…biblical Christianity without conservative idolatry…
Preface Yesterday, I brought a message that has been on my heart for two years at least. It was a message that I've wanted to bring for a long time, but one that I've been afraid to address. Furthermore, even though I delivered the message yesterday, I still worry about whether I said what needed …
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I first wrote this blog post two years ago in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, but in the midst of church turmoil, I never published it. Nevertheless, since the heat around me has died down, and since I don’t think Christians should stop thinking about these things, I’m bringing this one out …
I first wrote this blog post two years ago in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, but in the midst of church turmoil, I never published it. Nevertheless, since the heat around me has died down, and since I don’t think Christians should stop thinking about these things, I’m bringing this one out …
I first wrote this blog post two years ago in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, but in the midst of church turmoil, I never published it. Nevertheless, since the heat around me has died down, and since I don't think Christians should stop thinking about these things, I'm bringing this one out …
How can we engage in evangelism without judgment and hypocrisy? It has widely been held by Christians that evangelism–the practice of leading another person to become a Christian–is one of the central components of what it means to be a Christian, and I totally agree; however, the common way of …
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Can we trust apocryphal books like the Book of Enoch? It depends on what you mean by "trust" and it depends on which book you are talking about. For example, Jude, in the letter he wrote, actually quotes from the book of Enoch, but he doesn't tell us we should "trust" the book of Enoch. Also, just …
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Where do Neanderthals fit in a Biblical context? This is a fascinating question. Let me address it in two different ways. First, I want to describe the best understanding science has about the interplay between the different "hominid" species, and then I'll get into how this fits into our …
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Mission and Strategy Let’s recall our four governing questions: Which values are central to the Christian life and which are peripheral? Which central values are internal to the Church only and which should Christians promote in the society at large? How should individuals and churches promote …
Idols, Temples, and Politics I ended the previous chapter with this phrase: “As Christians, we rise above such petty, temporary, earthly allegiances because we have a higher calling for a higher purpose from a higher authority." That’s a strong statement, and it’s biblically true, but I’m not …
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Today in the New York Times, David Brooks published an opinion piece about the Evangelicals who are trying to save evangelicalism from itself. Evangelical is a word that I used to fully embrace for myself because I thought it was a word that described a commitment to the gospel, a commitment to the …
Photo by James Eades on Unsplash In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday, I thought I would take a look at one of his most important works. As a white man, my knowledge of the life and work of Dr. King is almost entirely limited to his "I Have a Dream" speech, and I thought that in …
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In my message last Sunday, I encouraged everyone to build their lives on the foundation of understanding God's Word. Specifically, I gave this as our take-home principle: I’ll build my life on a JESUS-CENTERED understanding of GOD’S WORD. At the core of this statement are two important …
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One of the most misunderstood parts of the crucifixion story shows up at the very end of Matthew's account: From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my …
I'm posting this on my personal blog. The viewpoint I share here is not necessarily the viewpoint of the church I serve as pastor nor is it a topic of my messages on Sunday mornings. Perhaps you like the Trump presidency. Perhaps you hate it. Your opinion matters, and the comment section …
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Recently, an atheist friend of a lady in our church saw that I was doing a Question and Answer session in our church and posted a number of questions of her own. I thought I would take some time to write one or more blog posts about the questions she posed. There are three reasons for addressing …
Last week, Ashley Smith issued the "Ice Bucket Challenge" to the LCC Staff, and this Sunday, Billy, Beth, Kevin and I are going to get doused. You will want to be there at around 10:20am to see it happen. However, I also want to take this opportunity to share a few thoughts about the Ice Bucket …
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