Billy Graham and Steven Furtick (What a flattering comparison!)

What is the difference in Billy Graham's Crusades of the past, and Elevation Church's McDonald's Drive Thru approach to baptism of the present. Not a whole lot really. That is why John MacArthur stirred up a whole hornet's nest of debate about thirty years ago of whether repentance and change is directly linked with salvation in his book The Gospel According to Jesus. In it, he makes an argument for something coined a Lordship Salvation. The general idea is that you have to do more than believe, you have to also turn from sin. I don't believe that personally, I believe that you have to believe and a product of that belief will be repentance and right living through a process of growing in your knowledge of the truth, but I can honestly say I believe that because I am an American Southern Boy! Its like a semantic argument because you are really saying that if you follow Jesus you will do what he says, but if you don't know what He said yet because you haven't been taught, then does that mean you aren't a Christian...that argument could go on forever!

My point in bringing this up is because I love the approach that we take in Starting Point Groups at Browns Bridge. If they were to load people into Baptism pools like cattle being sprayed off before slaughter, I would never return. Instead, they allow for people to explore what they think in a small 10 week discussion group (something like Sunday School) where people get their questions answered and wrestle with the ideas. Some have said a prayer, others have yet to take that step. Some have been in church forever. And it isn't a requirement to do this group before you get baptized, but it is what is encouraged.

Both Billy Graham and Steven have done the same thing that is admirable: they have encouraged people to go out and find a local body of believers that can help them out in having their own Starting Points so to speak. So what is the next step for people getting saved or baptized in mass...probably counseling, but I digress. More than likely, getting into a small group or house church if they dare that will help them process what it means to walk by faith.