How can we distinguish what are the “things that are above” as opposed to “things that are on the earth” that Colossians 3:2 draws a contrast? I am not a dualist and therefore know that everyday tasks can have a God-glorifying potential.
The whole creation is declaring the reality of the Lord. Christians believe that the most likely explanation for a reasonable universe and one in which we experience ourselves as free can be found in a reasonable, personal God.
“Let him who has love in Christ keep the commandments of Christ. Who can describe the [blessed] bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told?”
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Should churches use those Bible study courses designed around the content of popular movies and TV shows? While an occasional use of such materials may not be too damaging, in the long run, it’s probably safe to say that Merchandising and Catechesis Don’t Mix. Read more >
Recent polls show younger evangelicals leaning to the left of their parents and grandparents, politically at least. Bloggers and authors have discussed and debated the meaning of the shift and its possible causes. Read more >
(Excerpted) Pragmatism has been defined as the attitude of being concerned for what is practicable, rather than theoretical or idealistic. It sounds attractive . . . it is no surprise that most politicians, who want to see things done, are pragmatists. . . . Is there any room for pragmatism in Christianity?Read more >
The Lord Jesus is determined to build His Church through the work of shepherding. We have seen that shepherding is like a wheel with six spokes, six separate but interdependent disciplines, all of which must be in place and strong for the wheel to do its work. Read more >
Now that the president has disclosed his view, he — like all revisionists — must confront some tough questions. . . . Something must set marriages as a class apart from other bonds. But on every point . . . the conjugal view has a coherent explanation — and the revisionist has none. Read more >
(Excerpted) Courage is indispensable for both spreading and preserving the truth of Christ. Jesus promised that spreading the gospel would meet resistance: "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name"Read more >
(Excerpted) The relationship that they form with one another is a marriage. But as the traditional marriage ceremony states, it is the highest form of human society. So while this story emphasizes marriage as a God-ordained institution, it points beyond this to the necessity of human community. Human beings will thrive only where there is healthy community.
It’s amazing the degree to which outreach strategies rest on a single, and deeply flawed, premise: That people want what you have to offer. More often than not, they don’t.Read more >
What can we do about the decline of Christianity—if anything? This question has literally triggered an entire generation of books and blogs. Douthat’s book is mainly descriptive and critical. He even admits that the book was “written in a spirit of pessimism.”Read more >
Jesus said that, as the Good Shepherd, He called His sheep by name and led them out. Here, in this second “spoke” of the wheel of shepherding we can see implied the first, that of knowing the sheep, of sharing with them a relationship of mutual love and trust.
I think it’s the only book I have read more than twice (except for the Bible). This is strange. Not only was Chesterton a Roman Catholic, he also hated Calvinism. So what’s up with me and Orthodoxy?
Planning Center Online is a fee-based service for churches and other institutions which is described as “an online system for scheduling team members, organizing services and streamlining communication.” The focus is for worship service planning, and it’s a powerful tool to help keep organized.
The work of shepherding begins in relationships of mutual trust and love. If the people we are called to serve do not trust us, and do not know that we love them, then we shall not be able to serve them as God intends. . .
(Excerpted) Colson had begun to learn that God could use his shortcomings more than his accomplishments. He continues, “No, the real legacy of my life was my biggest failure---that I was an ex-convict. My greatest humiliation---being sent to prison---was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life.”
The "fellowship" quotient of a church--whether the members love the Lord and one another--is one of the most telling features of a congregation, one of the most dependable indicators of the health of the church, and one of the best predictors of its future usefulness in the Kingdom. Here are 10 aspects of the fellowship of your church worth carving in stone.
(Excerpted) . . . it is precisely the devaluing of institutions that Douthat decries, and it is just such an anti-institutionalism that has been woven in the warp and woof of American religion--perhaps nowhere more intensely than in the loose fabric of parachurchism that is American evangelicalism.
"Mr. Moore, my name is Charles Colson, and I work for a ministry called Prison Fellowship." Thus began one of the most important relationships of my life. It ended all too soon, when, like Enoch, Chuck was suddenly summoned home.
The National Action Center is an aggregating web utility to collate information about Kingdom-building initiatives and programs that have specific application to the local church. Click below to see upcoming events and opportunities from our friends at:
Same-sex marriage makes sense if you assume that the individual is the center of the universe, that God—if he exists—is there to make us happy, and that our choices are not grounded in a nature created by God but in arbitrary self-construction.
For the first time in history, a sitting U.S. president endorsed same-sex marriage. But the larger issue may have been the aftershock. Namely, the debate among Christians as to whether the issue even justifies engagement.
How can we distinguish what are the “things that are above” as opposed to “things that are on the earth” that Colossians 3:2 draws a contrast? I am not a dualist and therefore know that everyday tasks can have a God-glorifying potential.
Should churches use those Bible study courses designed around the content of popular movies and TV shows? While an occasional use of such materials may not be too damaging, in the long run, it’s probably safe to say that Merchandising and Catechesis Don’t Mix.
Recent polls show younger evangelicals leaning to the left of their parents and grandparents, politically at least. Bloggers and authors have discussed and debated the meaning of the shift and its possible causes.
(Excerpted) Pragmatism has been defined as the attitude of being concerned for what is practicable, rather than theoretical or idealistic. It sounds attractive . . . it is no surprise that most politicians, who want to see things done, are pragmatists. . . . Is there any room for pragmatism in Christianity?
The Lord Jesus is determined to build His Church through the work of shepherding. We have seen that shepherding is like a wheel with six spokes, six separate but interdependent disciplines, all of which must be in place and strong for the wheel to do its work. 
Now that the president has disclosed his view, he — like all revisionists — must confront some tough questions. . . . Something must set marriages as a class apart from other bonds. But on every point . . . the conjugal view has a coherent explanation — and the revisionist has none. 
(Excerpted) Courage is indispensable for both spreading and preserving the truth of Christ. Jesus promised that spreading the gospel would meet resistance: "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name"
(Excerpted) The relationship that they form with one another is a marriage. But as the traditional marriage ceremony states, it is the highest form of human society. So while this story emphasizes marriage as a God-ordained institution, it points beyond this to the necessity of human community. Human beings will thrive only where there is healthy community.
It’s amazing the degree to which outreach strategies rest on a single, and deeply flawed, premise: That people want what you have to offer. More often than not, they don’t.
What can we do about the decline of Christianity—if anything? This question has literally triggered an entire generation of books and blogs. Douthat’s book is mainly descriptive and critical. He even admits that the book was “written in a spirit of pessimism.”
Planning Center Online is a fee-based service for churches and other institutions which is described as “an online system for scheduling team members, organizing services and streamlining communication.” The focus is for worship service planning, and it’s a powerful tool to help keep organized.
(Excerpted) Colson had begun to learn that God could use his shortcomings more than his accomplishments. He continues, “No, the real legacy of my life was my biggest failure---that I was an ex-convict. My greatest humiliation---being sent to prison---was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life.”
The "fellowship" quotient of a church--whether the members love the Lord and one another--is one of the most telling features of a congregation, one of the most dependable indicators of the health of the church, and one of the best predictors of its future usefulness in the Kingdom. Here are 10 aspects of the fellowship of your church worth carving in stone.
(Excerpted) . . . it is precisely the devaluing of institutions that Douthat decries, and it is just such an anti-institutionalism that has been woven in the warp and woof of American religion--perhaps nowhere more intensely than in the loose fabric of parachurchism that is American evangelicalism.
Same-sex marriage makes sense if you assume that the individual is the center of the universe, that God—if he exists—is there to make us happy, and that our choices are not grounded in a nature created by God but in arbitrary self-construction.
For the first time in history, a sitting U.S. president endorsed same-sex marriage. But the larger issue may have been the aftershock. Namely, the debate among Christians as to whether the issue even justifies engagement.