Today’s Church Isn’t Working. It’s Just That Most People Don’t Know It. Do you have a nagging feeling that something’s missing from your church experience? You’re not alone. It’s time to discover a better way. It’s typical that people who read the Bible do so through the lens of their experiences. Christians use the perspective […]
Category: Christian Living
Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
Consider Each Book’s Genre and Purpose When Reading the Bible Paul writes to his protégé Timothy that all Scripture comes from God. We can use it to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us in right living (2 Timothy 3:16). That is, everything in Scripture is useful. We must keep this in mind when reading the […]
Re-examine Our Church Practices from a Biblical Viewpoint Over the past few months, I published a series of posts about assumptions we should change about church. Here is a list of all nine: What perspectives should you change about your view of church? Pick the assumption that most convicts you and work to reform it, […]
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My Haiku: Why I Write
Peter DeHaan’s haiku, “Why I Write,” was selected as a finalist for the literary publication Imagine This! An ArtPrize Anthology. But you don’t need to buy the book to read it. Here is Peter’s award-winning poem: Why I Write Linking letters andwielding words to create artfor God, my patron The anthology adds the written word as […]
We Must be Careful to Uncover Heresy Heresy is holding to an opinion or doctrine that’s at odds with established beliefs. While the Christian church has arguably never been without heretical views throughout its history, some people worry that leaderless, self-governing, or laity-led groups are more open to false doctrine since they operate without the […]
A Personal Story of Growing in Faith and Action [This personal essay first appeared in The Transformation Project: A West Michigan Word Weavers Anthology.] A caterpillar turns into a butterfly; a tadpole becomes a frog. People can change too. We call it transformation. Here’s my story. 1. The Bible Matters We moved between fourth and […]
But Luther Believed the Pope Had No Power Over Purgatory Martin Luther’s second group of ninety-five theses addressed the pope’s authority over purgatory, or to be more correct, the pope’s lack of authority. Martin asserted that the pope had no power when it came to remitting sins and their penalty in purgatory. Though some accounts […]
Martin Luther Worried That Buying Full Indulgences Served to Hinder Salvation What most raised the ire of the Church against Martin Luther and his ninety-five theses, however, was not his claim of salvation through Jesus alone or the pope having no power over purgatory, but his bold statement that full indulgences served to hinder salvation. […]
Martin Luther Wanted to Work Within the Church to Bring About Change but They Kicked Him Out Martin Luther intended to work out his ninety-five theses within the Church leadership. However, once the masses read and heard them in their own language—through no fault of Martin’s—an internal Church discussion became impossible. A revolution brewed. The […]
Luther Saw Marriage, Not Celibacy Vows, as the Preferred Option for Most Clergy As Martin Luther’s ordeal wore on, he eventually left the castle where he was hiding. He returned to Wittenberg, some five years after he posted his ninety-five theses. Though still a wanted man, some powerful people offered him a degree of protection, […]