The importance of a healthy relationship between married and single NT Christians

OK - just a gentle Pastoral reminder - Christian single people are people too! Those of us who are married need to really work at reaching out in friendship with those who are single. They are just like you and I except without the support of a spouse. Some of them are divorced and carry scars that are deep. Some of them are widowed and carry a different set of hurts. Many deal with the task of being a single parent (wowzers!). Some have never married out of a sense that they should be single (actually God and Paul would commend them in 1 Cor 7).

Discussion

What stance do you take on Trick or Treat?

Poll Results

What stance do you take on Trick or Treat?

I let my children or approve of trick or treating no reservations Votes: 3
I let my children or approve of trick or treating with non-occult costumes Votes: 6
I disapprove but have candy for trick or treaters (and maybe tracts, maybe not) Votes: 4
I support alternatives, like trunk or treat or harvest parties Votes: 1
I discourage anything about halloween Votes: 4
Other Votes: 2

Discussion

"It’s time to grow up in your discernment and compassion and to be a warner rather than a tempter."

Body

“Unless you’ve counseled a worn-out wife about her husband’s alcoholism, unless you’ve comforted a teen whose parents have both been heavy drinkers for as long as he can remember, unless you’ve discipled a new believer trying to throw off his addiction before he loses custody of his child, unless you’ve wept with a woman who has tried and failed to get sober for the better part of two decades, and most of all, unless you’ve looked into the dull eyes of a husband who just an hour ago lost the

Discussion

The Allure of Scandal

Everybody loves a scandal, it seems—evangelicals and fundamentalists included. When news of some alleged or actual misdeed hits the Web, traffic soars and discussions heat up. Emotions (or affections, for purists) run the gamut from shock and disappointment, to outrage, to barely-disguised glee.

What just about nobody seems to feel is what’s needed most: caution—no, outright fear.

Christians should regard scandal as a kind of femme fatale, as dangerous as it is attractive. (Proverbs 7 comes to mind.) We ought to approach every scandal suspiciously, expecting that some kind of trap is hidden there waiting to ensnare us. We should be all the more alert when the scandal seems to call for an obvious response. That’s the seduction at work. The eyes are batting and the perfume is wafting. Probably wisest to walk (or maybe run) away.

Watching for missteps

By “scandal” I mean a report of about someone misstepping. Though the English “scandal” doesn’t precisely match the biblical Greek terms σκάνδαλον (skandalon, e.g., Matt. 13:41) and σκανδαλίζω (skandalizo, e.g., 1 Cor. 8:13), it shares with them the idea that some misstep has occurred or may have occurred.

In August two scandals—by this definition—gained much attention here at SharperIron (as well as elsewhere). One concerned sexual immorality on the part of a Baptist leader who was much admired by one segment of Baptist fundamentalism and about equally despised by another segment (along with many who are neither Baptist nor fundamentalist).

Discussion

Which Best Represents Your View of Giving and the Committed Christian?

Poll Results

Which Best Represents Your View of Giving and the Committed Christian?

Tithing as God’s revealed will, all to the local church Votes: 3
Tithing as God’s revealed will, but to the Lord’s work in general Votes: 1
Tithing as a model but not a mandate Votes: 0
Grace giving as the Lord prospers (can be more or less than a tithe) Votes: 15
Other (try to approximate to avoid this choice if possible) Votes: 0

Discussion