One of the most misunderstood issues some younger Southern Baptists have about their more senior Southern Baptists is that the “old gray-hairs” care little to nothing about the poor or social issues when it comes to public policy. Another, closely related, is that older Southern Baptists confuse Christianity with the Republican Party. Perhaps an attempt to shed some light – rather than heat – on both misunderstandings is in order. Southern Baptists care about social issues – and … [Read more...]
‘Walking through twilight’
Groothuis, Douglas. Walking Through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness – A Philosopher’s Lament. Downers Grove, IL: IVP. 177 pp. $17.00. Douglas Groothuis’s wife, Becky, has a rare form of dementia called primary progressive aphasia, which affects the ability to communicate and understand. She received this diagnosis in 2014, completely changing how the Groothuis’ lived and what their expectations of the future were. Walking Through Twilight is Groothius’s memoir, drawn from the last … [Read more...]
As far as accountability is concerned
I was scrubbing furiously, trying to get the hot fudge stain out of my fave workout shirt. And then…the revelation. It was like, “Oh hello, irony. For a minute I didn’t see you there.” Not that the new diet isn’t going well or anything. Because I don’t think it actually counts as eating badly if you only ate your husband’s dessert because you forgot you already ate yours. Doesn’t count. Because, “forgot.” It’s not that I haven’t tapped into all the diet helps presently out there. But I … [Read more...]
Making investments that are biblically responsible
Robert Netzly had a problem. He was a committed Christian and an active member of his local crisis pregnancy center advancing the Pro-life cause, but he was also a part owner in an abortion-providing business. How could he do that? Well, he didn’t really know. Maybe you don’t either. You see, Robert owned stock in companies that profited from abortions. No, he did not purchase stock in the local abortion clinic down the street nor did he individually purchase stock in a company that … [Read more...]
The downward spiral of depravity
Romans 1 is a graphic depiction of human depravity, which is not a steep vertical fall, but a descending spiral of ungodliness that begins with rejection of God’s revelation and ends with a fateful last step into outer darkness. It’s a story we should tell more often because it cuts to the chase. Paul doesn’t promise happiness, wealth, or comfort to the sinner who receives Jesus as Savior. Rather, he warns those who persist in rebellion against God of the peril they face when the divine … [Read more...]
Philadelphia’s faith-filled football champions
There were plenty of intriguing storylines behind Philadelphia’s amazing Super Bowl win. One of them was the Christian faith of so many of those Eagles. In the days leading up to Sunday, Amazon Echo owners that asked Alexa who was going to win the Super Bowl received an unusual response: Alexa acknowledged, after much coughing and clearing of “her” virtual throat, that the Patriots were the favorites. But she quickly added she was rooting for the Eagles for reasons having to do with … [Read more...]
Must we choose between preferences?
No kidding. I was reading my half-folded Wall Street Journal. I got to the fold and, subconsciously, I realized my index finger was attempting to scroll the rest of the article up the page. I suppose I am caught in a time warp, preferring to smell ink and read hard copy and at the same time live in an age of digital communications. I can hear the purist for print and/or digital attempting to say, “Choose between the two.” I say not so fast. There is room for both. No need to create a … [Read more...]
On bathrooms, discrimination, and Baptists seeking office
Ladies, be careful using the restrooms in Walgreens. Corporate leaders recently distributed a memo stating men may now use women’s restrooms and vice versa. The policy change was a result of Walgreens being pressured by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California. “All individuals have a right to use restroom facilities that correspond to the individual’s gender identity, regardless of the individual’s sex assigned at birth,” the memo stated. A similar policy was … [Read more...]
Whose children are they?
“For there is no partiality with God.” – Romans 2:11 The Bible tells us that children are a gift from God. How proud and happy we are when we look down in a baby’s face and see the miracle God has made! We become so attached to the little ones He has placed in our care! It becomes easy to think of them as only “our” children when they are loved by God as His own. Our desire should be to make sure they become His children through acceptance of Jesus as their personal Savior. God has … [Read more...]
Go to your happy place
I hate it when I’ve been cleaning the house all day long and then realize it’s only been fifteen minutes. I’ll admit, cleaning is not my happy place. Of course, I had five kids in seven years and “clean” has always been a bit...well…relative. Mostly because it would somewhat depend on which relative was doing the cleaning. Not that we allowed food in the kids’ rooms or anything [clearing throat], but I do remember having to say to a teen at least once, “Son. You have to clean your room. … [Read more...]
Jason Allen: Four reasons pastors should guard their hearts
Discouragement is not an emotion with which I am very familiar, but when a scandal comes out in the church, I feel it greatly. In fact, at times I have found myself not wanting to check social media, dreading to learn about the next scandal. When they come out, it is easy to find ourselves asking, “How could he…?”. Yet, upon sober reflection, we are reminded of how dangerous our sin nature truly is; and that Total Depravity is not just a theological point, but a malignancy within each one … [Read more...]
Homosexuality: Answering objections to Scripture
Christians often find it difficult to have meaningful conversations with people struggling with same-sex attraction. To a great extent, that’s our own fault for delivering biblical truth with a sledge hammer rather than with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15-16). Even so, it’s hard to carry on a civil discourse when you’re accused of being a homophobe engaging in hate speech. What’s more, some LGBT supporters express such hostility toward Christians that they won’t listen to a biblical … [Read more...]
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