families and pendulums
My middle-aged friend was struggling to value his local church. He was raised in a home that emphasized a personal relationship with God but didn’t care much for organized religion. When his parents were younger, their church had stopped preaching the gospel, so they became suspicious of all churches. They passed their skepticism on to their son. I’m hoping he won’t overcorrect and allow corporate worship to replace his own time in prayer and reading God’s Word.
rules and grace
Students in a Christian elementary school lined up at the lunch table to get their food. At the head of the table was a pile of apples. A teacher made the following note and posted it on the apple tray: “Take only ONE. God is watching.” At the end of the table, next to a large tray of chocolate chip cookies, a clever student placed this note, “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”
you choose Q: what can we do on the Lord's Day (Sunday)?
Q: Can we attend interviews or exams on the Lord’s Day? —Samuel
A: The Christian church came into existence during a time when the Gentile world did not recognize a day of rest or worship. Pagans observed holidays and times of religious celebration, but they had no weekly day of rest or worship. Consequently, Christians in the Roman Empire had to…
living without religion
An advertisement recently went up near my hometown that read: “You don’t need God to hope, to care, to love, to live.” The advertisement was part of a national advertising campaign by a group that calls itself Living Without Religion. While I don’t support the group’s specific agenda, I’m all for living with less religion.
At its core, Christianity is…
rules and order
As you step into the room, you’re greeted by a cacophony of noise. Everyone is talking, but no one is listening. For a moment, you think you’ve stepped into the New York Stock Exchange—but it isn’t that loud, lively place. It’s a church meeting in Corinth.
Obviously, the church in Corinth was anything but boring. It was bustling with activity.…
principled
Teaching in a Christian preparatory school, I am accustomed to including an “honor code” on each quiz and test that my students take. Because they live in a world of moral relativism, some students are accustomed to signing on the line even when they’ve cheated. Recently I had to turn a student in for cheating, and as I watched the…
