A “Gospel” that Almost Killed Me
The dangers of prosperity gospel
Brothers, call it what it is. Pastors, call it what it is. Don’t let even a hint of this junk live in your church. Preach against it, and preach a gospel that shines so bright and burns so hot that any other gospel that tries to approach it burns up upon entry. Don’t treat this... Continue Reading
Shouldn’t They Know Better?
One of the more successful tactics of our enemy is to turn our hearts against the ones under our care — to turn protectors into executioners.
You would think leaders in countries like Belgium would know better since they have experienced what it means to have life and death left in the hands of utilitarian power (i.e. the Holocaust). But of course that was the evil Nazi regime who killed people out of hatred. Today, in the name of compassion, they... Continue Reading
Monogamy Is Unnatural
Monogamy is not natural, it’s supernatural
If you aren’t strong enough to stay committed to one person, that’s your business. Walk down that path of loneliness and confusion, but you can’t drag the entire institution of marriage along with you. Personally, I like circles but I hate squares. Can I subvert the laws of geometry and suddenly decide that all squares... Continue Reading
Job 1-5: God is Great; God is Good; God is Sovereign; There is Sin; and I am Suffering
Where is God while Satan runs loose and ruins lives? Where is God while wicked men sin grievously against others?
Job speaks of Satan’s work. His woes concern that which is being done to him by sinful tyrants. Mother nature has not been the friend of his family. But Job understands that behind it all, there is a God who ordains whatsoever comes to pass, and can rescue him at any time. Job is the... Continue Reading
Book Review: Break Out! by Joel Osteen
The chief problem of this book is that Osteen centers life on achieving the American Dream—success, prosperity and health
Joel Osteen, Break Out! 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life. FaithWords, 2013. 243 pages. $26.00 Detroit’s freeways are framed by dozens of billboards featuring happy, young, successful people enjoying a night of games and entertainment at one of the city’s casinos. The sleek, enticing images preach an alluring message: “Greatness awaits... Continue Reading
Exegesis has Consequences
Not only do ideas have consequences, so too does exegesis
If we are faithful, then we, like Paul, seek to handle God’s Word not deceitfully but with integrity and open accountability before God and all those who hear (2 Cor. 4:2). We must not be peddlers or corrupters of God’s Word (2 Cor. 2:17). Rather, we preach Christ and faith in Him. We must remember... Continue Reading
When the New Year Doesn’t Feel New
It’s inevitable, all things corrode, wear down or die
So how do you tap into these promises and begin to experience the newness that has begun in the coming of Christ? The clue is found in verse 6. Do you see the word thirsty? That is where it begins. Thirsty people are aware that they need something outside of themselves in order to survive. You... Continue Reading
The Confidence of Jerry Coyne
Eliminative-materialism makes a kind of hard-and-fast moral realism logically impossible; it can never get to an absolute “thou shalt not murder”
The theme of his argument is the crucial importance of human agency under eliminative materialism, but if under materialist premises the actual agent is quite possibly a fiction, then who exactly is this I who “reads” and “learns” and “teaches,” and why in the universe’s name should my illusory self believe Coyne’s bold proclamation that his illusory self’s purposes... Continue Reading
Possible Reasons Why Churches Don’t Pursue Being Cross Cultural
Some problems or obstacles to developing cross cultural churches
Most minorities learn such skills in order to survive while living in a majority context. Missionaries learn these skills intentionally in order to serve the people group to which they are called. We speak here of learning cultural cues, language, the history, glory, hopes, and fears of a people group. We speak here of “friend... Continue Reading
Will Utah Eventually End America’s Same-Sex Marriage Debate?
The final ruling on Kitchen v. Herbert could accomplish what DOMA and Prop. 8 cases failed to do.
The case will now go through the Tenth Circuit, which granted an expedited briefing schedule for the state’s appeal. Utah’s successful request for a stay of Shelby’s ruling restores the same-sex marriage ban in Utah until the appeal process is complete. More than 900 gay and lesbian couples have already married since the ruling. The... Continue Reading