Wherein I get to announce news that hasn’t officially been announced only because somebody else beat me to it and, well, it’s no longer news, now tell you what I’ve been itching to say for the past [undisclosed amount of time] because the news has been embargoed till now. Whew!…
Involuntary Self-Denial and Relationship Breakdown
Why so many problems begin with frustrated desire Every day, headlines assault us with troubling news. These recent titles from a local news website are just a small sampling: Two Shotgunned to Death [source] Joyriding Gang Member Slain; Crash Injures Family [source] Local Soldier Dies in Afghanistan [source] School Gets…
Sexual Conversion: Gender dysphoria, the UMC and the transgendered minister
I recently wrote about the relatively unremarked issue of gender dysphoria and believers opting for gender reassignment. I wrote that I had communicated with Assemblies of God leadership about this issue some years ago, and that I believed a position paper is in order — now, not at some later date…
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Hollywood: The modern Areopagus
Recently, I posted my Spider-Man Bible Study / Discussion Guide. Simultaneously, I dropped a few comments on some blogs that referenced a different Spider-Man Bible Study produced by Fuller Theological Seminary’s professor Craig Detweiler. Some GodBloggers have been critical of the whole “movie-based Bible study” enterprise. Not surprising, really: using…
Spider-Man 3 Bible Study / Discussion Guide
My Spider-Man 3 movie-based Bible Study is here, at long last! I have permission from CTI to provide the study here on my site. Over the next few days or weeks, I’ll post the previous combo-study I wrote for Spider-Man 1 and Spider-Man 2 as well. Warning: the following contains…
Spider-Man 3 Movie-Based Bible Study Coming!
Update: The Spider-Man 3 study can be found here. In early 2005 I wrote a Bible study for the Spider-Man 1 & 2 movies, currently only available via ChristianityToday.com. Last week I stopped by the offices of Christianity Today International and “volunteered” to freelance the Bible study for Spider-Man 3,…
Virgina Tech Massacre and … Repentance
How to get arrested at Central Bible College. Plus: The Unremarked Transgendered Issue
I was surprised to read of a recent arrest at Central Bible College when some folks arranged a non-violent protest and an attempt to “dialog” with allegedly “homophobic” school officials over Gay, Lesbian, and Transgendered issues recently: Central Bible College: Our First Act of Civil Disobedience (via Soulforce) The blogger,…
Misplaced Love: On Greed, Addiction, and Bad Affection
Greed is the surprising accompaniment to almost all our sins. We all like lists. They help create organized presentations, and they are easy to remember. Perhaps that is why God chose a list format to present some of his most well-known laws. But what if we took that list — the…
Eternal Certainties: The Hope of Heaven
While things are confusing down here, we can always trust in the hope of heaven. About an hour northeast of Indianapolis on April 26, 2006, a tractor-trailer drifted across the Interstate 69 median. In its path: ten students and staff in a Taylor University van. The tractor ripped through one…
Jesus Camp and BlogRodent on Word-FM
Last year, on October 3, I did a live interview with John Hall and Stephanie Fraschetti from Word-FM about the “Jesus Camp” documentary that was then the height of Evangelical fear-mongering (start here if you don’t know what I’m talking about: “Jesus Camp: Brainwashed in the Blood — or Is it…
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Against torture
I recently received this question in an email: « Where does it say that we are not to torture others? No where in Scripture does it say “Thou shalt not torture.” » While it is true the proscription against torture can be nowhere found in the Book, we can also…
Pentecostal Sin
Over on my post, “Charismatic Heresy,” inspired by the egregious charismatic excess highlighted by Charisma editor J. Lee Grady, reader Lynn asked some questions that deserve more attention than a comment reply merits. Lynn writes: I go to an A/G church, but have very Reformed views. It has been a struggle for years.…
Debt unpayable, representation needed
Perhaps you’ve heard of Yahawa Wahab recently? Mr. Wahab lives in Malaysia, and he’s looking forward to his day in court: He owes $218 trillion dollars. If Mr. Wahab paid off his debt by one dollar every second of every 24-hour day, he would need 68,770.28 years to pay down…
Cheap Grace: Pimp my gospel!
The editors of Leadership journal have posted another incisive commentary on the state of the Church today in their Out of Ur weblog. It’s about how we (in the Western church) have turned the gospel into a pimping enterprise. There’s nothing really new here, it’s the same complaint Bonhoeffer had…
Carlton D. Pearson: The Charismatic Bishop of Heresy
Update (07/14/2007): “Carlton Pearson: The closest to God you’ll probably ever get“ On Heresy What is heresy? The textbook definition is simply: An opinion or a doctrine at variance with established religious beliefs … or A controversial or unorthodox opinion or doctrine. And right alongside that definition — at least on this…
The basis for Christian ethics
My longtime email friend and fine Bayou pastor, Rev. Louis Bartet (The Grace Place), recently posed this thought-provoking question, which I have attempted to answer from my perspective. « What in your opinion should be the primary basis of Christian ethics?» Lou, doesn’t believe in simple questions with short answers!…
On Jesus and the Law. Oh, and prophets, too!
This question was recently posed to me (and some other friends) on an email discussion-group: « What is your take on Matthew 5:17-18 regarding the Law and Prophets? Do you believe we are still under the Law, and do you believe that we have Prophets today, and if so for…
Wife and Husband: sacrificial leadership meets love-inspired submission
Christianity Today just released an article by Sarah Sumner that so nicely exegetes Ephesians 5 that I am compelled to share it with you here. Not only that, I want to be sure to remember this, so it’s going into my blog as part of my online brain. Article SummarySarah…
Predestination. Or, was Judas a sinner, or a saint?
I posted a couple comments recently on a blog I visited off my PneumaBlogs aggregator that I’d like to recapture here for additional commentary from my readers, if you’re game. There was an interesting post by Maryellen at her “To Everything a Time” blogspot about God’s divine plan and predestination,…
My quiz results: theology, theologian, and denomination
I took a few quizzes tonight, and I generously share the results with you, my Gentle Readers. I’m not sure what they really reveal about me. I worked as an opinion/market research interviewer for four years, and I know how very subtle changes in questions and their interpretation by the…
On “Moral Levees”
UMC pastor, Donald Sensing, over at the One Hand Clapping blog, has posted his sermon manuscript on the failure of moral levees. It’s an excellent sermon in the wake of the Katrina disaster, regarding the fallen nature of man, and the need for the rule of God’s law in our…
God, with features a la carte
In “The Ultimate Issue” Brian logged an interesting and thought provoking post on “designing your own God.” Likewise, the hundreds of differing beliefs that people have about God, and the fact that people dearly want them to be true, do not make them true. God is who he is. God…
zhubert.com: Great Hebrew and Greek Bible Study Tool
If you haven’t seen this site, yet, you should. If you ever refer to the Greek or Hebrew texts in your Bible studies or sermon prep, then you really owe it to yourself to check out this website: zhubert.comFor Fellow Students of the Bible in the Original Languages When you…
Do Heaven and Hell Exist, pt. ii
Well, last night was a good night! Went to church and gave my talk on the existence of Heaven and Hell. Had a good crowd show up. Unfortunately, as usual, I had far more prepared than I could deliver in 45-minutes. :: Sigh :: So, I’ve put the entire manuscript…