As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“This kind of training seems to have started very early in church history, even during the apostolic age. So it is worth asking the questions: what did the apostolic church teach new believers? What were the fundamentals of the faith? What did early Christian catechism look like?” - Wyatt Graham
“All the New Testament passages most commonly identified as taken from hymns in the early church are about Christ. No surprise there. They celebrate his uniqueness, his glory, his powerful work in accomplishing our salvation. I’d like to begin with the classic—and controversial—passage from Colossians 1” - Dan Olinger
The current COVID pandemic has affected almost every area of life in America, including normal church activities. Most churches cancelled every meeting initially, with some opening up partially and others completely after awhile, while still others remained closed. In many cases, these decisions were made by the churches themselves, but for others, decisions were forced upon them by governmental edict. Details vary from state to state and the situation highlights the issue of religious freedom with special focus upon the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
“The suit alleges defamation, invasion of privacy, and civil conspiracy. MacDonald asserts that Wagenmaker advised HBC elders and helped write the statement about his disqualification in a way that favored the church.” - C.Leaders
“Establishing a foundation in apologetics early may also help guard against the church drift experienced by many young adults who grow up in church. In a 2017 study, LifeWay Research found that young adults who drop out of church are less likely to say, ‘The student ministry taught me how to defend my Christian faith’ ” - BPNews
I wrote this article for the congregation where I serve, based on our specific context. It may not be your context!
What to think about government public health edicts and the Church regarding COVID-19? In an outburst of representative frustration, a Southern Baptist theologian recently posted the following on Twitter in response to his Governor’s new lockdown restrictions which, among other things, forbade dancing:1
“The ERLC and the Sexual Abuse Advisory Group (SAAG) issued the document, “Facilitating Abuse Disclosures by Nonprofits,” Oct. 30. The paper provides guidance on enacting state laws to protect churches and other nonprofits from civil liability when they report sexual abuse allegations to a former employee’s current or potential employer.” - BPNews
“The nation’s High Court allowed blatant discrimination to stand in at least two cases limiting church activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told the Federalist Society Thursday (Nov. 12).” - BPNews
“Jay Adams entered into his eternal rest with his Lord on November 14, 2020. He was 91 years old.” - Mid-America Institute for Nouthetic Studies
“According to a new survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research, almost half of U.S. Protestant pastors (48%) say the current economy is negatively impacting their church, including 5% who say the impact is very negative.” - CToday
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