“Instead of The Summit Church being 12,000 people meeting in 12 different locations on the weekend, now we are going to be about 15,000 people meeting in about 2,400 locations,” said Greear during the Summit Church’s live stream on Tuesday (7/21).   DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA (ANS) – Pastor J.D. Greear, of Summit Church in Durham,... Continue Reading

Almost forty years ago in the Columbia Law Review, First Amendment scholar Douglas Laycock argued that the First Amendment protected a right of church autonomy that was distinct from the standard conscientious objector claims of religious free exercise. In the years since, scholars such as Notre Dame’s Richard Garnett have argued for a principle of freedom... Continue Reading

If we understand the church as merely a new covenant phenomenon, the church did not start until Pentecost or perhaps the Last Supper. If, however, we understand that the church is part of God’s eternal plan for His creation, we will see that it actually began long before the new covenant was inaugurated, although under... Continue Reading

“My husband, my best friend has bravely shared his deepest truth this past year. He is gay. While this doesn’t change how much we love him, it does change our relationship. We are moving forward with ending our marriage, while remaining deeply committed to our family and each other.”   Christian children’s book author Matthew... Continue Reading

In the last few years several disturbing reports have surfaced, not only from our seminaries, but also from our agencies and convention meetings, especially with regards to accommodating the culture’s fashionable thinking on race and homosexuality.   A recent lecture on hermeneutics promoted by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) reminded me of a scene at... Continue Reading

If we lack this fruit of the Spirit, we lose every good thing given to us. Our youthful resolves give way to adult indifference, our marriages and ministries slowly wilt, and our best ambitions eventually fade with a sigh. This quality is certainly not the only mark of a godly man, but without it a... Continue Reading

One of the beauties of Ezra 3 is that it does not merely present us with a project, but with progress. The foundation of the temple is established, bricks begin to rise where once rubble had been strewn, there are hints of a new work to be done. The celebrations that vv11-12 depict are not... Continue Reading

Loftis is charged with breaking into the church about 10:40 p.m. Monday [07/20/2020]. The 5-foot-9 man was captured on surveillance video entering the church through a back door, court documents said.  “Once inside he walked through the building throwing equipment and instruments around and was observed inside the sanctuary,” the documents said.   A 29-year-old... Continue Reading

The Apostle Paul explains the doctrine of the church so that we might understand what God has done and so that we may understand who we are. And in calling us to understand who we are and what we’re called to do, Paul says that we’re the church. We’re the church that God ordained from... Continue Reading

We are to obey our civil authorities as powers that God Himself has ordained. However, while civil government is invested with divine authority to rule the state, neither of those texts (nor any other) grants civic rulers jurisdiction over the church. God has established three institutions within human society: the family, the state, and the... Continue Reading