In the previous installment, I began building upon a statement by my professor of systematic theology at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Myron J. Houghton. Basing his thoughts on 2 Cor. 2:15-16, Dr. Houghton stated: “Your ministry is like a fragrance. It will attract some, and it will repel others.”

We are considering here some Biblically legitimate means of making our ministries of the utmost appeal to the greatest number of people. In the first place, we considered the need to know our…

Long ago, a question posted in the Sharper Iron forum regarding the possessive form of “Jesus.” Is it Jesus’ or Jesus’s or something else?

Commenters provided good answers for the English usage and style options at the time. In short, Chicago Manual of Style called for one option, while other style guides had different rules.

Today, style manuals still differ on this point. In some cases, though, their specifications have changed.

Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS)

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The Scripture often uses military language for the Christian life. Most famously, I suppose, Paul describes the “armor” (lit. “panoply”) of the Christian warrior, supplied by God for both defense and offense (Ep 6.13-17). Christians who take a more pacifist approach to life (e.g. Quakers, Mennonites, and others) are sometimes troubled by other Christians who emphasize this language; I had a high school teacher who mocked the hymn “Onward, Christian Soldiers,” particularly the line “marching off to war.” (Incidentally, the music typically used for that hymn was composed by Arthur Sullivan,…