As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“…their prevailing worldview is best described as Syncretism, the blending of ideas and applications from a variety of holistic worldviews into a unique but inconsistent combination that represents their personal preferences. More than six out of 10 pastors (62%) have a predominantly syncretistic worldview.” - CRC
“Baptism tallies, though, are beginning to recover from 2020’s pandemic plunge.” - C.Today
Related at RNS: Measuring COVID-19’s effect: Southern Baptists report 19% attendance drop
“A notice of dismissal filed Wednesday by the plaintiffs’ attorney said the case had been settled but provided no details about the terms.” - RNS
“The post-Babel situation is, according to Haidt, a disaster and the ‘best metaphor he has encountered’ for ‘the fractured country we now inhabit.’ Haidt imagines the post-Babel world to be one in which people wandered amid the ruins of the destroyed city ‘unable to communicate, condemned to mutual incomprehension.’” - Law & Liberty
In my training in the original Biblical languages, I was clearly instructed to remember that words have greater meaning than the sum of their constituent parts.
While that rule stands true, there is still one particular New Testament word that is built of fascinating components. It is a word that has a significant presence in our theological vocabulary, even though it is actually found only two times in the Scriptures. It is the word regeneration.
We’re probably all familiar with its most prominent use in Tit. 3:5, from which we draw its theological meaning with regard to God’s working in salvation. But have you considered its other usage, by Christ Himself, in Matt. 19:28?
“After a few years of pastoral ministry, I realized I didn’t fit the mold of a typical church planter, much less an urban one. Rural ministry, on the other hand, suits me just fine. What do I love so much about ministry in a small place?” - TGC
“When I review what I preached ten years ago, I find I would change a lot of what I said. When I think about how I led ten years ago, if I could, I would tell my twenty-six-year-old self to change approaches. How can I get angry about dissenting views now when I don’t even agree with myself in the past?” - Rainer
“The day is drawing nigh for the report of the Sex Abuse Task Force, the Guidepost Solutions, LLC report that forms the basis and body of the SATF report and “suggestions” for convention action in June.” - SBC Voices
“Christian cultural influence only lasts when it’s backed up by the moral credibility of the church.” - C.Today
“The movement spent 40 years at war with secular America. Now it’s at war with itself.” - The Atlantic
The case for Premillennialism does not begin in Revelation 20—it starts in Genesis 1. How so? Remember that Premillennialism consists of four elements: (1) a future kingdom; (2) an earthly kingdom; (3) a kingdom of the Messiah who represents man; and (4) a kingdom that is 1000 years in duration.
To see how Premillennialism relates to Genesis 1 we need to look at Genesis 1:26–28:
Final release from Lifeway Research’s 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study: “Pastors often deal with churchgoers with strong opinions, but they’re much more concerned about the people in their congregations who don’t seem to care much at all.” - C.Index
“The disinformation board basically acts as a consultant group, making sure the DHS stays consistent while providing “guardrails” around what it should and should not do.” - Denison Forum
“Regarding French’s point that Christians are to love our enemies at all times, Dreher agrees that we are, but says, ‘Loving one’s enemies does not mean that one should close one’s eyes to the fact that they are enemies, and wish to do us serious harm.’ And while it is true, Dreher says, that politics should not shape our faith, we must not be afraid to take a political stand.” - C.Leaders
“The perception among Gen Z, polling at 38 percent, was comparable to other age groups, including Generation X, 37 percent; and millennials and boomers, 35 percent…. The numbers based on age groups do not address whether those polled identify as Christian or non-Christian.” - BPNews
“A Presbyterian was burnt in effigy, a Methodist was shot in the leg, and that’s just the start of the story of this constitutional prohibition.” - C.Today
Read the series.
In 2 Samuel 6, David and the Israelites successfully relocate the Ark of the Covenant from Obed-edom’s house to Jerusalem. It’s a time of great celebration and rejoicing. We read in verses 14 and 15:
And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.
“Caught in a national firestorm, Christian groups focus on local needs of women preparing for babies.” - C.Today
“His statement is hard to follow but here’s the point: The president said abortion kills a child—not a clump of cells, not a fetus, not a potential human. A child.” - Breakpoint
“We are in a fight for the soul of this college,” Lewis, an adjunct professor at Grove City, told Religion News Service. “Are we a Christian college? Or are we a conservative college?” - RNS
“…not every negative effect finds its specific cause in a specific sin on the part of the person experiencing it. That is to say, mental health is not a sin issue. And while there may be individual sins that contribute to the relative health or malady of a person, the level of health itself is not ipso facto a moral issue.” - Kainos
“Our longing for a tribe is right and good, but we must also acknowledge the reality that sin corrupts all our desires. What marks a descent from a longing for a tribe into tribalism? Here are three warning signs. 1. Only Seeing Wrong ‘Out There’” - TGC
“Caught between the (semi) proverbial rock of Ham and the hard place of LaHaye, many Christians–especially American fundamentalists and evangelicals–have been progressively conditioned to resort to conspiracy as an explanatory heuristic” - Conciliar Post
“The Florida chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a theologically conservative Methodist group, announced Tuesday that 107 churches in the state had ‘chosen to initiate the process to depart the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church.’” - C.Post
“Pursuant to the Messenger’s Motion, Guidepost must submit its report to the Task Force no later than 30-days prior to the SBC Convention in Anaheim, which begins on June 14, 2022. Thus, the report is due to the Task Force on May 15, 2022” - BPNews
“The decree says that women should leave the home only when necessary, and that male relatives would face punishment — starting with a summons and escalating up to court hearings and jail time — for women’s dress code violations.” - Christian Index
“The share of Americans who say abortion should be legal in all or most cases is little changed in recent years. But support is higher today than it was a decade ago. In 2012, and throughout much of former President Barack Obama’s administration, only about half of Americans said abortion should always or mostly be legal.” - Pew
“…philosopher of biology Paul Nelson, in a piece at Evolution News, called the paper ‘the most interesting biology paper of 2022 so far.’ Its findings are precisely the opposite of what we’d expect if life evolved from a common ancestor.” - Breakpoint
Read the series.
Some of this post reuses material from a previous article.
Covenant theology depends for its credibility upon theological covenants with virtually no exegetical proof. This is especially the case with the “Covenant of Grace.”
We have seen some self-designated “evangelical” leaders change their position on LGBTQ issue, and very many — for a very long time — on the issue of women pastors/elders. The last conviction standing in the moral/social realm, it seems, is abortion.
Now with the clamor because of the potential supreme court ruling, will many cave-in on this last hold out of Biblical morality?
Poll Results
Will More Mainstream “Evangelical” Leaders Change Their Position on Abortion?
