Where Did the Early Christians Meet?
Where did the early Christians meet? Not in “church” buildings. (I put “church” in italics, because believers are the church, not the building.) The early believers were flexible. They met and ministered wherever they could. 1.They met in the Temple (until it was destroyed): So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking […]
When to Keep Your Mouth Shut (Amos 5:13)
Recently I was reading the OT Book of Amos. I ran across an interesting verse. The prophet says, “Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time” (Amos 5:13). Amos is saying that there are times when those who are wise do not speak. This occurs when it is “an evil time.” Amos […]
Lordship Salvation Is Poor Comfort for a Dying Relative
This past Sunday, our minivan wouldn’t start, so the kids and I walked to a local church, about a mile away. They protested, feeling it was an exceedingly far distance to travel—“Why is this taking so long? Is this Canada?” Once we got settled in, I found the preacher was teaching through Job. Unfortunately, having […]
Why Not Start a Church Bookstore?
“Churches need to operate their own bookstores to provide sound material to the people,” David Cloud, a Fundamentalist Baptist, argued. “The typical Christian bookstores are not going to carry the type of information that God’s people need today, because they are in the business of making money and do not want to offend potential customers” […]
The Last Words in Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
Ecclesiastes is a difficult book. The reason is probably because Solomon was seeking pleasure and wisdom from a humanistic perspective. But by the time he gets to the end of the book, Solomon has clearly shown that from a humanistic perspective, life has no meaning or purpose. It is all vain. Solomon concludes in this […]
Bizarro Grace in the Emerging Church Movement
If you’re familiar with Superman, you might be familiar with one of his enemies, Bizarro. Bizarro is a doppelgänger of Superman—a broken, inverted, mirror image. For example, Bizarro comes from a square planet called Htrae, where it is a crime to do good. He’s pale and zombie-like. He’s very dumb, speaking a primitive version of […]
Turning the Other Cheek (Matt 5:38-42)
Questions about the Sermon on the Mount are always challenging. Here is one I just received: How would you exegete this passage (Matt 5:38-40)? I have read that in Jewish culture, a slap to the face is considered an insult. Jesus isn’t saying let your face be a punching bag, but if someone insults you, […]
Believer, Which Way Are You Going? (Mark 10:52)
I have a confession to make. Bartimaeus is one of my heroes. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. I have written about him in the GES journal. See here. One of the things I point out in that article is that Bartimaeus is used by Mark to give a believer in Jesus […]
Three Kinds of Separation from False Teachers
The United Church of Canada is an ultra-liberal denomination in an already liberal Canadian religious environment. During my undergraduate studies, I attended classes at a United Church seminary, and I can say from my conversations with seminarians of that denomination that they were barely Christian. Theist, yes, but Christian, no (for the most part). I […]
Should Women Cover Their Heads When Praying or Teaching? (1 Corinthians 11:4-16)
My recent blog (see here) attempted to harmonize 1 Cor 11:5 with 1 Cor 14:34 (and with 1 Tim 2:11-12). I suggested that in the meeting of the local church, women are to be silent. Women can pray and teach outside of the church meeting, but not in church. This led to some excellent questions: […]