Churches which are doctrine-lite, or which define themselves with a ten or twelve point doctrinal statement, or which portray themselves as a nice, fun supplement to the more important things of life, are rather like the little pig who built his house of straw. When the wolf blows, the house will simply vanish in the... Continue Reading

As noted, the current view is that of Fox, reflected in a number of commentaries. But Fox’s book was published in 1985, and it is now probably approaching its sell-by date. So the reader begins to wonder where the next set of ANE literary connections with the Song will be found.   For historical-grammatical interpretation... Continue Reading

Given this general principle of Scripture, we should expect similarities in the Genesis account of the flood and other accounts found in other cultures. We might even see that these other accounts predate the writing of the Genesis account. But that is not a problem when we see that it was God’s purpose to tell... Continue Reading

There’s just one problem with this analysis: It turns out that Millennials are not, in fact, longing for the Episcopal experience. Not many people of any age are. What Evans neglects to mention is that the American religious community has been engaging in a decades-long experiment in exactly the kind of spirituality she proposes, and... Continue Reading

Gossip is the RPG that blasts holes in the fabric of the church. The way I see it every time someone gossips they injure at least 3 people: the one speaking, the one hearing, and the one being gossiped about. Add to this that gossip is usually not a one time deal but rather involves... Continue Reading

Pastors who think it is relevant and cool to be indifferent about doctrine—who play down the necessity and importance of doctrine and who fail to preach and explain doctrine in their sermons—are in fact failing to give their people that which will save their souls. For us to downplay doctrine or to be intentionally fuzzy... Continue Reading

This is the level to which these discussions are approaching in our day. With the stakes so high, all Christians who hope to faithfully engage in this discussion and demonstrate Scripture’s and the Gospel’s sufficiency to address this highly controversial topic, need to be equipped to respond to arguments like these in ways that are... Continue Reading

So what happens if a church neglects these things? A church may be very busy with programs and activities, but it won’t really be growing. The members of the church won’t be growing in maturity and the church won’t be growing closer to Christ. The community won’t be reached and the church won’t grow numerically.... Continue Reading

On planet earth what corrects our subjective beliefs that time has dragged or speeded up to a point where it races (both of which are, after all, false beliefs, like the belief that the rails of the railroad join at the horizon, or the stick bends when it is pushed into water), are the objective... Continue Reading

Faithful churches would do well to welcome unbelievers to hear the word preached. It is our mission to make real and vital connections to seekers. But churches would lose all integrity if they did what this author is suggesting. “Creating spaces” in the membership for those who are “culturally Christian” is making a place for... Continue Reading