“Fascinatingly, Paul doesn’t seem too interested in what potential deacons can do. His focus is squarely on who they must be. (Don’t miss this easy-to-forget lesson: God cares more about character than about gifting.)” - TGC

“Though they seem opposites, detachment and indulgence are two sides of the same bad coin. Both are, in the end, attempts to escape the pain of what Christianity recognizes as a fallen world. These attempts are, however, futile.” - Breakpoint

“the initiative encourages the public to encourage and pray for Republican National Committee delegates to preserve the ‘strong pro-life, pro-family and pro-freedom’ elements of the Republican Platform as they meet to draft a new platform in Milwaukee from July 8-9.” - CPost

See the rest of the series.

In the first article, we set out to study what Jesus meant at John 14:1-3. Some Christians believe this passage speaks about the pre-tribulational rapture of the church to heaven, clearing the way for the tribulation here on earth. Is that right?

We began by looking at the context around Jesus’ words, which is His long goodbye talk at John 13:33 to 16:33. In this article, we’ll finish up the context, lay out four possible ways to understand Jesus’ words at John 14:1-3, then propose a “grading scale” to weigh these options. The next two articles in this series will examine these four positions in detail.

“These issues have not turned us into liberals…. our faith and our doctrine have been shaped by looking at what God has actually revealed and preserved for us.” - Mark Ward

“One thing I’m very poor at is waiting. I’m restless, impatient, and eager to be active and this leaves me prone to pray too little and act too impulsively.” - Challies

“Because the Bible teaches that individuals, not the state or some other entity, are accountable for themselves to God, Leland and the Baptists believed in the rights of conscience….They also believed in separation of church and state.” - P&D

“Advocates argue the legal strategy that abortion bans violate religious freedom are not yet dead. In both the Missouri and Kentucky cases, appeals are planned.” - RNS

“Before that, all existing Bibles were copied by hand. The process could take up to a year…. Gutenberg’s invention produced a massive multiplication of complete copies of biblical texts.” - Baptist Press

For the fourth year in a row, it was my privilege to oversee The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s exhibit at the IFCA International Annual Convention. This year’s gathering of pastors, ministry leaders and spouses took place in Springdale, Ark., at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center, from June 24 to 28.

The 95^th edition of the IFCA Convention drew roughly 370 in attendance. It began with a general session on Monday night and concluded with three final choices in breakout seminars on Friday morning.

Address at the Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 05, 1926

Calvin Coolidge: 30th President of the United States: 1923 – 1929

Fellow Countrymen:

“This Fourth let’s remember the roots of our republic—the idea of liberty—which slowly spread to embrace every American in every walk of life. No one is promised equality of outcomes in their life. But everyone should cherish the promise that liberty provides as they pursue their vocations.” - Acton

Review of Stephen J. Wellum’s ‘Systematic Theology’ – “Healthy theology involves both reading Scripture and thinking about how to follow it. Therefore, Wellum refuses the false choice sometimes posed between biblical theology and systematic theology.” - TGC

Choice one means no one (say past 70) can run for president, no matter if it is a first or second term. The second choice means no on past a certain age (say 70) could run for first term, and no one past say 74 could run for a second term.

The current presidential election is quite a match up. A reductionist might say it is choosing between a candidate who is becoming mentally feeble and a convicted felon. Both men could become mentally impaired before their terms are up and their average age is about the average age for a man to die in America.

Most people retire before they are 78 or 81 for good reason. That is rather late to start a four year commitment, IMO.

“Secularism is the belief that man does not need God or God’s laws in man’s social, governmental, educational, or economic affairs. Ironically, secularism rejects religion, yet is itself a religion.” - Ligonier

“It is a useful fact for trivia night that Oxford University Press…has a bestselling book of all time that it doesn’t often celebrate. That bestseller is the Scofield Reference Bible, edited by C. I. Scofield, first published in 1909…. In its first few decades, the SRB sold more than two million copies and, by one estimate, has sold more than ten million copies in its lifetime.” - Text & Canon

Read the series.

We’ve noted that some people resist committing to a local church, and I think we’ve demonstrated that their reasons for doing so are short-sighted. Even in a broken world with broken institutions full of broken people, surrounding yourself with your fellow travelers—and committing to them—is not only worth it, but it’s a mark of personal and social health.

So why get involved? Several reasons.

“Due to these financial circumstances, Clarks Summit University’s Board of Trustees has made the difficult and painful decision to begin the process of closure. Clarks Summit University, including Baptist Bible Seminary, is unable to offer classes starting in the fall of 2024.” - CSU

The woman at the well: “It’s Christ’s mercy through his exposure of her sin that leads her to grasp his identity as Savior. The result isn’t fear but joyful excitement.” - TGC

Related: Lost in Translation: How to Speak about Sin in a “Sinless” World - Word by Word

“What happened? After all, doesn’t the Bible teach abstinence until marriage? It is worth taking a look deeper into the movement.” - P&D

“On Monday, the denomination also passed a resolution denouncing Christian Zionism.” - RNS

“Christians generally are less likely to engage in these sorts of activities. However, many Vietnamese Christians have burned incense, offered flowers or lit candles to care for ancestors in the last year.” - Pew

“With this large sampling of [NT] appeals to be sanctified (1) by striving and (2) in pursuit of approval, where did the idea emerge that we should ‘cease striving’ and eschew ‘approval’?” - DBTS Blog

Many American Christians have been raised in a church culture that stresses that Jesus will return to “rapture” or snatch away “the church” before the Great Tribulation. They believe “the church” is a different people than ethnic Israel, with a complementary but distinct future.¹ Because this great tribulation is “a time of trouble for Jacob” (Jer 30:7), it is not for “the church.” Therefore, the rapture is the point where “the church” slips out the door just before this tribulation begins.

“As we bring these real-world questions to Scripture and look at them through a biblical lens along with our basic understanding of the theology of work, I think we can agree on a few things.” - IFWE

“It can’t morally evaluate problems….It computes with astonishing speed and precision, but it can’t contemplate. It quickly gets the ‘right answer’ to even complicated questions. But it can’t tell us how to live rightly.” - Word by Word

“Clarks Summit University’s Board of Trustees has made the difficult and painful decision to begin the process of closure. Clarks Summit University, including Baptist Bible Seminary, is unable to offer classes starting in the fall of 2024.”

“Assertions are often mistaken for arguments….An argument is required to back an assertion. By asking, ‘How do you know that’s true?’ the conversation moves beyond dueling assertions to why an assertion should be taken seriously.” - Breakpoint

“Watson warns that as we ease off in pursuing our relationship with God, we open ourselves to the temptations of the devil, for a fallow field bears weeds rather than wheat, and a fallow life bears sin rather than sanctification.” - Challies

“Begotten or Made? is slender, with its five main chapters coming to a little over a hundred pages. But while compact, it is carefully and cogently argued” - TGC