Joshua 1 Be Strong and Courageous - with Sermon notes.

Be Strong and be Courageous

Joshua 1

Intro: Transitions are never easy. Some are easier than others, like when you get married, that’s a transition that you have been waiting for, and are actually looking forward. But when you change jobs, or move house, those are transitions that take a bit of effort to get used to since they may be unexpected transitions. Today we will see the transition from one leader to the next, and the transition of a whole nation from one place where they have grown comfortable, to a place where they must fight to posses it, but it’s a better place all together. Above all, we will see how God works out his promises in us, and how we are to be faithful and obedient to what he has said.

1. Announcement of a new leader.  Vss. 1-6
Vs. 1.What a way to start a book…by announcing the death of Moses. But this is needed to make a clean break from the time of Moses, to Joshua as the new leader. Who is Joshua? He is first mentioned in Ex. 24:13, and is commented to be always close the tent of meeting, cf. Ex. 33:11. He already had been publicly commissioned as the successor of Moses, cf. Nu. 27:18. He is called here Moses’ aid, but at the end of the book, he is also called “servant of God”, cf. Jos. 24:29. Vs. 2. Joshua knew his commission, he had been encouraged to take over God’s people way before in his life, Det. 1:38; 3:21-22; 23:28; 31:7-8, and finally, Deut. 34:9. So much encouragement needed, why? If you read what Moses went through with the people of Israel, to take such a task, was a real burden. Vs. 3. “I will give you” in the NIV, the NRSV and ESV translates it better, “I have given you”. This brings us back to Genesis, specifically Gen. 12 and 15:18, where the land is promised to Abraham, but also to Deut. 1:7: 11:24, where the promised is reaffirmed. Vs. 4. Wow, what a vast amount of land. This would include “the whole Jordan, large part of Saudi Arabia, half of Iraq, whole of Lebanon, part of Syria, and the whole of Kuwait. However, this was never achieved, not even when King David and Salomon were reigning. Why?? The Book of Hebrews gives us the answer, unbelief, cf. Heb. 3:19. Faith = Obedience. Unbelief = Disobedience. In the book of Hebrews we are told that they did not entered the land, and therefore, did not rest. Vs. 5. We are also conquerors, Rom. 8:31, 37. God’s promise of his presence is given to us as well, Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5-6 that quotes Psalms 118:6-7. Vs. 6. Be Strong and be Courageous. This is repeated here, and in vss. 7, 9, and 18. Notice, the land was already theirs, they are “inheriting”, not just taking from the people who were already there. It is because of God’s promise, that they are taking the land, not because how good they are.

2. Keep the Word to Prosper. Vss. 7-9.
Vs. 7 The way to succeed in the conquest of the land is to obey the word of God. Courage and Strength alone won’t do it. Not to go to the left or to the right, echoes Deut. 5:32 and 28:14 (the curses and blessings). For us today, we are also called upon gazing only at the word of God, II Pet. 1:19. It’s the only thing than can really make a change in our lives, 2 Tim. 3:16-17. NIV (servant), ESV (man), NRSV (everyone). It can work in everyone, no matter if in leadership or not.  Vs. 8. “Meditate”, is actually, murmuring. Do we murmur the word of God during the day? Day and night, echoes Psalm 1:2. Our faith does not grow through miracles or visions, or dreams, although these may help, but on hearing the word of Christ, Rom. 10:17. The key to prosperity is keeping the Word of God, no other thing will do.  Vs. 9. Just as Joshua and the people of Israel are called not to be afraid if they are standing upon the word of God, so do we. God’s promises are enjoyed when we are obedient, because our faith shows itself in our works, cf. James 2:21-26. We are then, strengthen by the Lord, Eph. 6:10; 2 Tim. 2:1; Phil. 4:13.

3. Joshua’s call to enter the land

Vss. 10-11. We see Joshua implementing the word of God right away. Vss. 12-15. Some had already been given land, and a treaty had been made for them to come over and help their brothers and sisters to conquer the land, cf. Num. 32. Maybe you here feel that you have achieved and done much in church, and want to let others go on to fight for the development of the church. Let me tell you, you still have a role here, by your attendance, mentoring, offerings, and guidance. You’ve been here longer than some of us, and we still need your wisdom. Vss. 16-18. It seems that the Israelites did not want to make the same mistake that kept them out of the Promised Land for 40 yrs, that saw their parents die, cf. Num. 13-14. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones showing faith along with Moses, cf. Num. 14:6-9, and therefore, only them from that generation went into the promise land. Do you see the importance of faith? If we have faith, no matter how big the giants may be, we will trust in the Lord to bring them down for us. Vs. 17. This second generation, had followed Moses, not rebel like their parents. They were now committing to follow Joshua. Vs. 18. Such is the loyalty that whoever would rebel against Joshua, would be put to death!! This took place in the case of Achan’s sin, cf. Jos. 7. However, he is also encouraged by the people with the very same words God had given to him, cf. Vs. 6, 7, 9.

Conclusion. Jesus is the one who leads us in this church. Yet, he appoints leaders to take us where he wants this church to be. May the leaders that are appointed be faithful to the word of God so this church may prosper and succeed. And may all of us, no matter how old, how young, where we are from, etc, support the leaders given to us by God, as long as they are faithful to his Word. 

Two Ways to Live

Different answers for that dreaded message, all with a religious tone, or not.

Via zwingliusredivivus

Homosexuality, yet again!

I have a friend that tells me that talking about gays and homosexuality is my favorite subject. Well, it's not my favourite subject, is actually Jesus. But there is no place or time where I am at, that the homosexuality issue raises its head.

On this subject, Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Seminary, has written for CNN, and I would like to share with you this piece. This will help to to answer the objections and also point a way forward when this issue comes up in conversations and places that you visit.

Without further delay, here it's the article.

My Take: The Bible condemns a lot, but here's why we focus on homosexuality 

Editor's Note: R. Albert Mohler Jr. is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world.

By R. Albert Mohler Jr., Special to CNN
Are conservative Christians hypocritical and selective when it comes to the Bible’s condemnation of homosexuality? With all that the Bible condemns, why the focus on gay sex and same-sex marriage? 

Given the heated nature of our current debates, it’s a question conservative Christians have learned to expect. “Look,” we are told, “the Bible condemns eating shellfish, wearing mixed fabrics and any number of other things. Why do you ignore those things and insist that the Bible must be obeyed when it comes to sex?” 

On its face, it’s a fair question. But it can be posed in two very different ways.
First, the question can be asked to suggest that the Bible’s clear condemnation of sexual sins can simply be set aside. The other way of posing the question represents a genuine attempt to understand how the Bible is to be rightly applied to life today. 

In truth, those asking the question the first way really don’t want an answer.
An honest consideration of the Bible reveals that most of the biblical laws people point to in asking this question, such as laws against eating shellfish or wearing mixed fabrics, are part of the holiness code assigned to Israel in the Old Testament. That code was to set Israel, God’s covenant people, apart from all other nations on everything from morality to diet. 

As the Book of Acts makes clear, Christians are not obligated to follow this holiness code. This is made clear in Peter’s vision in Acts 10:15. Peter is told, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 

In other words, there is no kosher code for Christians. Christians are not concerned with eating kosher foods and avoiding all others. That part of the law is no longer binding, and Christians can enjoy shrimp and pork with no injury to conscience. 

The Bible’s commands on sexual behavior, on the other hand, are continued in the New Testament. When it comes to homosexuality, the Bible’s teaching is consistent, pervasive, uniform and set within a larger context of law and Gospel. 

The Old Testament clearly condemns male homosexuality along with adultery, bestiality, incest and any sex outside the covenant of marriage. The New Testament does not lessen this concern but amplifies it. 

The New Testament condemns both male and female homosexual behavior. The Apostle Paul, for example, points specifically to homosexuality as evidence of human sinfulness. His point is not merely that homosexuals are sinners but that all humanity has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 

The New Testament condemns a full range of sexual sins, and homosexuality is specified among these sins. In Romans, Paul refers to homosexuality in terms of “dishonorable passions,” “contrary to nature” and “shameless.” As New Testament scholar Robert Gagnon has stated, the Bible’s indictment “encompasses every and any form of homosexual behaviour.” 

Some people then ask, “What about slavery and polygamy?” In the first place, the New Testament never commands slavery, and it prizes freedom and human dignity. For this reason, the abolitionist movement was largely led by Christians, armed with Christian conviction. 

The Old Testament did allow for polygamy, though it normalizes heterosexual monogamy. In the New Testament, Jesus made clear that marriage was always meant to be one man and one woman. 

“Have you not read that He who created them made them male and female?” Jesus asked in Matthew. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” For this reason, Christians have opposed polygamy on biblical grounds. 

Why are Christians so concerned with homosexuality? In the first place, that question is answered by the simple fact that it is the most pressing moral question of our times. Christians must be concerned about adultery, pornography, injustice, dishonesty and everything the Bible names as sin. But when my phone rings with a call from a reporter these days, the question I am asked is never adultery or pornography. It is about homosexuality. 

Christians who are seriously committed to the authority of the Bible have no choice but to affirm all that the Bible teaches, including its condemnation of homosexuality. At the same time, our confidence is that God condemns those things that will bring his human creatures harm and commands those things that will lead to true human happiness and flourishing. 

In other words, we understand that the Bible condemns all forms of sin because our Creator knows what is best for us. The Bible names sins specifically so that each of us will recognize our own sinfulness and look to Christ for salvation and the forgiveness of our sins. 

Christian love requires that we believe and teach what the Bible teaches and that we do so with both strong conviction and humble hearts. The Church must repent of our failures in both of these tasks, but we must not be silent where the Bible speaks. 

Are Christians hypocrites in insisting that homosexual behavior is sin? We, too, are sinners, and hypocrisy and inconsistency are perpetual dangers. 

The church failed miserably in the face of the challenge of divorce. This requires an honest admission and strong corrective. 

At the same time, this painful failure must remind us that we must not fail to answer rightly when asked what the Bible teaches about homosexuality. Love requires us to tell the truth. 

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of R. Albert Mohler Jr.

John Piper to step down as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church

John Piper has been an inspiration and example to many young pastors throughout his years as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church.  Now it has been announced that the church's elders are letting Piper go to a greater ministry, away from the tasks of being a pastor.

Bethlehem Baptist is one step closer to commissioning John Piper from the local church pastorate to greater involvement with Bethlehem College and Seminary and to a wider ministry nationally and internationally through Desiring God.

The Bethlehem elders are announcing to the congregation their candidate for Associate Pastor for Preaching and Vision and, God willing, John Piper's eventual successor as the church's senior pastor.

Yet another pastor who is giving up, or being forced to take leave of pastoral life, and being pushed/induced into academic life. Among those in this group are N. T. Wright, Rowland Williams, and John Piper seems to be joining this trend.

 But to be fair, this is not something that the elders are pushing Piper to do, rather, Piper also wants to do:

There is an ever-increasing pull on my life to be involved in ministry outside Bethlehem. Much of this feels strategic to me for the cause of Christ. While I felt competent and energized to formulate plans for the structures of Bethlehem, this outside pull was secondary. But I sense that this is changing. It seems to me that the Lord is saying: "You have led Bethlehem to this point; it is time to hand off the internal leadership labors to another; I have a few other things yet for you to do."

Well, I hope that the Lord gives him a lot of years, so he can fulfil what he feels that  the Lord has called him to do.

Messianic Jews and Jews are offended by what transpired with Eddy Long. Well, I am too!!

Yesterday's post showed a video of Eddy Long being proclaimed "king" and being shrouded in the Torah, as a spectacle, yes, spectacle, of proclaiming him as having a new rebirth.

Now we find that there are some Messianic Jews, as well as plain Jews, who are not happy with the parody done a Long's church. The story makes for an interesting read.

Jewish leaders are criticizing a ceremony that involved a controversial megachurch leader being wrapped in a religious scroll and exalted as a "king" to the applause of his parishioners.
The video from a service last Sunday at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church shows Rabbi Ralph Messer, a Messianic preacher, instructing two men to slowly wrap Bishop Eddie Long in a large scroll that's purported to be the Torah.

Well, and not only two men touching the Torah, a woman also. That's for Orthodox Jews a big NO NO. And it's a shame that such a club is called "Baptist Church".

But here comes the criticism from the messianic jews:

Messianic Jews believe that Jesus Christ, or Yeshua, is the Messiah, putting them at odds with traditional Jewish theology. Most Jews consider the faith to be a form of evangelical Christianity.Rabbi David Shiff of Congregation Beth Hallel, a Messianic Jewish synagogue in Roswell, condemned the actions in the video."Ralph Messer in no way represents Messianic Judaism," Shiff said. "He is not affiliated with any legitimate branch of Messianic Judaism. His actions in no way reflect the position of Messianic Judaism. I found the presentation to be repulsive and inappropriate." 

He is right to condemned them. Messer knows the Judaism that he wants to know. We don't have any data saying that they used to wrap the king with the Torah, rather, that the Torah was supposed to be at the King's side, Deut. 17:18. So he should read it, not wrap himself with it!

But also no-Messianic Jews have criticised this pathetic show:

The Torah is one of Judaism's most sacred objects and Jewish groups said the notion that it was used in a ceremony at the church was offensive."The notion that he wraps Bishop Long in a Torah is horrifying simply because it's completely inappropriate. It's an awful way to use the Torah," said Bill Nigut of the Anti-Defamation League. "And it doesn't in any way approximate any Jewish ritual." 

It is the truth, there is no ritual in Judaism for what Messer passed as a Jewish enthronement,  or whatever he wanted to call his show.

The club, I mean, the church offered a statement:

Long's church, which is in Lithonia east of Atlanta, issued a statement from Messer saying that the ceremony was based on a passage from the Old Testament on restoring the Kingdom of David."My message was about restoring a man and to encourage his walk in the Lord," Messer said in the statement. "The presentation of the Scroll of Torah was simply a way of bringing honor to a man who had given his life to the Lord and had given so much to his church, the Atlanta metro area and throughout the world."It was not to make Bishop Eddie L. Long a king."

I wonder what passage he is talking about, since I don't find it anywhere in Scripture.

And he was not to make Eddie L. Long a king? He needs to watch his own video.

6 possible reasons why people don’t like preaching

Murray Campbell, the pastor of Mentone Baptist Church, has posted on his blog an interesting number of reasons why people may not like preaching today.

Read them, and see if this also affects your church, or ministry.

(in no particular order)1. we’re accustomed to the 30 minute sitcom that contains 7 and a half minutes of advertisements. Sitting for an extended time and engaging with a humourless monologue is hard work (against this, uni students sit through hour long lectures every day and everyone enjoys 2 hours at the cinema).2. We have talked up the singing time in Church to the point that we have relegated preaching to a secondary and uninspiring place.3. We’ve accepted the lie that theology is unimportant4. We are a culture of doers not thinkers.5. We have sat under years of boring and irrelevant preaching6. We have hard-hearts, not wanting to hear what God has to say

3 ways of reading scripture

This is what I wrote in my church's newsletter, and was based on a previous sermon. If you want to hear the sermon, you will find it on this blog.

Last week I stated three manners to read Scripture. The Intellectual (for our own knowledge of the text), the Spiritual (what the text is telling me) and the Ethical (what the text tells me to apply it to my fellow human beings). An example of this can be seen in Mark 1:1-11.

Intellectually, we find out how Jesus was baptized, and how we know that John was the prophet promised from the book of Malachi. Without that information, we would be asking how do we know that John the Baptist was who he said he was, and why do we practice baptism.

Spiritually, we can be sure Jesus comes from God, since God the Father affirms his ministry from heaven. This brings assurance to all Christians, because we know that Jesus’ ministry if approved by God, and that the Holy Spirit is with him. Also, we see, right there at the beginning of the story, the blessed Trinity.

Ethically. I was told that this was difficult to extrapolate from this text. My take on this text starts from the view that we are all sinners, and Christians are baptized sinners. At their Baptism, they are brought to new life. We are to treat others according to this new life given.

I hope that this helps you in your bible reading.

Racists churches are still alive today

Once I was told I was not welcomed in a church because I had Jewish blood. They were Ukrainians, and didn't like my "sort of people". Still, I attended until they accepted me.

But this is a bit out of line, but if you grew up in the USA like me, or know anything about the USA, you can expect anything from people from the Appalachians. I know, it's a stereo type, but hey, not all Jews are rich and stingy. I have never been rich, and stingy....well, I will let others decide.

Let us see a bit of this news:

A small Appalachian church in Kentucky is being called racist for passing a vote that banned interracial couples from the church. 

The Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church voted 9 to 6 on Sunday to ban interracial couples from church services or functions, with the exception of funerals. 

Stella Harville, 24, and her fiance Ticha Chikuni, 28, are the couple that prompted the church's actions. Harville is white and Chikuni is black. The couple met at Georgetown College in Kentucky where both went to school and are scheduled to marry in July 2012.

What a relief, isn't it? You have to be death in order to be accepted in this church!!!!

Look to what the pastor says about this issue, or we should say, former pastor:

The next week, Cathy and Dean Harville met with the Thompson and were shocked to hear their pastor say that members of the congregation had said they would walk out if Chikuni sang again. The parents wanted to know exactly who had a problem with their future son-in-law. 

"'Me, for one,'" Cathy Harville said that Thompson replied. She said he added, "'The best thing [Stella] can do is take him back where she found him.'" She said the pastor would not tell her any names of people who took issue with Chikuni.

What a disgrace! Discriminating people because of the color of their skin!! I pastored an Aussie church once, and was told by the time I finished there, that I could never visit some members, because they didn't agree that I was not white, and had a different accent. At least they didn't ban me. How could they, I was their pastor!! It was a good thing that they didn't have a meeting, and ban me from serving there, like this church did:

Harville said that of 42 members, very few stayed for the meeting after church and even fewer voted. She said most congregants wanted no part in the vote. 

The motion read, in part: "The Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church does not condone interracial marriage. Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals." 

And: "The recommendation is not intended to judge the salvation of anyone, but indicated to promote greater unity among the church body and the community we serve."

Interracial marriages? Then, if they are two blacks people married, will they accept them? So you are not doubted of your salvation, but you are not good enough to be a member of the church if your spouse is of a different race? Madness, these people who voted in favour are full of evil.

And the Appalachians know that everybody else see them as weird and out of step with the rest of humanity:

Randy Johnson is the Pike County/Pikeville Area Ministerial Association president. The association is made up of about 60 churches. Johnson said that many people already have "stigmas" and "stereotypes" that they associate with Appalachia and that this decision does not accurately represent the vast majority of the community. 

"This really is an anomaly. This is not in any way, shape or form the sentiment of any other local churches or church leaders," Johnson said. "It really has saddened many people. It goes against almost everyone else's philosophy and theology of what it means to be a church."

Of course, God did not come to only save white Free Will Baptists Appalachians, but the whole world, John 3:16.

Hopefully this Sunday, more people attend the church so they can repel the wrong decision taken by 9 of their members:

This weekend, the matter will be up for discussion again at the Sandy Valley Conference for Freewill Baptist Churches. After it is discussed, it may go before the congregation again on Sunday for a vote to repeal the decision.

Let's hope that by making this public, other churches will finally come to their senses, and see that in Christ, we are all the same:

Galatians 3:27-28
New International Version (NIV)
²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Sermon James 1:1-18 Endurance through God's gift of wisdom

This Sunday Sermon

Wishy Washy Preaching

Some time ago I posted one of my sermons that I had preached at a church where they need a pastor. To tell you a bit of background, I have known this church for 18 yrs, and have known the pastor as long as that. I've known the people for the same amount of time, and some were members of my Spanish speaking congregation before we folded it up and some of us joined the English speaking congregation where I am now. So I more or less know of the church's make up, history and beliefs. Some of the members have always complained about the lack of teaching in the church. I've been preaching about apologetics, and doctrine. They have endured me, well, the young ones, but one of the older ones (my age!!) said that my last sermon was "wishy washy".

I listen to Albert Mohler's interview with Michael Lawrence, in which they discussed his new book,"Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry " and taught that it would be a good idea to expose the congregation to a little of biblical theology. I didn't expect the response from one of the 'senior' members (not in age, but respected for having being a baptist from birth, well, so am I!!), that he found the sermon "dull" and "wishy", "washy". This confronted me with two options, either I am a very bad preacher, which by other persons' comments, I am not, or this person has not been exposed to biblical theology, EVER.

I've always heard that if someone is raised thinking something is to be done a certain manner, if they see it done differently, they easily condemned it. This brother in Christ, has never heard a sermon that is willing to deal with the unfolding revelation in Scripture, so sees any sermon doing that as suspect.

This can only be labeled as biblical illiteratism (did I coin a new word?). Wonder how this person would deal with the theme of the Messiah in Scripture, from Genesis, through to the Historical, Poetic and Prophetic books, culminating in the Gospels and distilled in the New Testament letters.

But I am afraid that this person is not alone in his error or rejecting biblical theology, but is in company of many who are labeled liberals, yet, this man is a conservative christian!!

Just shows that you don't have to be a liberal to disdain conservative stands, but then again, it may be a sin of ignorance.

But they haven't call for me to go back to preach there for some time. I guess that they have listened to this, mature and wise man as to the wishy washy way of preaching a solid biblical theology.

To refer to two comments after my sermon in this specific church, one said "I never knew I could relate Old Testament passages to the New Testament so easily", and the other, "Finally I saw how throughout Scripture God wants us to be missionaries". And the sermon that I preached, I also preached at my local church, where the pastor has a Masters degree in preaching, and he said that it was a very good sermon, lifting the essential passages, and another member who did his Master of Theology at Regent College, Vancouver Canada, commented that the sermon really helped him see the who picture of biblical theology regarding mission.

I am not trying to justify my sermon, I am just trying to get things into perspective. I guess that I am just concern that if such people are in places of leadership, the people of God will never receive the knowledge needed for their growth.

I see Scripture being fulfilled:

Hosea 4:⁶ my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

"Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.

Let's pray not all church leaders are so keen to reject biblical knowledge, because they lack it.

Luis A. Jovel.

Baptists mark 400th anniversary

By John McManus
BBC News

Members of the Baptist Union are gathering in Bournemouth to celebrate their 400th anniversary - the first Baptist congregation was founded in 1609. With four centuries of growth behind them, what are the challenges facing believers in the next 100 years?

Baptists first emerged after the Reformation swept Europe, causing upheaval throughout Christian communities.

Martin Luther's Protestant movement had gained ground in northern Europe, and Henry VIII had broken with Rome and established the Church of England as the country's national church, with him as its spiritual head.

Today Baptists are the fifth largest Christian church in the world, with 40 million members, and Baptists in England and Wales say that national numbers are stable, unlike many Christian denominations.

The sins of the bankers contributed to the mess, but so have all of us The Reverend Jonathan Edwards

But away from the pews, there are practical issues that Baptists are having to grapple with as their Union looks towards the future, many of them familiar to members of other religions.

In 2004 the wealthy Southern Baptist Convention of the USA split from the Baptist World Alliance, citing an increasing trend towards liberalism as the reason.

Closing rift

The theology of the Southern Baptists has been described by one English Baptist as right-wing and fundamentalist, with serious differences over the role of women in ministry and creation theology.

Jonathan Edwards blames churchgoers as well as bankers for the current financial crisis

The general secretary of the Baptist Union, the Reverend Jonathan Edwards, says that although the split was an unhappy one, he maintains close relations with the American Baptists and does not think it is necessarily permanent.

"I would be very surprised if the rift were to last for many years," he says.

Mr Edwards leads an administrative staff of 150 at the Union's headquarters in Oxfordshire, but the Baptists are not a top-down hierarchical church.

Individual congregations are self-funding and self-regulating, and even decide themselves what form their services of worship will take.

Mr Edwards cites this ability to respond to local preferences as the reason why congregations are not dropping, and in some places are even rising.

"Our churches are quite light on their feet. I'm not there telling them what they can and can't do."

Despite this, the Union is persisting in efforts to persuade congregations to be more diverse, a theme that will be continued at this weekend's assembly.

Supporting families

Although the first female ministers began preaching in the 1920s, only 10% of current ministers are women, a statistic the Union wants to change.

However, although ministers can be from either sex, they must be either celibate or in a heterosexual marriage.

Baptist Timeline 1609: first Baptist congregation founded in the Netherlands by John Smyth 1832: Baptist Union formed 1922: Violet Hedger becomes first female minister 2004: Southern Baptist Convention splits from World Alliance

"I believe the norm that God intends for us is hetero-relationships" says Mr Edwards.

"In these times especially, we should be supporting families."

Baptists have always been an evangelising religion, believing that they can help knit together communities by becoming practically involved in them, such as becoming school governors or running children's playgroups.

But their ambitions do not extend to wanting to replace the Anglicans as the national Church, and unlike, for example, some British Roman Catholics, they are not keen on pulling up a chair at the table of government.

Instead, they preach for the disestablishment of Church and state, though for different reasons to secularists.

Mark Woods, the editor of the Baptist Times, explains that politics and religion can be a heady mix.

"The model of one denomination of one religion acting as sort of spiritual broker for the rest of the country - however benevolent and co-operative they are - is no longer appropriate, if it ever was.

Baptists undergo full submersion in water when they join the Church

"That's not to say that religion should be excluded from public life, but we need a better system in which other traditions are represented as well."

Baptists believe that prophetic ministry - warning and advising on the issues of the day - is compromised if a Church is too close to government, so they are keen to stay outside the fold.

And as if to illustrate this, Mr Edwards delivers an uncompromising evaluation of the current financial crisis.

"We're pointing the finger at ourselves.

"We in the Churches have been tied into the selfishness and materialism just like everybody else. This is an opportunity for a radical rethink.

"The sins of the bankers contributed to the mess, but so have all of us."