Some People Blindly Accept Church Rhetoric, but They Risk Going Down a Dangerous Path We’ve all heard stories of people taken in and indoctrinated by cults. Though some stories end happily after they extricate themselves from the control the cult, too many situations end badly. There are many common characteristics to help us identify cults […]
Our Spiritual Leaders May Fail Us and Let Us Down but Jesus Never Will Relevant magazine cited a Gallup poll that revealed America’s trust in the clergy has hit a record low. And it’s fallen steadily since 2002. In the early 80s two thirds of people respected spiritual leaders. Now only a bit more than […]
When we talk to others about God it’s critical we teach sound doctrine Paul writes a letter of instruction to his protégé Titus. In it he devotes a lengthy section instructing Titus about how to teach others. Paul opens this passage with the simple direction that Titus must teach whatever’s appropriate for sound doctrine (Titus […]
Jesus Condemns Those Who Supersede the Word of God With Their Religious Practices Jesus asks the people, “Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your traditions?” (Matthew 15:3). He goes on to give an example that is culturally relevant to his audience, but which doesn’t connect so much with us […]
Ministers Toil under a Load of Heavy Demands that Shouldn’t be There; We Must Change That I have read two stats about ministers that chafe at my soul. The first is that most pastors have no real friends. When you remove the relationships they have with their congregation and denomination, where they must always guard […]
It’s Time to Reframe Our Idea of What it Means to be a Pastor I am not a trained minister, an educated member of the clergy, or a professional pastor. These titles all unnerve me. I am not a pastor, at least not in the traditional sense. About a decade ago a woman left me […]
Everyone needs someone to help him or her navigate the throes of life. As John Donne said, “No man is an island, entire to itself.” In truth, we cannot survive alone. We need others to walk along side of us. Every one needs help at some time, whether we admit it or not. Such is […]
A simple definition of theology is studying God. Since I love God so much and love reading about him in the Bible you’d think I’d love theology, too. Right? Well I don’t. Learning about God and contemplating him through his word excites me. I look forward to it every day. Yet theology leaves me cold. […]
Let’s say a friend is reading a book. The opening draws him in. The characters are compelling. A fascinating plot unfolds. This is a great read, but then a unicorn walks into the scene. What? A unicorn? Unicorns don’t exist. They’re pretend, right? He’s never seen one and doesn’t know anyone who claims to. He […]
Don’t Work to Earn Your Salvation Now, back to my original thought from last week: The teaching pastor at the church I attend is good at what he does. He communicates effectively, digs deep into the biblical text, and provides new information. He prepares well, and it shows. His passage was Philippians 2:12-13 where Paul […]