online publication ministry. We recommend his article and the blog—you should bookmark it and follow it. Thomas Overmiller writes for pastors and churches, giving suggestions for using blogs and online communication as a ministry tool for the local church. Wally Morris, pastor of Charity Baptist Church in Indiana and a frequent contributor to Proclaim & Defend, writes with more of a focus on the “defend” side of the equation—because the Internet is a place where you can find any teaching you want. Pastor Morris writes to give guidelines for discernment. And last in this category, we take a look forward with an interview with Mark Ward on what online proclamation ought to be and how, perhaps, you might serve God by blogging.
We also want to look back—proclaiming and defending is not a new phenomenon in the Christian world. Wally Morris gives us a second article in light of the five-hundredth anniversary of Luther’s Wittenberg theses, with a reminder that God’s light sprang out of a dark place in the Reformation.
Though our times are challenging, we should not give up the ministry of proclaiming or defending. God will use our efforts for His glory, no matter how events turn out in the short term.
Features
Proclaim and Defend
Don Johnson
Our goal is to proclaim and defend biblical Baptist fundamentals.
Proclaim and Defend on Facebook: Is That Possible?
Matthew Recker
Like any power tool, Facebook can be used positively, but it also has obvious dangers.
Rooted Thinking—An Enduring Legacy
Greg Baker
Fundamentalism needs to invest substantially in high-quality, pastoral writing that benefits the entirety of God’s redeemed people.
Using a Blog in Ministry
Thomas Overmiller
Believers have historically used all available platforms for spreading God’s truth in written form; today, one such method is the blog.
Deciding Right and Wrong
Wally Morris
Christians wonder how to sort through all of the opinions and beliefs now openly available with the press of a button or swipe of a finger.
To Blog or Not to Blog
A FrontLine Interview with Mark Ward
The Protestant Reformation
Wally Morris
Five hundred years ago, the Roman Catholic Church heavily influenced all of life, yet the winds of change had been stirring for many years, and Luther’s timing was perfect.
Departments
Mail Bag & News from All Over
On the Home Front
Wit & Wisdom
David Atkinson
Regional Fellowships
The Jehoshaphat Principles, Part 2
David C. Innes
Newsworthy
Robert Condict
On Language & Scripture
Mark L. Ward Jr.
At a Glance: The Progress of Doctrine in the New Testament, Part 3
Layton Talbert
Just Look at His Eyes
Joe Willis
Focusing on Circumstances or Communion with the Lord
Jerry Sivnksty
Our sincere thanks to Don Johnson for coordinating this issue of FrontLine magazine.
(Originally published in FrontLine • July/August 2017. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.)