As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Christians (and others) who think burial is somehow more consistent with resurrection are simply confused—about both buried (or entombed) bodies and about resurrection bodies. With very, very few exceptions, buried bodies eventually decay, rot, even liquify.” - Roger Oleson
In “Acapella — Biblical Reason,” Kyle Borg sets forth his views in support of no use of musical instruments today in worship. I strongly disagree with that position and his views and wonder if there are SI users who hold that position who are interested in discussing his views/their views.
“Part of the history of us Missouri Synod Lutherans, a church body that was started by German immigrants fleeing persecution from the state church, is how congregations switched from the German language in worship to English, due to the patriotic anti-German sentiments of Americans during World War I.” - Veith
“Oregon lawsuit sought to hold national organization liable for crimes committed in a Royal Rangers program in the 1980s.” - C.Today
“Although it is decidedly true that they championed a particular understanding of grace and faith that took issue with their Roman Catholic counterparts, … they assumed the natural law as a part of the fabric of the created order and therein maintained continuity with those across the Reformation divide.” - Public Discourse
“It seems a little strange, but (pet ministry) is mission, it’s evangelism, it’s education, it’s hunger relief, it’s pastoral care. All those things are part of the church.” - RNS
“The phrase is rare, but it does appear twice in the OT. In Isaiah 44.23 it appears in contrast with heaven: “Sing O ye heavens; … shout, ye lower parts of the earth.” Here it clearly means the earth as distinguished from heaven; grammarians would call this a ‘genitive of apposition’—’ye lower parts, that is to say, the earth.’” - Olinger
“… David Well’s famous definition: worldliness is whatever makes righteousness look strange and sin look normal. Here’s the reality facing every Christian in the West: the money, power, and prestige of the mainstream media, big time sports, big business, big tech, and almost all the institutions of education and entertainment are invested in making sin look normal. ” - DeYoung
“Pastors Jared Cornutt, J. Allen Murray, and Matt Henslee had Litton on their ‘The Potluck Podcast’ this past Monday to discuss some of the controversy surrounding [Litton] the past couple of months.” - C.Leaders
“…after marijuana was legalized in Washington State, one of our congregants asked, ‘Is marijuana okay?’ We realized at that point that the typical answer—’No, it’s against the law’—would no longer suffice.” - C.Today
“Can empathy ever be sinful? Well, yes, most certainly… . But I don’t think this is at all what people at the mega-church are complaining about or accusing the pastor(s) of doing.” - Roger Olson
From Faith Pulpit, Summer 2015. Used by permission, all rights reserved.
“Many [conservatives] looked at the verdict [in Masterpiece Cakeshop] and felt as if the Court’s silence on protected speech amounted to privileging the civil-rights laws above the First Amendment — which meant they’d need to use similar means to protect their own speech. In other words, ‘political viewpoint’ should become a protected class.” - N.Review
“I’m sure more lessons will unfold as time goes on, but the important lesson is that during moments of crisis, there is always something for leaders to learn.” - Phil Cooke
“Do they hate these songs? Are they bad singers? Am I singing out of tune? … The church was newly established and small in number, and—to put it kindly—the singing in our gatherings was uncomfortable.” - TGC
“Previously, I shared some observations about work from several of the minor prophets. Today, I thought it might be helpful to provide a brief summary of some of the observations about work from the Psalms that I have compiled in my book, Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession.” - Russ Gehrlein
“In the essay, Lewis does eventually explain the reasoning behind his position. Before he does, however, he spends the first part of the essay explaining what moral reasoning is and how it works. In other words, he puts on a Moral Reasoning Clinic” - DesiringGod
“America is a free country. We have freedom of religion, and if a person has a moral objection to taking the vaccine, we want to come alongside of them,” he said in a video interview. - C.Post
“New research shows that Americans’ religiosity increasingly doesn’t line up with whether they officially belong to a congregation.” - C.Today
“Inspired by current cultural debates regarding race and sexuality, the church began planning the event more than six months ago. The result brought a one-day conference covering a variety of topics, all concerning the doctrine of the Image of God.” - BPNews
“We’re all struggling to make sense of the sacrifices both we and our families made, and we’re increasingly asking, Was it worth it?” - GARBC
“When I was growing up in New Jersey in the 1950s and ’60s, there was persistent political controversy over proposals to put fluoride in the public water supply. Among the leading opponents was Carl McIntire… the foremost fundamentalist of his day.” - RNS
Should Christians prepare for the Antichrist? If the answer is in the affirmative, what does that preparation look like? I’ve asked this question on numerous occasions.
One argument goes something like this: When the Antichrist arrives first, pretribbers will confuse his persecution with God’s wrath and subsequently believe they’ve been left behind after the rapture. They’ll become spiritually vulnerable to take the Mark of the Beast. Throwaway snippets like this remind me of superficial Memes I see on social media.
“…counting our blessings and conjuring an attitude of to-whom-it-may-concern gratitude, Pollyanna-style is not enough. What do we do when cancer strikes — I have two children battling it right now [2005]— or when loved ones die, when we find ourselves in the midst of brokenness and real suffering? That … is where gratitude gets radical.” - Breakpoint
“More than 60% of born again Christians in America between the ages of 18 and 39 believe that Buddha, Muhammad and Jesus are all valid paths to salvation and over 30% say they either believe that Jesus sinned just like other people when He lived on Earth or aren’t sure, according to a new study.” - C.Today
“After almost two decades, Joshua Harris left ministry battered and exhausted. A few years later, he left the faith altogether. In this bonus episode of the podcast, we try to understand why.” - Christianity Today
“The NAE’s national research has shown that pastors face very real personal and financial challenges” - RNS
“So the question becomes – in spite of today’s worship music often being meaningful, well done and engaging, what have we lost when a few hundred members of the congregation stand there watching 5 or 6 members of the worship team do all the singing?” - Phil Cooke
Read the series.
After the Parable of the Pounds (Minas) Luke records three related episodes: The Triumphal Entry (Lk. 19:28-40), Jesus Weeping over Jerusalem (Lk. 19:41-44), and the Temple Cleansing (Lk. 19:45-48).
Jesus sends some disciples to get a colt for Him to ride upon (Matthew notes that a donkey was brought too – Matt. 21:7). In this fascinating little tale Jesus knows beforehand what they will find and how to answer those who question them. It is the answer that interests us:
