Cooperation

Praying for Parachurch Ministries

By D. A. Carson | 9Marks Journal: Church and Parachurch: Friends or Foes? | 03.01.2011

Should there be any difference between the way we pray for a local church and the way we pray for a parachurch organization? No and yes.

For the Church: Which Parachurch Ministries Should You Support?

By Andy Johnson | 9Marks Journal: Church and Parachurch: Friends or Foes? | 03.01.2011

Don’t support just any parachurch organization. Instead, use them to support efforts, individuals, or teams that you trust.

Are Parachurch Ministries Evil? Bad and Good Arguments for the Parachurch

By Aaron Menikoff | 9Marks Journal: Church and Parachurch: Friends or Foes? | 03.01.2011

The failure of particular local churches may be the best, most enduring reason for the need for solid, gospel-centered, evangelistic parachurch ministries.

How Parachurch Ministries Go Off the Rails

By Carl Trueman | 9Marks Journal: Church and Parachurch: Friends or Foes? | 03.01.2011

The parachurch is not the church. It does not do what the church does, and it should not supplant the church in the minds and lives of those involved in its work.

Leadership Interview with Mark Dever

Life and Ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention

By D. Akin, M. Dever | 10.29.2010

Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Seminary, talks about his conversion, the Great Commission Resurgence, easy believism, what he’s learned from Paige Patterson and Al Mohler, and more.

When, Why, & Where To Draw Boundaries

By Wayne Grudem | 9Marks Journal: Cooperation | 04.02.2010

It is impractical and impossible to rule out doctrinal errors before they appear. Problems must be dealt with after . . . they have become a significant problem for the church.

How do we discern when new doctrinal boundaries are needed?

9Marks

False teaching changes, so old doctrinal boundaries do not always protect against new problems. But how can we know when we need new boundaries? We can discern when we need to erect new doctrinal boundaries when:

Why should churches draw doctrinal boundaries?

9Marks
False teaching harms the church. Paul calls right doctrine “sound” or “healthy” (1 Tim. 1:10; 2 Tim. 4:3). False teaching, by contrast, is spiritually destructive (2 Pet. 2:1). False teaching spreads. The New Testament warns us that false teaching spreads like gangrene (1 Tim. 2:17). Churches should draw boundaries for the sake of their health and even their very lives.  

How do we determine which doctrines are more important and which are less important?

9Marks

The answer to that question depends on how closely related to the gospel a doctrine is and how much practical impact it has on the Christian life.

How much theological agreement is necessary in order for Christians to work together in ministry?

9Marks
In order to work together in a ministry context, Christians need to agree about the gospel. How are we saved? What are we saved from? What is the basis of our right standing before God? If Christians disagree about the gospel itself, no true cooperation in matters of ministry is possible.

Should Christians cooperate with those with whom they disagree theologically?

9Marks
First things first. There’s no true unity except in the truth. Therefore, all Christian cooperation must be based on doctrinal agreement. The question is then, how much? Do Christians need to agree about every nuance of every doctrine—or the interpretation of every single passage of Scripture—in order to work together?

Book Review: God So Loved the World, by Fisher Humphreys and Paul Robertson

Review by Greg Gilbert | 03.05.2010

To be quite honest, I believe a comprehensive look at Baptist history would reveal plainly that Baptists historically have been largely a Calvinistic people.

Book Review: Promise Unfulfilled, by Rolland D. McCune

Review by Andy Naselli | 9Marks Journal: Cooperation | 03.02.2010

Despite the disproportionate space given to them, the alleged weaknesses are relatively peripheral to McCune’s thesis, which he argues convincingly.

What Would Athanasius Do: Is The Great Tradition Enough?

By Greg Gilbert | 9Marks Journal: A New Evangelical Liberalism | 03.01.2010

At the end of the day the Great Tradition, at least defined as the words of those creeds, simply isn’t going to be enough to ground Christian unity.

What’s Happening to InterVarsity?

By J. Mack Stiles | 9Marks Journal: A New Evangelical Liberalism | 03.01.2010

So, why is InterVarstity confused? I worry that it’s because they are muddled about the gospel.

Share