Study Guide of Bannerman’s Book on the Church Available as a Free E-Book on Amazon
Study guide of James Bannerman’s, The Church of Christ, available for free download through April 22
The following work is a small attempt to help restore the doctrine of the church to the place assigned to it in Scripture. This book is simultaneously an outline, an abridgement, a study guide, and a Sunday school curriculum derived from James Bannerman’s magisterial work, The Church of Christ. James Bannerman was one of the... Continue Reading
Transgression: The New Conformism
Modern liberalism: Tolerant of everything except dissenting opinions
The conversation also reminded me of one of the supreme ironies of the contemporary politics of homosexuality. A movement originally built upon the idea of transgression, the breaking of taboos and the crossing of boundaries has become one of the most intolerant and conformist movements ever to emerge within liberal democratic societies. The current debate... Continue Reading
When the Bombs Exploded in Boston
A range of emotional responses to the tragedy in Boston
Word of the Boston bombings hit Twitter before they hit CNN or any other news network. And as the video clips of the bombings began to emerge, my heart responded in shock and horror. Our hearts are wired to respond to atrocities like this, whether we’re near or far from the scene. Humans are complex... Continue Reading
The Gospel and Dr. Gosnell
What Church Must Learn from Media Silence on Abortion Horrors
Abortion and infanticide are two stops on a single road, and the road has a downhill slope. Make no mistake. The current situation in which abortion practitioners are engaging in infanticide is the result of our desensitization by the decades long effort to devalue and destroy the lives of the preborn. Sin and death always... Continue Reading
Man-Made Religion at Its Best: Review of a “New New Testament”: Part 3
It is a book designed to give us a Gnostic version of God, a God found inside of us.
In sum, Taussig has produced a new set of Scriptures to accommodate his new theology. And thus he has reversed the normal order of things. While theology usually comes from Scripture, Taussig has used his theology to create a new Scripture. It’s man-made religion at its best. This will be the last installment of... Continue Reading
Liturgical Breadth Assessment
It's important to recognize the difference between our ideal and an essential
Would you do yourself and the rest of us a favor? Give yourself a liturgical breadth assessment. If we all knew our breadth a little better, we could continue worshipping without chafing or complaint over “little things.” Recognizing this music or this way of praying or this ministry highlight moment may not be my ideal,... Continue Reading
Ragamuffin Author Brennan Manning Dies
Manning’s writings inspired Christian musicians and evangelical authors. He is best known for his book The Ragamuffin Gospel.
He began to speak and write, but behind the scenes struggled with alcoholism, even as he pursued treatment. Besides two relapses—one in 1980 and a second in 1993—he remained sober, but not before his addiction cost him his marriage. He and his wife divorced after 18 years together. He chronicled his battle and heartache in... Continue Reading
They Can Try to Disrupt Her Funeral, But They Cannot Dishonor Her Legacy
The Boston Bombing and Why Margaret Thatcher Matters Now More than Ever
Yet it was her values that mattered and matter so much today. The bedrock value that sustained Lady Thatcher was that inalienable rights came from God and not from government. She believed that Socialism was antithetical to freedom. Thatcher’s values fueled her vision for privatization, tax reduction, free markets, strengthening British military (defending freedom), and... Continue Reading
Low-Maintenance Children
The tasks of raising children and participating in ministry require lots of work, but the rewards are great.
Ministry requires prayer, sweat and tears. Parenting does, too. As a busy ministry wife and mother, I understand the desire for efficiency and freedom that low-maintenance children would allow. Such offspring don’t exist. In reality, Christian parenting is messy and fraught with sacrifice. In addition, child maintenance is required at inconvenient times, such as when... Continue Reading
No Blessing Like Health — With the Exception of Sickness
Troubles of every kind in the ministry are God’s bitter medicine for the survival of our own faith and our people’s
For Spurgeon the sovereignty of God was not first argument for debate, it was a means of survival. He was not joking when he quipped, “I dare say the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the exception of sickness. . . . Affliction is the best bit... Continue Reading