kirk cameron and the sbc's "growing pains"

the following was a video taped message to pastors at a booth during last week's annual meeting of the southern baptist convention:

Can I speak to you from my heart for a moment?
I realize that, theologically, I’m not worthy to wash
your socks. But imagine this scenario with me, if you will:

Imagine I’m a “seeker”- I’m a non-Christian, sitting in
your church week after week after week listening to you.
Am I ever going to hear the message that will save my
soul from Hell? Will you ever tell me the truth clearly
enough so that I realize that my sin has made me an
enemy of God: that I am currently on the path that leads
to destruction, with the wrath of God dwelling upon me,
and that unless I repent and put my faith in the Savior,
I will perish?

Or have you decided that it’s better to simply entertain
me, and on Sundays I can come to have my “felt needs”
met with good music and good advice? Pastor, while I
would appreciate that, it’s the ultimate betrayal of my
trust in you if you don’t tell me the truth. Will I ever hear
the words “repent,” “surrender,” “turn to the Savior,”
“be born again”?

If you don’t tell me those things, how will I ever know
to do it?
Please don’t leave it up to the Wednesday night
small-group leader. They’re taking their cues from you.
You’re leading the flock.

And now I speak to you as a Christian.
If you and I fail to teach the whole counsel of God,
and we don’t warn sinners to flee from the wrath to come,
and run to the love of Christ on the Cross to save their soul,
we make a terrible mistake. It doesn’t matter how happy a
person is- how much a sinner is enjoying the pleasures of sin
for a season- without the righteousness of Christ, he’ll perish on
the Day of Judgment. The Bible says, “Riches profit not on the
Day of Wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”

You see, that’s how Kirk Cameron realized he needed a
Savior. I had riches, but I knew that it was the righteousness
of God that I needed in order to be saved from my sin.

HT:strangebaptistfire.com

ill admit it. if i see a "growing pains" marathon on t.v., i will be glued to it until it is over. i watched it faithfully when it was on prime time. so years later when i heard that kirk cameron had become a very outspoken christian i was glad to hear it.

[i choose to pretend that those awful "left behind" movies never happened, and i do not hold them against kirk.]

his work that i have been pleasantly surprised about is his work with "the way of the master" evangelistic ministries. i don't know a tremendous amount about them,(and because of my lack of in depth research i am not endorsing the ministry, per se) but what i have seen and read is encouraging. their approach to evangelism is a much needed break from the "how jesus can make you healthier, wealthier and have a better quality of life" approach that is so prevalent.

cameron's point is well made if it isn't missed. i do **not** think he is saying that every sermon should be delivered as if everyone were a non believer and has never heard teh gospel. what i think he means is that the content of the sermons preached each week need to show us our need for christ. we don't just need a series on the gospel, the whole bible is about the gospel!
from cover to cover we read about the holiness of god, the sinfulness of man, the punishment for sin and disobedience, and the possibility of forgiveness and atonement.

so whether the sunday morning sermon is from one of teh gospels or from leviticus, we should come away knowing that we are people in need of a great savior, and even as christians we need him every day.

we need pastors who faithfully preach the word of god, not straining their minds trying to have the most culturally relevant sermon with the best jokes and wittiest one liners.

we need preachers who are willing to set aside what we want and give us what we need.

it looks like mike seaver finally got it right.