baptism | Blind Man's Fancy

Death by Analytics (Why Stats Choke the Life Out of Your Church)

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 B.J. MaxwellBiblical Meditations, Church Life, Galatians

“but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh” (Gal 6.13). Baseball has its BABIP (batting average on balls in play). Basketball has its PER (player efficiency rating). Football has its AYPA (adjusted yards per attempt). “Analytics” has taken professional sports by storm. Calculus before coaching. Algorithms over experience. Xs-and-Os on a clipboard only arrange 3-D mathematics. Losses once explained by how a fickle […]

Baptist Catholicism (What the Altar Call, Sinner’s Prayer & Pope Have in Common)

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015 B.J. MaxwellBaptism, Christian Life, Church Life, Romans, The Gospel

The typical Baptist suffers from Catholiphobia: the fear of all things Catholic. We Baptists often know more about Catholics than Catholicism, which is probably true of any religious tradition. We tend to define religious traditions by the few people we know who practice them rather that what that tradition has historically confessed. Nevertheless, it doesn’t take long for a Baptist to realize he strongly opposes Catholic baptism. The Council of Trent‘s […]