This blog will be the last in what became a weekly series of 128 blogs. I have run out of productive things to say. My emphasis from the beginning was to understand the decline of traditional mainline congregations with our distinguished histories. The underlying question is how to turn this trend around. Answers are to […]
Read MoreRob Bell is a very effective teaching pastor who was at the cutting edge of Evangelical theology. He founded and led Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan. In 2011 he published Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell And The Fate Of Every Person Who Ever Lived. The broader Evangelical community in general and […]
Read MoreIn his Purpose-Driven Church Rick Warren offers the analogy of church life as running the bases on a baseball diamond. Getting to first base is Knowing God and becoming part of a Christian fellowship. Second is learning about and Growing in Christ. Third is Serving God through ministry to others. Getting to the fourth base […]
Read MoreThe local Moody radio station at one point dropped broadcasts of the Lutheran Hour, a long-time radio ministry. It was a first-class communication problem. Lutheran preachers of recent generations tend to emphasize Baptism as key to salvation. Many Evangelicals reject the notion that sprinkling water on a baby could have anything to do with the […]
Read MoreRecently a member of the church posed a classic question. A relative was ill and she wanted her brother to join the rest in praying for healing. He did not see what good that would do because God already had an outcome in mind. Did I know how to persuade him to join in […]
Read MoreAmerica has approximately 180 denominations. Each was forged out of controversy at some point in its history. Each called on the Bible to mark out its position in the dispute that set them apart. So, which is the true interpretation? One easy response to this confusion is to refuse to choose. This is happening among […]
Read MoreThe Old Testament is written in Hebrew. The New Testament is in Greek. We are reading both in English or in one of the many languages of worldwide Christianity. Good translations are basic to understanding and spreading the Word of God. But the issue is greater than finding comparable words. Hebrew and Greek are two […]
Read MoreSix GROWTH practices: Go, Read, Obey, Witness, Trust, Humble Yourself Humble Yourself Through Discipline During the Pandemic, I would drive by a house that had a yard announcing, “I Am A Health Care Hero.” What an odd thing to boast about. Real heroes don’t brag. Certainly, front-line health providers were heroes, especially in the earlier stages […]
Read MoreSix GROWTH practices: Go, Read, Obey, Witness, Trust, Humble Yourself Trust God in a New Venture Another phrase for Spiritual GROWTH is Spiritual Formation. My focus is on making the basics of such formation as practical as possible. One way is learning to trust God. Everyday life teaches lessons of trust for believers as they learn […]
Read MoreSix GROWTH practices: Go, Read, Obey, Witness, Trust, Humble Yourself Obey the Challenge to Deny Yourself Years as a chaplain in the Navy Reserves taught me the basics of military life. Fundamental is obedience to commands and also saluting the authority of superior officers. Growth is built into that structure. Either get promoted in a certain […]
Read MoreSix GROWTH practices: Go, Read, Obey, Witness, Trust, Humble Yourself Go to God in Prayer and Worship Believers tend to admire those who spend a long time in prayer. They must be especially devout. The rest of us usually feel guilty in comparison. Yet highly admired Christian leaders taught otherwise. Augustine of Hippo (5th century) preferred […]
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