Fundamentalist preachers twist what the Bible says and misapply it for their own benefit I was taught to give 10 percent of my money to church. I’ve heard many evangelical preachers assert that their followers had to give 10 percent to the local church. It was a tithe, an obligation. You could, of course, give […]
Make Sure That What You Do Advances the Kingdom of God Many people talk about being a missional church (and a missional follower of Jesus). This is an ideal goal, yet people have different understandings about what it means to be missional. Before giving a holistic definition of this often-misunderstood word, let’s first look what […]
Pastor Compensation For the most part, the church of today is an institution. Institutions require structure and leadership; self-perpetuation is essential—regardless of cost. For an institution to work, it needs paid staff. That’s why local pastors receive a salary: to keep the institution of church functioning and viable. To pay your minister follows the Old […]
Explore Jesus’s Parting Words A few weeks ago we looked at Jesus’s final instructions as found in each of the Bible’s four biographies of him. Melding these together, we came up with three steps. First is to follow Jesus, second is to wait for Holy Spirit power, and three is to go and tell others. […]
Choose Labels With Care For They Reflect Our Identity and Theology By definition I am a Christian, but I’ve always shied away from that word. It means different things to different people, not all of which are positive. For too many, Christian is a negative label implying narrow minded, bigoted, or hate-filled people. Since these […]
Consider What Jesus Expects of His Followers—and Us A while ago we looked at the final words in each book of the New Testament. This provides us with interesting information. However, more enlightening is to look at the final words of Jesus in each of the four biographies of him in the Bible. While you […]
Paul’s Letter to the Romans Opens With 3 Traits for Us to Ponder Paul begins his letter to the church in Rome by giving them an overview of his situation. He shares three characteristics about himself, his mission, and his calling. Though he does this to establish credibility for his message, and thereby encourage the […]
Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption By Katie Davis, with Beth Clark (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)From all appearances, Katie Davis was a typical all-American high school student: homecoming queen, class president, lots of friends, and frequent trips to the mall, a loving boyfriend, cool convertible, and doting parents who would do […]
Reviewed by Peter DeHaan The Other Side of Heaven is a wonderfully inspiring real-life saga that is a part love story (on two levels) and part adventure, with a touch of spirituality mixed in for a pleasing result. In the 1950s, fresh out of college, young John Groberg (Christopher Gorham) agrees to a three-year missionary […]