Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. - Romans 12:15 Continue Reading
April 15, 2015
Digested But Untested
“Believers think of themselves as individuals first, Americans second, and Christians third. Until that prioritization is rearranged, the Church will continue to lose influence, and biblical principles will represent simply one more option among the numerous worldviews that Americans may choose from." - George Barna “Prove all things; hold fast what is good.” - I Thessalonians 5: 21 Ask a roomful of believers if they’re all on the same page, and they’re likely to say yes. Ask them to then read aloud from the page they’re on individually, Continue Reading
February 11, 2015
Lord of the Bruised
A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory. -Matthew 12:20 I want that kind of heart. I want to look at a bruised reed and feel protective, appreciating its fragility and its potential. Without that, everything else seems empty. These words from Isaiah 42, re-quoted in Matthew, are interesting, aren’t they? “A bruised reed He will not break.” Matthew cites this as a prophetic reference to Jesus, and it’s important to note this description comes right after a heated Continue Reading
January 5, 2015
Transsexual Tragedy
“No, of course, What really matters is the blame, Somebody to blame Fine, if that’s the thing you enjoy, Placing the blame, If that’s the aim, Give me the blame." -from 'Into the Woods' by Stephen Sondheim’ There’s a time for mourning and a time for finger pointing, and generally they shouldn’t mingle. Case in point: The recent and well publicized suicide of 17 year old Joshua Alcorn, a high school transsexual going by the name “Leelah”, who posted a farewell message via Tumblr on December 28, deliberately timed to be displayed Continue Reading
December 24, 2014
When Darkness Lost
"And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." -John 1:5 Like St. Jude, I’m a sucker for lost causes. I’ve been one myself, and I’ve known plenty of others. Some of us sprang from circumstances we had no control over; many of us created our own mess. Either way, our lives looked shabby, the future looked bleak, then God looked down. Continue Reading
December 8, 2014
“If I Have To”
“And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a willing heart.” -II Chronicles 25:2 This isn’t what we usually hear. Most descriptions of Judah or Israel’s kings are either “He did right” or “He did evil.” But King Amaziah gets an unusual tag in this chapter of Chronicles: he did the right thing, with the wrong heart. And that divided heart of his would cost him dearly, both in battle and legacy. Continue Reading
December 3, 2014
The Transsexual Dilemma: Part 3 of a Five Part Series
The growing support for transsexualism in the culture, plus the growing number of voices within the Church calling for us to not only to show respect and compassion to transsexuals (a very sound idea) but approval as well (an unsound option) has prodded me to post, in a five-part series, an article I wrote on the subject six years ago for the Christian Research Journal. (You can find the entire article it in its original form here) Continue Reading
September 17, 2014
Jesus and Same-Sex Marriage
Recent well-publicized developments are causing many Christians to re-examine their position on homosexuality. A newly-formed group called Evangelicals for Marriage Equality is dedicated to creating dialogues within Bible believing churches on why we should support same sex marriage. Well known Christian artist Vicky Beeching recently “came out” as a Christin lesbian, joining similarly influential gospel artists who’ve come out as homosexual, including Ray Boltz, Jennifer Knapp and Clay Aiken. Popular author and speaker Rob Bell has announced Continue Reading
May 27, 2014
Hear Ye
My wife says I never listen to her. At least I think that’s what she said. ~Author Unknown Bill Cosby called it The Weapon, a technique husbands instinctively catch onto early in marriage, and use as needed. The wife says something he’d rather ignore, like “Did you take the trash out?” or “We need to talk about taxes.” His mind is elsewhere, or he’s watching his favorite TV show, or she’s brought up an inconvenient topic. So instead of responding, he just stares straight ahead, pretending not to hear, hoping she’ll give up. Cosby said this Continue Reading
May 24, 2014
Assessing Matthew Vines “God and the Gay Christian” Pt. VI
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less." "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things." -Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Whoever determines the meaning of words has the power to frame the debate. Continue Reading
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