We live in a divided society. We are reminded of that every night on the news. Our newspapers and magazines are full of photos of protests, riots, shootings, and violence. Race divides us. Politics divides. Economics divides us. We are a fractured people. We mourn the division, and we all probably wonder if there is any hope for unity. Can we ever truly and peacefully come together? Continue reading
Recently I have been doing research on the Emergent Church. Just in case you are not familiar with this movement, let me give you a little background. The Emergent Church movement originated in conversations between various pastors, youth pastors and church leaders back in the 1990’s. They were concerned about certain trends and practices they saw in the church. They were especially concerned about how relevant and effective the church was in reaching a postmodern culture. Out of their conversations arose an entire movement which has swept through America, Britain, Australia and other parts of the world.
The original ambitions of those involved in these conversations were noble and good. However, in their efforts to address the concerns of a postmodern society, they ended up becoming a postmodern movement. It seems, at least in their thinking, that to be relevant you must accommodate yourself to the culture—even if this accommodation involves sacrificing some of the foundational truths of the Christian faith. Continue reading
On this day we celebrate the 240th birthday of our country. As we reflect on our history and heritage, let us also reflect on how our nation came to be, and the values underlying its founding. Indeed, let us consider the principle concepts that guided our Founding Fathers in creating this nation. As men grounded in an essentially Christian worldview, with a tradition of Judeo-Christian ethics and philosophy, these great statesmen were committed to the idea of liberty. And for them, liberty was not something that must be established by men. Indeed, it was just the opposite. Liberty was a God-ordained and God-given right of every human being. It was not a human creation at all. It was wholly divine in origin. Continue reading
I know a good Christian man who a while back did a very foolish thing. He desired a certain position in his local church. This was a position that the congregation voted on. He was certain he was going to receive a majority of the vote. But… alas, it didn’t happen. This man was hurt by this. He felt rejected. He felt betrayed. He was deeply offended. And he was furious. A short time after the vote, he had the opportunity to address his church family. And here is where the foolishness comes in. Instead of being gracious and accepting the outcome of the vote as the will of the congregation, he reacted in anger and bitterness. He rebuked the people of the church. He let it be known that they had “betrayed him.” He very strongly expressed his anger and his hurt. In short, he blasted the church! Continue reading
Question: “I have often heard that all sins are the same. There is no such thing as big sins or little sins. Is this true? Are all sins equal?” – B. in Charlottesville, Va.
My Answer: The idea that all sins are basically the same is commonly asserted today. We often see this stated when a person is criticized for committing a particular sin. I have heard people say things like this, “You can’t judge me for this sin. My sin is no bigger or worse than the sins that you commit. I’ve seen you lose your temper or speak sharply!” They may tell you that Christians have no right to label a certain sin as more offensive than any other sin. To give but one example, they may say that sexual immorality is no worse than gossip or selfishness. Their obvious attitude is this, how can you judge an adulterer, fornicator or homosexual if you, yourself, are guilty of being unkind or sharp tongued? After all, sin is sin. All sin is equally wrong, or so they say. Continue reading
TRUTH BUILDERS MINISTRIES 