1/23/2019

Acts 2:41

⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

The mere reading of this statement leaves the impression that numbers are important.  Before I make some comments let me add a little background.

I was reared in the Southern Baptist Church.  From my earliest memories are those of emphasis on numbers.  There was a tote board in the front of the church in a very visible place that gave the Sunday School attendance and the offering amount.  At that time these were also announced at the beginning of the church service.

This morning I have spent three hours reading of problems in the Seminary from which graduated in 1975 and my wife’s denomination.  These problems are traced to Confessional infidelity and rightly so.  But there is a question which lies behind.  “How did the camel get his nose in the tent”?

In 1975 this Seminary had around 100 students.  The overwhelming concern was growth.  I know—I was there.  When denominational Joining and Receiving with another denomination was planned, the Seminary’s single concern was growth.  I know—I was there.  What we see today is the result of an overweening quest for growth.