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Recent Articles
These are articles that have been published within the
past several months.
UPDATED 02/01/2012
Most recent first.
It is time for a new Monastic Movement
Does the church have the right to ban people from its services?
Far too many Christians are gullibly following false prophets. Why?
Too often we are are so caught up in ourselves that we forget, as Christians, we are being watched.
Wine is not the only toxicant we need to be wary of.
This is not a much spoken of Gospel principle these days. Nonetheless as as Proverbs 9:10 says, "It is the beginning of wisdom."
Tertullian wrote, "The blood of Christians is seed," a concept long forgotten in this "can't we all just get along" cultural environment. Yet, he is right, it is the yard-stick against which the TRUTH is measured.
Another measure of the TRUTH is persecution. It is something to be desired not dreaded.
Discipling is a life-long process. An obvious fact frequently overlooked in our obsession with "acronymic evangelism" designed to make discipling a quick and easy process.
Can we be "filthy rich" and Christian at the same time? Right there in the Book of James lie the answers. Take it or leave it!
When it comes to the Bible, ministers will say it is the infallible Word of God and then proceed to modify and ignore it to suit their own agenda.
There is little or no fellowship, Bible teaching is scant at best, the people are rude and impolite, so why bother?
You bet we and the church are to spread the Word to the unbelieving world but, the how and how much have been misdirected and exaggerated.
That slogan might work for business, and major league athletics, but using their marketing strategies has spelled disaster for the Christian church.
What ever happened to our Comforter; the One who is to teach us and to help us remember all things? Just look around, His absence is grievous.
The Prophets of old did as much correcting as they did foretelling. Even with our Bible, we need them to tell us when preachers and teacher stray from the Word.
With so many diverse purposes driving the modern church, it has become less than a dysfunctional family. In most instances today, to refer to the church as a "family" is a misnomer.
What Christianity is supposed to be is clearly spelled out in the Bible. Surprisingly, there is little distinction between the "Christianity," of today the Salvation Army and the International Red Cross.
If we listen to today's preaching on what is called tithing and that found in the pages of the Bible we'd find ourselves say over and over, "Never Heard About That." There is virtually no similarity between Biblical tithing and that espoused today.
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Increasingly Christians are looking to secular government (unsuccessfully) to define what is moral, ethical and acceptable Christian actions.
Is stadium sized churches, conning non-believers Biblical? In short, are bigger churches better?
How far do we have to stray from he "straight and narrow" before we can't return?
Is making the Gospel message more "seeker friendly" the way to save the unsaved?
They may come in all sizes, but the really dangerous ones are like the stealth bomber; they "fly under the radar" passing themselves off as the true Gospel message.
Baby Christians never grow up; they just never grow up.
We are not orphans. We are one in Christ; part of the family of God; His sons and daughters. It's time we started acting as if we were His adopted children and treating other Christians accordingly.
The Gospel is set forth in the Scriptures. Most major denominations contend they are infallible. In saying the Bible is infallible there is no room to wiggle on what is written no matter how much we don't like what is between it's covers.
The 7th Chapter of Joshua is a grim study of the collective punishment for the sins of a few. If we think that God will overlook the sins of the many when He does not tolerate those of just one, we Christians, like Israel, are in for a rude awakening.
With the canonization of Scripture do we no longer need the Holy Spirit? Have we have rejected Him? Or do we superficially recognize Him as a person in God and a presence within us. Period!
Shouldn’t “infant Christians” be encouraged to discover and use our Spiritual Gifts in order to build up the body of Christ? Aren't they the way in which the we are perfected and the body of Christ edified. That's what the Bible says!
Is the impression outsiders see of Christianity is all about give and receive, give and receive? Give on God’s part and receive on our part? After all, isn't it a matter of "ask and you shall receive?"
We must remember that God is incomprehensible. What He does and why He does it is far beyond our understanding. If He wants us to know something, He'll tell us.
How often do we put forth the warm and fuzzy face of fellowship in order to lure the unsuspecting into our lair. Shouldn't we be more forthright in what things will be like after they're baptized?
Unfortunately, the 20th Century Church has become me focused like the society around it.
Christians are free thanks to the Lord God Almighty, but that freedom did not come cheap. The least we could do is to be thankful for the sacrifice He made to purchase our freedom.
If we start selecting which passages we will accept and which we'll reject, where does it stop?
Can't we find something objectionable to every single passage of Holy Scripture? Maybe, we should either TAKE it or LEAVE it intact!
We have become very facile in finding "reasons" for which passages of Scripture we accept and those we choose to ignore. None that we choose to ignore is more blatantly ignored than this passage from 1 John 3:17 saying, "Who ever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need -- how does the love of God abide in him?"
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Most of us are getting it wrong when we think we ought to follow the Gospel teachings; making them the purpose that drives our lives.
What we have to figure out first is what “Christianity” believes and then how to translate those agreed upon beliefs into our relationships with others.
Jesus didn't leave "footprints all over history" because, to the people of His time, He was a nobody.
What if each of us who knelt in prayer for the needs of a brother or sister in Christ also helped them out financially when there was need?
He, whom we worship is an immutable, incomprehensible God. Science is as likely to discover the "secrets" of the universe as they are to comprehend an inscrutable God.
Is there another Temple to be built or, for that matter, descend from Heaven? If so, what would be its function?
Why did God create Man? The Bible never comes right out and says why. But there are some pretty strong clues.
What are the consequences when a "Christian Nation," one overflowing with milk and honey, ceases to be Christian in anything but name?
Many mistakenly believe that the sole purpose of the "prophets" is in "fortune-telling," writing or changing Scripture. Yet, two of their most important callings is to defend Scripture and warn those who stray from Scriptural precepts of the dire consequences.
Is that basis to be found within the pages of Vogue or the styles of Lady Gaga or the TV production of "House wives of --- "_ this or that place? If not, why try so hard to live up to such "standards?"
We have been distracted from celebrating His birthday.
They haven't and won't win the war, but have the false prophets and teachers finally won the battle for "Christendom?" If so, may God have mercy upon us.
Slowly but surely, by over emphasis and exaggeration, the "church" is chipping away at the Gospel message.
Maybe we should just "go with the flow" and rename December 25th "Shop-mass." That better fits what we think about and spend our time and our monies on.
This celebration is best know in the so-called "developed" nations of the Western Hemisphere; more specifically, the United States of America. Here, in simple English, it could be know as the "Celebration of Self-centeredness." We do that so very well.
We humans have never overcome the idea that we are the most in intellectually gifted of everything, including God, in the universe.
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Why did God create man-kind?
What purpose did He have in mind for us?
There are those who envision a heaven filled with the same sort of relationships and activities as here on earth; with lots of time to meet and talk with Biblical figures and to get some answers to questions we have been unable to find. Is this an accurate depiction?
Does our God-given "dominion" authority give us the right to decimate the earth?
Is it right for Christians to virtually dismiss the Old Testament; regarding it as merely historical?
Jesus said, NO MAN (or woman) commeth to the Father, but by me. Take it or leave it.
Do we really believe it when we say we have "faith?" Dictionaries define faith as belief without proof. Clearly, Stephen Hawking has no such belief; do we?
We need to constantly remind ourselves that the Constitutional edict of "Separation of Church and State" is a two-way street.
Does the "Church" send out mixed signals on worldliness?
The only difference is that it should be something other than a pretzel inside of us.
What if the "Jobian fence of protection" were to be removed from American Christianity?
We should be constantly aware that this world is going to come to an abrupt end and, furthermore, no one knows when; only God knows.
We aren't the world's "plastic surgeons." Saving, even blessing the world is far above our pay grade.
In the eyes of the religious authorities of His day, Jesus wasn't a revolutionary, He was a heretic.
With the Holy Scripture before us and the Holy Spirit within us why are we still so clueless?
Are we, Christians, really dependent upon secular government to tell us what to do?
There must be some good news out there in the secular world - somewhere. The bad news is that the church is increasingly catering to the world.
Was he really the hero, devoted to doing God's will as he is so often portrayed or more like us?
We are so steeped in worldliness, it is virtually impossible to think of how drastically different the world will be without sin.
Or is it simply caught in the warp of time when it, along with other aspects of Christianity are being also thrown aside in favor of human wisdom and aspirations?
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Rags to riches sermons may draw in the throngs, but they aren't Scriptural.
By its very nature, the Gospel is not and never has been "politically correct." This has driven many who want it to be "all things to all people," to render it little if anything.
And, a "Blue Law" Sunday to you too!
We keep confusing ourselves and others with well-meaning attempts to prove this or that article of our faith not realizing that proof and faith are contradictory. The more something is proven, the less faith it takes.
In their exaggerated zeal for "Social Missionology" churches are overlooking their unique calling and the world's most desperate needs
"Flying under the radar" is a sure way to crash into "the Lake of Fire," just ask any group of "brass monkeys."
We must constantly remind ourselves of the horrific history of disobedience to God. The archetype of such is called Satan who is well traveled going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it. (Job 1:7) He is a practiced ravenous wolf; a dragon; a serpent, rather than a lamb, dumb before his shearer. (Acts 8:32) He is prideful, a deceiver, an accuser, and a tempter. He is not to be reckoned with.
It is not up to us to defend Jesus. People will believe in Him or not. All we have to do is "show the colors of the Gospel," as it were in word and deed.
The use of such terms as "detachment," "transformation," "emptiness," enlightenment," "awakening" by advocates of "contemplative spirituality" is indeed a Ragamuffin Gospel - a a ragged, disreputable gospel; that is a poorly clothed, dirty child-like image of the Truth.
A modern-day fallacy.
It’s difficult to say if the pendulum has described its full arch. Regardless, it’s time for it to reverse course
How often do we "mispronounce" the Gospel?"
God is not one-dimensional as our limitations on understanding have made Him out to be.
Maybe we need a "Scopes Monkey Trial" to respond to the anti-Christianity sneaking its way into our congregations.
So Israel rejected God resulting in the utter destruction of it's nation. If we do the same, what is to make us think the results won't be the same?
Often we forget about the forest because our attention is focused on one or two trees.
From our limited perspective (about that of a mayfly or a little less) we think the battles that are lost means the war is lost. Not so.
Is Jesus watching and listening to contemporary preaching and shaking His head in consternation over how little things have changed since He castigated the Pharisees?
There's a lot to the Gospel Message. Care should be taken not to slight some of it to fit our personal preconceptions.
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Can we logically dismiss the 120 + miracles recorded in Scripture. If we could, what would we have gained?
There's always the temptation on the part of so-called "intellectuals" to read and interpret the Bible to suit their agendas.
He has every right to be.
From enticing non-believers to renovating the world, so-called "mournful saviors" will go to any extreme to accomplish their perceived mission.
It isn't so much that we have to "check our brains" at the church door as it is our image of God we need to check.
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