“Let The Children Come”…Say’s An Angry God…
Our children are important to God, and we should jump at the opportunity to bring them to Jesus
As usual the disciples were missing the point. And what Jesus says in His rebuke to the disciples is a rebuke for us all. He is telling us that children have value. They are not just cute accessories for life, or people we just deal with until they are old enough to contribute something. They... Continue Reading
United Methodist Seminary Ponders Removing Cross from Chapel
To make the space more appropriate for Jain, Buddhist, and Islamic religious services
After recently facing some financial challenges, the seminary decided to more or less literally sell itself for $50 million to a large donor who helped transform it from a Christian seminary into Claremont Lincoln University, devoted to jointly training Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Jain clergy. In celebrating the move, Claremont President Jerry Campbell bizarrely... Continue Reading
It’s OK to Talk Like a Christian
Skip the trendy vocab, not the biblical terms.
In the video “Stuff Christians Say,” two guys toss around a dictionary’s worth of Christian lingo: non-denom, God thing, secular, relevant. It’s funny because the actors sound like the people we all know who repeat the latest religious phrase until it becomes ubiquitous and meaningless. As I watched, I hesitated to dismiss some words used... Continue Reading
You Might Be Reformed IF…
Describing what it means to be Reformed in your theology
If you suspect that how you *think* about God might be at least as important as how you *feel* about God, … If you believe that the fact that a doctrine is described in the Bible supercedes your personal feelings about that doctrine, … If you feel that nagging suspicion that something isn’t right when... Continue Reading
Forgive Each Other – Sounds Simple Right? Wrong.
We can’t do it in our own strength.
We live in a fallen world, and both Christians and non-Christians sin against each other. And very often in devastating ways. Sadly, even Christians fall into horrible sin at times and it can be life shattering when you are sinned against. Sin causes anguish, sadness and misery. So when someone sins against you, I would... Continue Reading
More Than Body Parts Indeed
Is our gender determined by how we feel or how God created us?
Despite the chromosomes God gives, despite the way the world sees, the way we feel must be the only truth-teller. But actually, in the case of this child in Colorado, it seems biology is the only faithful witness. The parents have said one thing over and over and over. They’ve dressed the child in pink... Continue Reading
The Local Church is THE place for Biblical Counseling
Local churches flourish as they become places where counseling flourishes
Can local churches become a natural home for counseling ministry? Often the limitations or failures of the church get cited first, making it seem that church is at best an adjunct to “the real work of counseling.” But, in principle, the local church is the natural home for face-to-face ministry. Counseling can and should thrive... Continue Reading
On the Difficulty of Arguing for “Zero” Grazing
Christians who affirm traditional standards of sexual morality are increasingly marginalized in American culture
By the “doctrine of creation” ….I’m speaking of the notion of a creation order established by God which sets meaningful and beneficial parameters for human behavior. This concept of a creation order implies that there are good and healthy ways to live that are consistent with the way God made us, and that if we... Continue Reading
9 Things You Should Know About C. Everett Koop
Here are nine things you should know about the former surgeon general
In 1950, Koop removed the appendix of a young girl named Priscilla, which sparked a lifelong friendship with the girl’s parents, Francis and Edith Schaeffer. In 1979 Koop and Schaeffer collaborated on a book and film project, Whatever Happened to the Human Race?, which played a key role in motivating evangelicals in supporting the burgeoning... Continue Reading
Bill Wilson’s god: ‘Big Book’ Religion
Which ‘god’ does Alcoholics Anonymous promote and follow?
It is possible to believe in this god, follow A.A, and get sober. (It is possible also believe in no god at all, not follow A.A., and get sober.) On the one hand, we can be happy for the better life in this world those who believe in Bill Wilson’s god and get sober enjoy.... Continue Reading