Many Christian apologists who answer Mormon doctrine do so on the basis of looking deep into their lesser known beliefs and pointing out that there is some wild stuff going on there. For example, Joseph Smith taught that Methuselah and Abraham used the urim and the thummim as magical telescopes to discover the star Kolob,… Read More »
Tom Wright on Framing the Debate on Homosexuality
Once again, Tom Wright brings wisdom and reason to a hot topic. Toward the end, he addresses the Enlightenment arrogance of those who say, “We know more about homosexuality” or “We have evolved from the ignorance of the ancient world”. While Wright does not come down on one side or the other in this video,… Read More »
Worship Manifesto, post 2
Worship can be found in all of these things, to some extent, but worship’s core is the person of Jesus Christ. At the very core of worship must be the gospel – that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, come to redeem and restore all of creation.
Worship Manifesto, post 1
manifesto  (ËŒmænɪˈfÉ›stəʊ) — n  , pl -tos , -toes a public declaration of intent, policy, aims, etc, as issued by apolitical party, government, or movement I am endlessly fascinated by the machinations of the modern church, in our varied attempts to justify our own existence. When we feel that sentiment is pulling toward social engagement, we become activists. When it is pulling toward leadership and programming, we become businessmen. When it pulls toward conversionism, we become evangelists. There… Read More »
Putting Church in the Blender
When we started the merger process between Grace Baptist Church and Heritage Baptist Church back in 2009, our elders and I did a lot of digging and found few resources to guide us. There just wasn’t much out there on church mergers, and what was out there was overwhelmingly negative. Despite this, we decided that… Read More »
"To Be With God"
Heaven.
That place where you go when you die. First, you stroll through the pearly gates and meet St. Peter, then you get a crown and a mansion and can eat all you want. There’s a temple and lots of holy people around, angels singing from the clouds. You get a harp. It’s great.
Of course, that image is entirely wrong. Oh, some of it is in the Scriptures, but the way we perceive it and the way it will truly be are two different things.
Following Up on Rob Bell's Love Wins
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CKiWMynhQM] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ssj49PIeJYE] Yesterday, I posted an entry about Rob Bell and his latest book, Love Wins. in it, I noted that I think Rob’s theology is a bit loopy and that his definition of hell is different from my own. Today, I want to take my thoughts a bit further and point out where Rob… Read More »
What Do You See?
vi·sion [vizh-uhn] 1. the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight. 2. the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be 3. something seen; an object of sight 4. glimpsing the image of our future that exists in the mind of God. Vision is not just some kind of nifty idea for church growth. In fact, it has very… Read More »
Myopegesis
There are two accepted terms for interpretation of Scripture: exegesis: a form of interpretation which attempts to allow the text to guide interpretation eisegesis: a form of interpretation which reads an agenda/doctrine into the text from an external source I felt that there was a need for another word denoting a type of interpretation I… Read More »
Some Thoughts on Baptism and Circumcision
Author’s Note: This article originally appeared in 2007 in an early blog called “Matrix Theology” which is long since defunct. It has been updated and reorganized for republication here. Why This Study? Many Christian denominations equate the practice of baptism with that of circumcision, often putting the two in the same role. As John Calvin… Read More »
