I have only pastored two churches, and neither had a budget (but we did have spending limits in certain categories). One was a small church of about 45, the other not as small (about 200 for at least a decade of my time there). My last church didn’t have a loan for over 25 years and both churches stayed in the black.

Of course, a lot of things factor into this, like buildings that were paid off, etc. I know of a Christian organization that did well financially until they got a budget.

Paul wrote (NKJV)

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

I chose the NKJV because it retains the word “carnal,” and the term “carnal Christian” was derived from that. So do genuinely carnal Christians exist? Or are these new believers who haven’t progressed much? Or is Paul uncertain about their conversion?

This could tie in with 2 Corinthians 13:5 perhaps?

Terms are words. Words can create a certain atmosphere, and that is certainly true with labels like “fundamentalist” or “evangelical.”

Of course these terms can be modified “neo-fundamentalist, neo-evangelical.” If we polled about all possible descriptors, it would be too much.

So please approximate the terminology nearest to where you are when it comes to using the term “fundamentalist” and “conservative evangelical.”

We have had many such polls and discussions in the past, so this is an attempt to monitor trends in terminology.

Lately I’ve found myself looking at developments on the world stage, as they say, and thinking, are these events going to be in the history books of the future as turning points that lead to WWIII?

• Increasing nuclear capability in N. Korea
• Increasing Russian aggression, end of nuclear arms treaties
• China… enough said.
• Iran’s continued progress toward nuclear capability.

Soon it will be three years since we were quarantined. While many churches still live stream as a result (like we do) and gained some out of town viewers, many churches I know of (including ours) have not bounced back when it comes to in-person attendance. But it might simply be that the little churches are shrinking while bigger ones are growing. Or not? What is your church in-person attendance situation since the quarantine?

Poll Results

Has your church in-person attendance recovered from the COVID decline?

I believe a lot of things I would rather not believe. There are things about God I do not particularly like, but I realize the problem is mine. The God of the Bible and the teachings of the Word can be offensive or painful to embrace. Which is the hardest? Yours might not be on the list, so please choose from the list but then feel free to comment.

The question relates not to the world at large, but young, new, or less mature believers. This is obviously based upon your experiences and observations, and is about the situaiton in the now, not the past.

Poll Results

Women are more likely to have interest in romance novels than men, although some men do enjoy the genre. A few years back, someone donated a bunch of Christian romance novels for the fiction section of our church library, and we received them and cataloged them. There were, however, some who (years) later objected.

The issue of the two genealogies takes some harmonizing. At first glance, they both appear to the genealogy of Joseph. Yet the wording in Luke’s Gospel has some wiggle room.

How do you harmonize the two? Bible-believing Christians have gravitated to three choices, but perhaps there are more? If so, please share your thoughts!

Poll Results

How do you harmonize the two accounts of Jesus’ Genealogy?

I am among those who always dreaded when Christmas was on Sunday. For one thing, it meant I could not make dinner with my extended family 4 hours away. A lot of folks were out of town or did not not want to give up a happy but leisurely Christmas morning with their kids. At the same time, I could was not comfortable canceling the service.

So what is your church doing?

Poll Results

What is your church doing with Christmas, since it is on Sunday?

In Zechariah 1:7-17, we are introduced to four horsemen, and we see something very similar in Revelation 6:1-8 (aka, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”). How do you think they are related? Your BRIEF comments are welcome.

Poll Results

Are the horsemen of Zechariah related to the horsemen of Revelation?