Persecution myth? Thoughts on Christian Martyrdom
A new book claims Christian martyrdom was fabricated, but the present sheds light on the past
If today’s Muslims—acquainted with modern ideas of humanitarianism and tolerance—are still brutally persecuting the Christian minorities in their midst, are we seriously to believe that the warlike Roman Empire, which existed at a time when brutality and cruelty were the expected norm, did not persecute Christians, especially when the records say it did? Christian... Continue Reading
Is Your Child’s Cell Phone Stunting Their Growth?
Studies are showing that our children are missing out on major coping skills
As far as the cell phone is concerned, I wonder if we are stunting our child’s prayer life when we are their constant lifeline? Instead of remembering to pray without ceasing, our children can just pick up the phone—“Let me ask mom…” Even in our relationship with God, we don’t have this kind of growth-stunting... Continue Reading
Advice to Christians and Churches Involved in Boy Scouts
Christians should not remain in Boy Scouts after this new policy goes into effect in six months
The second question is When to disaffiliate? Most Christians are so horrified and feel so betrayed by BSA that they want to act immediately. However, I think there are some good reasons to wait at least a few months, during which the new policy will have yet to take effect: The recent decision by... Continue Reading
Do Christians Make the Bible an Idol?
All worldviews need some authority. And when God is rejected, men turn to the only place they can. Themselves.
For some reason, the Christian commitment to the Bible as the word of God is a confusing concept for non-Christians. They see it as a strange, antiquated, quasi-idolatrous devotion that is out of sync with the modern world. After all, people today are no longer dogmatically devoted to absolute authorities. Are they? In a recent... Continue Reading
Is This Good News?
Rome has carried its incipient Semi-Pelagianism to its logical conclusion
The Reformers never accused the medieval church of embracing outright Pelagianism, but of that subtler form of works-righteousness that invokes grace as no more than assistance for our attainment of God’s favor. Maybe Protestants don’t get that because this is essentially the same tendency at work in many mainline and evangelical churches. In his... Continue Reading
The Pastor and His Money
Money, the need and desire for it, does lots of strange things to people
You are worthy of your hire and the congregation should strive to adequately take care of you and your family, but you must measure the pressure you put on them with the understanding that believers should not give to God out of necessity or compulsion, but with cheerfulness. Part of their cheerfulness will come from... Continue Reading
Identical Twins Studies Prove Homosexuality is Not Genetic
Eight major studies of identical twins in Australia, the U.S., and Scandinavia during the last two decades all arrive at the same conclusion: gays were not born that way
Because identical twins are always genetically identical, homosexuality cannot be genetically dictated. “No-one is born gay,” he notes. “The predominant things that create homosexuality in one identical twin and not in the other have to be post-birth factors.” Dr. Whitehead believes same-sex attraction (SSA) is caused by “non-shared factors,” things happening to one twin but not... Continue Reading
God’s Extraordinary Work and Our Ordinary Faithfulness
The balance that healthy churches must embrace: faith in God to do the extraordinary and our resolve to keep doing the ordinary
Are you and your church committed to the basics: to prayer, proclamation, and being a practicing Christian community? If we will make that our aim and keep doing it year after year, who knows how big the flame will be when God decides to light a match and lay it at the kindling of our... Continue Reading
Gresham Machen, Friend to Catholics
“The Church of Rome may represent a perversion of the Christian religion; but naturalistic liberalism is not Christianity at all.”
“Spiritually, he had to make do too — reading his English Bible rather than in Greek, which brought home some things with a freshness; worshipping with Roman Catholics. Of one sermon he says ‘It was far, far better than what we got from the Protestant liberals’. In conversation afterwards, he could not agree with the... Continue Reading
Watching Taboos Topple
“Taboo,” is “a ban or inhibition resulting from social custom or emotional aversion.”
But as I read the above definition of “taboo,” I’m thinking that it can be a good thing that we have taboos. I say this as a person living in 2013 who is watching old taboos topple all around me. It used to be taboo for men to sleep with men. That’s not taboo anymore... Continue Reading