"Bringing Dr. Bell to chapel because he usually doesn't come."
(Dr. Bell's name used without permission)
Click here for last semester's chapels.
"Bringing Dr. Bell to chapel because he usually doesn't come."
(Dr. Bell's name used without permission)
Is emotionalism in chapel a form of idolatry?
CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON CHRISTIAN WORSHIP!
Should Christians do this or this? You decide!
Click here for Leslie Woods' essay on Colossians 3:16 and Chapel!
WEDNESDAY, APRIL THIRTEENTH
Leslie Woods
He said a lot, but did not have a lot to say. I remember him speaking for a while but I do not remember getting much out of it. Make mistakes that are age appropriate, he said. I wonder what mistakes are appropriate for 21 year olds. At what age is lying or stealing appropriate? I think those mistakes are not appropriate for any believer at any age. Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. If we truly did fear God, we would not make mistakes. Sin is neither the fear of nor loving God. Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.
If the mistakes he was talking about were honest mistakes like you called me Susan on accident when you meant to call me Leslie. Again, what is age appropriate for honest mistakes?
He told us to be quality people but failed to mention what quality is. Is it a godly or wisdom quality?
His use of scripture was good. I did not catch anything. I just think he needed to define some terms (some mentioned above) that he mentioned in the beginning of his speech. The term mistake and quality are usually secular terms.
MONDAY, APRIL ELEVENTH
Leslie Woods
I vote today's chapel to be the best ... ever. Even though he did not use scripture very much and the scripture he did use did not really fit sometimes, but he said some biblical stuff. I'm sorry to hurt your self-esteem, but everything God does is not for us but for His own glory. He's God and He loves Himself and commands us to love Him first and foremost. He made a point that sometimes missionaries have to do ordinary things (like teach, or be a doctor)in other countries. It is true. It is a good way to be a part of the community and make money for your outreach. Paul (the apostle) had to work for his food sometimes so that he good spread the gospel for free and not be a burden for anyone. Acts 20:34; 2 Corinthians 11:8,9; 1 Corinthians 9:18
I liked what he said about getting involved in the local church. This way you can help the church grow here in the U.S. The U.S. is a mission field also.
Dr. Bell came to chapel by the way. I know because I sat on the same row as him. I saw him shaking his head in agreement.
MONDAY, APRIL FOUR
Mark Boone Is Angry
Don't do grad school because people say you're supposed to. Do grad school because you want to learn. Thank God for John Adams.
This chapel service was a joke. A school pursuing academic excellence and prestige would never allow this. A school merely pursuing more numbers in its programs would. Jay Harley should ask himself, What Would Oxford Do? Certainly not this. If we want to be a school that represents academic excellence, we will (with John Adams) discourage people to pursue our graduate programs, with the caveat: unless you dare. An advertisement of this sort entices the masses to a graduate program. How dare we entice the masses? It's a recipe for academic mediocrity: follow the links, if you dare!
What Would Screwtape Do, Mr. Harley? Regretfully, he would do what we did today. This was Snorglak's anti-university on display today, the anti-university at its best!
How did I know Boone would once again come out of retirement for this one? Monday's chapel was a joke. First of all, I believe chapel should be what it implies: a time when the student body comes together to engage in corporate worship, the reading of Scripture, and the receiving of instruction from the Word of God. Monday's chapel included only one of those. Seeing as how most of the student body was distracted by the other events of chapel during the time of singing to Lord (Note: I do not advocate the mistaken school of thought that believes singing is the only way to worship or corporately worship God; music was the method used to attempt to engage in corporate worship Monday morning. I believe that true worship, corporate and otherwise, can take on a variety of forms), however, I can't see as we got much done. The point of this particular chapel was to publicize DBU's graduate programs; this certainly has a proper time and place, but I do not feel that chapel is it. In no way was I taught, enlightened, encouraged, rebuked, or fed (spiritually) during the hour known as "chapel" on the morning of April 4. It would have been bad enough had DBU given us a chapel which lacked God but at least treated us like mature men and women and provided useful information on the graduate program. That, apparently, never occurred to anyone during the planning sessions. We got a game show, band cleverly made up of members connected with the graduate office, and a silly video. Yes, chapel was entertaining. Yes, I thought the video was funny and I laugh at the Austin-Dave rumors now flying around campus as much as anybody. Yes, I found Blair Blackburn amusing (What are the odds that would ever happen?). Does this justify using an hour set aside for the campus to corporately worship God to mock our maturity and collegiate status and to insult the graduate programs? In my mind, the answer is no. The game show made me feel like I was once again at youth camp or perhaps SWAT week. I believe the graduate program should be treated with more respect than to publicize it to undergrads in the form of a game show and silly video. Undertaking graduate school is a serious matter worthy of much consideration and prayer, and requires much hard work, devotion, and thought. The presentation of the program in chapel made it seem, with a few exceptions (i.e. John Adams), quite the opposite. Relatively little information about the program was actually offered, making chapel not only an hour without God but an hour totally devoid of almost any purpose or result other than entertainment.
I have the highest respect for Jay Harley, John Adams, Dr. Garrett, and others involved in the chapel; the chapel itself is a different story altogether. I wish DBU had chosen to treat its own graduate program with the respect it deserves as well as treat its students like mature young adults, many of whom are faced with the very serious decision of what to do after graduation.
It actually would have been a great opportunity to share a message about using your mind to the glory of God and things like that.
Wednesday, March Thirty
Leslie Woods
Today we gave an honorary doctorate to a methodist who did not mind sharing his beliefs (which is fine). He said that he did not know how he made the cut since he was Methodist and I do not either. He talked about sprinkling instead of immersion yet he was immersed in the Brazos River. He also said that his conversion was sealed through baptism. I do not know what he truly meant by this, but our hope is not in baptism. Ephesians 1:13 "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise," He also mentioned prevenient grace which means that we can resist God's grace. Romans 9:19 "For who can resist His will?" The Methodist who follow John Wesley say they believe in Total Depravity, but I believe they fall short of TOTAL. Some say that Prevenient Grace is the "go between" of Irresistible Grace and Resistible Grace. I believe it goes right along with Resistible Grace.
Mark J. Boone
Why am I saying this? Well, a bunch of students today were talking when they were being asked not to. Some guy shouted when we were specifically asked to shut up. Who does he think he is? If someone had been expounding some pragmatic business message and bringing in Scripture once or twice to support two or three of five or six bullet points, maybe it would be ok to read something quietly or do homework or talk to friends; or to shout, as long as you were saying something true that was more profound than the message.
But there was no excuse for this. He disrespects God.
Students talking while Scripture is being read (or recited); students talking when they're asked by good people to be silent in an orthodox a chapel filled with Scripture; this is unacceptable. A disgrace. People with their cell phones glowing while Professor Mitchell is reading Scripture. Disgraceful. No one had to leave in the middle of chapel, so obviously there were no emergencies. If I were in charge of the world, the guys with glowing cell phones would be beaten. I'd challenge them to duels and give them a proper beating. I'd throw them at trees. I wouldn't touch the girls, but I sure would beat their cell phones into dust.
Anyways, the Snipe site in future should be vigilant as regards the administration and the chapel speakers, etc., etc. It should strongly and respectfully object to the chaps like Denison who don't affirm inerrancy (do a Google search for "inerrancy definitions and qualifications"). But its most heavy criticism should be directed against the students. Such is my recommendation, anyway. As I am retiring, I leave this task to others.
Monday, February Twenty-Eighth
Leslie Woods
I like the words to the songs! I really do not have any complaints! I think he could have gone into what it means to seize God, but that's it. His use of scripture was not taken out of context and he applied it really well.
Wednesday, February Twenty-third
Leslie WoodsMusic was good.
There are two main problems I had with todays chapel. First, But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet 1 Timothy 2:12. I am okay with a woman giving her testimony or (as we have had in the past) giving advice, but I do not agree with a woman teaching Gods word over men. The reason I do not agree is that I believe that is teaching men.
Matthew 18:3 Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of God.
My second problem is that she failed to mention that children are sinful. She said children are pure and I believe they are far from it. Yes, we were made in His image, but because of the fall, we are born sinful (heirs of Adam). We are not to become entirely like them, for they are foolish. 1 Corinthians 14:20 Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature. (NAS) Christians should be harmless and inoffensive as children, void of all sinfulness; but should have wisdom and knowledge that are ripe and mature.
Children are also indecisive. Ephesians 4:14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; (NAS)
As children we must desire the sincere milk of the word. 1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby (NKJV). As children, we must be careful for nothing, but leave it to our heavenly Father to care for us (Matthew 6:31), and (which is here chiefly intended) we must be humble as little children, who do not take state upon them. As children are little in body and low in stature, so we must be little and low in spirit, and in our thoughts of ourselves. This is a temper which leads to other good dispositions; the age of childhood is the learning age.
PRAISE THE LORD
Mark Boone here. I have little to say. This was indeed the best sermon I've ever heard. This is the answer to everything I ever had against chapel. Thank you, Dr. Denison. Thank you, DBU administration.Monday, February Sixteenth
Yeah for Scripture!
Leslie Woods here. I was also very pleased that we read scripture in chapel. Honestly, I usually disagree with what Jim Denison has to say, but this time I didn't. It might be because he read scripture and did not take it out of context. I was impressed that he had all 111 verses of the Sermon on the Mount memorized. What a great passage to memorize! The oldest recorded sermon we have and probably the best.I did not go to Monday's chapel, so if anyone has anything to say please feel free!
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY NINTH
Leslie WoodsMusic: Good
Keith Phillips: I am glad he reminded us of the need for evangelism in the United States. "You can be a missionary without going overseas," Keith said. So true. We are all called to mission wherever God puts us (including DBU). The United States is greatly in need of the gospel. I do not think he took Job 24:12 out of context. There are many verses in the Bible he could have used. I am glad God has blessed his ministry and will continue to pray for him. I do believe that it is the government's job to be a welfare provider and not so much the church's.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY SEVENTH
Leslie WoodsDale Meinecke: I am so glad Dale spoke today. He is one of our spiritual life leaders and can only be heard if you go to noondays sometimes. The title of his message did not really go with the message entirely. The passage in 2 Timothy 3 did talk about the self seeking life of people, but did not talk about the power he talked about. "...having a a form of godliness but denying its power,..." 2 Timothy 3:5. The text (in context of course) is referring to the people who have a form of godliness but think it is not from God. God is the source of godliness and these people deny it comes from Him. This is not talking about a powerful life because it is God centered and not self centered. Other than that, I was very glad we read scripture in chapel!
Drama Team made some good points. If God is everywhere, how can we drift away from Him? I do not think we can. He is always there whether we acknowledge His presence or not. There are times when we neglect our Bible readings and pray and FEEL like He is far off, but He's still there. We are always "close to God" whether WE feel it or not. Pray, Bible study, and fellowhip are all works and we can not obtain salvation by it. Yet when the believer quits praying, reading, and fellowshiping(?) they get hungry and run back to those things which feed their soul. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" Matthew 4:4.
I think they want us to become involved in the BSM. If they were promoting the BSM ministries, they failed to mention how one could get involved so I do not know if they were really promoting it.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY SECOND
Leslie Woods
Wayne Allen: Six words equal an abundant life. 1. Faith 2. Discipline 3. Obedience 4. Trust 5. Love 6. Integrity
I think one word equals abundant life and that is Jesus; the cause of our abundant life. "He came so that we may have life. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 (NKJV) We do not obtain abundant life through all these works.
Since when does your testimony equal your life story?
I did not like the fact that he told of how he cheated on his wife and did not have any remorse for it. Mr. Allen and his wife both were cheating while they were dating each other.
MONDAY, JANUARY THIRTY-ONE
Mark Boone
"The world is starved for leadership." Yes, it is, and DBU chapels are starved for Scripture and the world is starved for Truth. But instead of Scripture, we get more leadership. Tremendous Bible stories are referenced as lowly servants to the Seven Bullet Points. Not as the authoritative Word of God that will give out its own bullets (if we let it) or bullet points as it pleases, the might living Word of God, submissive to nothing, not even to Seven Bullet Points. (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was a tremendous book. Why not just have a message on that, leaving Scripture out of it altogether, and have a more coherent message on the same thing?)
Charisma without a purpose grounded in absolute truth will lead us precisely nowhere, thinking we're marching on to Heaven, while Hell does as it pleases.
Please, Mr. George, please DBU adminstration, Scripture in chapel, please! Real Scripture, not something brought in artificially to serve another doctrine. If it has to support some other message the Bible is worthless; let the Bible speak its own truth. Stop having it conform to the message!
MONDAY, JANUARY THIRTY-ONE
Leslie WoodsI agree with Mark on this one!
Dr. David George: This message was one of the better ones. It would have been better if it were more exegetical of the text and not Seven characteristics of a leader.EGods word sanctifies! Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. And for their sakes I Sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.EJohn 17:17,19 (NKJV) and Ephesians 5:26. My prayer for DBU students is that they dig into Gods word and become more of what God wants them to be. Ephesians 6 talks about the sword of spirit being the word of God. We need to put on the WHOLE armor of God and part of this begins with reading and meditating on scripture. I am mostly preaching to myself.
I liked how Dr. George used some scripture (Romans 5:1-4). It seemed as though he used scripture to back up a point instead of using scripture make a point. I think Dr. George had good advice, but he needed more exegesis. The best advice anyone can give is found in Gods word.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY TWENTY SIX
Suggestion: Do we have volume control? If not, can we take down one of the speakers so it is not so loud? I can hardly hear myself talking. Maybe it's me. I haven't gotten my chapel ear plugs.
Why do we have signers when the hard of hearing can just read the words on the computer screen thing or read the piece of paper they give us?
Praise God for the work going on in Africa! Continue to pray for the work started there. I am glad these guys had the opportunity to go. I have a question though. They said that 728 people were saved right. Well, when they told all their stories, as the nerdy math major I am, I counted about 80 people who came to know Christ through their work. What about the 650 other people who asked God into their lives? That's a lot of people to not tell about, unless these are the people who were already Christians and were encouraged by these guy's witness.
God told one guy that they do not need Bibles to know that He is good. Without the Bible how do they even know who the God of the Bible is? True, they can believe a higher being created them and maybe even provide the essentials (food, water, clothing, shelter) but that is pushing it. Without the Bible they do not know of God's good gift to those who believe in Him. They need to know the Gospel; that they are sinners and in need of the only Savior. Knowing that God is good is not enough. They do need Bibles or at least someone reading it to them.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man -and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things." Romans 1:18-23 (NKJV)
~Leslie
MONDAY, JANUARY TWENTY FOURTH
Mr. Bill White (Fred White's son): If you like randomness, Wednesday's chapel was your chapel. It was hard to follow and figure what he was trying to say or what point he was trying to make. He started by the usual praising of Glowing Heart. He questioned the need of a speaker with such great music. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24 Jesus' point is that a person must worship not just externally, but also inwardly (in spirit) with the proper heart attitude. This spirit is not always the 'feel good' feelings that we feel when we sing contemprorary music. Worship must be done in a way consistent with the revealed Scripture and centered on the "Word made flesh" (Jesus Christ) who ultimately revealed His Father (John 14:6). The words to music should be truths found in Scripture. Sometimes the music is not focused on God and who He is (because He is worthy to be praised) but rather on us and what we are doing. We shouldn't sing songs that are focused on US praising Him because we are ultimately praising ourselves for praising Him (e.g. I throw my hands up in the air with my heart I don't care what they say I got to praise). Are we really singing this to God? Are we focusing more on external 'worship' or internal (heart attitude). Another thing Mr. White said was that we could feel God's presence through the music. The God I know is Omnipresent. We don't have to 'feel' Him through the music. If we are singing songs the right way, then they reflect truth found in scripture and can mention God's Omnipresence. Then we are reminded of His presence. We should not 'feel' God's presence through music but know He's there all the time.
The next thing Mr. White mentioned is that we need to preach like Jesus. He noted that we can't but that he will try. So we were told to try the impossible. okay. Maybe we should look to Paul and the New Testament church for tips on preaching. Although when Paul preached, people fell out windows (Acts 20). After this, Mr. White proceeded to tell stories of how Jesus taught Nicodemis, the woman at the well, and Zacchaeus. Then he went on to say that some of us are waiting on things; waiting to graduate, get married, buy that new car. He noted that Jesus is trying to tell us we don't need to wait. It's so random. So are we not supposed to wait and get married now or take a huge load of classes and graduate this May (yes, freshman this means you). But no, he went on to say to tell a story about how his daughter was a flower girl at a wedding and how she didn't want to walk down the aisle because it was to far and dark. Then he quoted Matthew 3:2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!" I think what he was trying to say is that we don't need to wait to repent, but we need to repent now. Which is true. He told a story about a child singing Jesus loves me backwards. The child sang "Jesus knows me this I love." I thought that was a good way of singing that song. This is all I wish to say about chapel. Mr. White, thanks for speaking at chapel. Please visit the Fred White Building when you get the chance (it's the double wide where all the music majors hang out). God Bless! ~Leslie
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY NINETEEN
I thought chapel today was pretty good, really, but you don't get a chapel update. So there. What do you people think I am, some kind of a servant leader or something? I can't do this anymore, it's way the heck too exhausting in every way imaginable. Do your own chapel critiques (Calvinist chick, we were talking the other day about this, you know who you are, you're welcome to replace me but do whatever you feel inclined to do [hee hee hee]). Anyways, I'd recommend everyone look out for the following recurrent mistakes:
--very little Scripture
--Scripture conforming to the message not vice versa
--infantile messages
--The curse of Karl Barth's view of the Bible. (On the SBC, he's a curse. For the CBF, he might just be a blessing.)
--bad poetry in the songs
--unbalance toward the emotional and away from the theology in the songs. I wouldn't worry about an unbalance in the opposite direction. Not unless the conservative Presbyterians take over DBU. Or the Lutherans.
--bad hermeneutics. Especially taking Scriptures out of context.
--confusing application of a Scripture with the interpretation of the same.
--worshipping God only for what He does for us instead of also worshipping Him for who He is.
--thinking that worship is an act of the emotions, excluding the mind, ignoring the body, ignoring the lifestyle.
--promotion of BGCT politics (call it like it is, whether or not you're on anyone's side.
--finally, calling for repentance is a little rare compared to emphasis on a generic "God loves you; have a relationship with God" message. Rare, but thankfully not absent entirely (EG, today's message).
