What is a church to do when someone asks for assistance?
We are supposed to be big-hearted and smart-minded. Usually it is hard to be both, for we cannot read the thoughts and intentions of those who approach us. We should not give when it is foolish, yet who has all wisdom? A woman comes to the pastor, weeping over the rape and murder of her... Continue Reading
Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood Responds to New NIV (2011)
Over the past three weeks, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) has been conducting a review of the recently released and extensively revised new NIV (2011). As of now, the translation is only available online. Zondervan’s release of the TNIV in 2002 (New Testament) and 2005 (full Bible) brought about a significant controversy... Continue Reading
Covert Alliances – Discovering our True Allegiance
Every time our worries and our wealth expose that we are seeking earthly treasure as opposed to heavenly treasure, we show that our true allegiance in that moment of sinful-madness is satanic not heavenly I am still reading Running Scared by Ed Welch. This morning he opened my eyes to the subject of, what he... Continue Reading
J. C. Ryle on Revivalism
“But surely men ought to be told to repent as well as to believe. They should be told why they are to come to Christ, and what they are to come for, and whence their need arises.” American Christianity in general, and Fundamentalism in particular has been greatly impacted by the Revivalist movement. J.C. Ryle,... Continue Reading
Baptist Confessionalism: The Past Meets the Future in Georgia
The application of confessional accountability…is a reminder of how Baptists hammered out their understanding of confessionalism in times past — and a sign of things even more difficult sure to come. Well, it looks like Georgia Baptists had a debate worth having. Associated Baptist Press reports that the Georgia Baptist Convention voted to separate itself... Continue Reading
NIV 2011 Update released; continued available of 1984 Version in doubt; Churches may be forced to make hard choices.
NIV Bibles occupy the pews in thousands of churches, a kind of “default” contemporary translation. But the widespread use of the NIV as a “standard” English translation will probably disappear. I’ve spent some time looking over the recently revised New International Version of Scripture. The online version has been available for two weeks now. NIV... Continue Reading
The Legalism of Political Christianity – for the Right, AND from the Left
While progressive Christian political activists lobby government to realize God’s kingdom of shalom here on earth, they are compelled to anathematize those within the church who disagree. The favorite targets of lampoon and derision from progressive Christians are the icons of the Religious Right: the late Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy, Pat Robertson, James... Continue Reading
The Christian and his Books: “…the books, especially the parchments…” 2Tim 4:13
Surely, you have heard the expression, “You are what you eat.” The gist of this axiom is that our physical health generally reflects the nutritional value of the food we consume. We would like to develop a similar maxim which we believe is equally true: “You are what you read!” Christianity is, as one has... Continue Reading
The Pursuit of Happiness
To the best of our knowledge, Jesus never asked the disciples: “Are we having fun yet?” The pursuit of…single-minded faithfulness, not simple-minded fun, is the true road to human happiness. When Thomas Jefferson selected the phrase “the pursuit of happiness” to describe one of the unalienable rights of man, he was appropriating an idea with... Continue Reading
Preaching Against The Choir – Students who respond to preachers demonstrate the same closed-mindedness as those they criticize
“If non-Christians come away from one of Brother Micah’s sermons with the belief that he is representative of the whole of Christianity, then it is not he who is at fault; it is we Christians. Brother Micah is visible to the world in a way that we are not…” The Grounds of the University are... Continue Reading