A MESSAGE FROM Rev. Scott Faw, Rowan Southern Baptist Association Board of Directors

Dear Friends,

I trust that you and your family are doing well and God is working in your life in wonderful ways right now. April is here and Easter will be celebrated the end of the month. It is with that thought in mind I want to share with you some truth that I think will help us as we consider the events of the Passion week.

In 1971, Carolyn Davidson was a graphic design student at Portland State University. She was doing some freelance work for a small athletic apparel company called Blue Ribbon Sports. She drew a simple logo, intended to represent the wing on a statue of the Greek goddess of victory, whose name is Nike. That “swoosh” and the brand it represents, Nike, are now a part of marketing history.

If the church has a logo, it is the cross. It adorns steeples, overlooks baptisteries, and dangles from the necks of church members (not to mention award-winning, gangster rappers). The Word of God teaches that the cross is so much more than just a logo or a symbol. The cross is a principle that is absolutely central to what a Christian believes.

D.A. Carson, in his book The Cross and Christian Ministry, makes a critical point about our day. He says: “Ever so subtly, we start to think that success more critically depends on thoughtful sociological analysis than on the gospel; Barna becomes more important than the Bible. We depend on plans, programs, vision statements – but somewhere along the way we have succumbed to the temptation to displace the foolishness of the cross with the wisdom of strategic planning.”

Just after this paragraph, Carson makes an arresting statement. I read it over and over again. He writes: “…I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy…”

Wow! In many churches today, the cross is nothing more than a logo for the therapeutic ministry of Jesus. He is the great marriage fixer, children raiser, financial advisor, self-help guru…His business cards have a cross on them, and He is somehow connected to it, but most religious consumers are not really sure how.

The truth is, however, the cross is not simply a logo for Jesus’ religious services. The cross was the instrument of his death, and is the place where man’s sin was dealt with by God. The cross is the only hope for redemption, and the only message that can really make a difference in the lives of people, for it is the power of God. If we set it aside, “dismiss” it from its central place, we do so to the detriment of our churches and the damnation of our people.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” I Corinthians 1:18

The cross made then and makes now a huge difference in the lives of mankind. I hope this season and all year long we will see the cross for what it is and the price that Jesus paid on our behalf on the cross. Have a great month as you serve in the local churches in our association.  If I can be of any help to you or your church please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Until He Comes,

Scott Faw

Calvary Baptist Church