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The Spirit of Generosity
A new survey going around Facebook shows that churches are more stingy than ever. It’s the kind of fodder we seem to like. For cynics, it’s just another bullet in the gun for them. For Christians, it’s yet another way to beat ourselves up. For the church I pastor I want to say this survey is not the rule. For…
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What a Full Day Looks Like
I have LOTS of full days… and they get strung together and keep on going. Yet, in the midst of those full days I find such joy. The past few Sundays at my church have been incredibly encouraging for me. There is a hunger rising up in people. We had a prayer retreat a week ago where the agenda was…
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Arab Spring Isn’t All Blossoms
As we celebrate the “Arab Spring,” there are reminders that all doesn’t bloom evenly in the Arab world. The Church in Egypt is feeling the pressure. And an Iranian pastor sits in prison awaiting execution. Often when we see good things happening, what gets missed is the plight of the Church in regions of the world. In our prayers, we…
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Give Me the Gospel in 3-5 Minutes
To which Scot McKnight says, “Fuhget about it!” Why are we so consumed with needing to give the gospel like an “elevator pitch?” Jesus’ own invitation is this: “Come and see.”
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The Danger of “Decision” Theology
Scot McKnight makes the comparisons of how the New Testament seems to be talking about Gospel… and how we “gospel” today. He pulls no punches. When all we care about is bringing people to a decision, to pray a prayer, to just admit their sin and find Jesus as Savior, we are doing damage. Jesus becomes a personal Savior, but…
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Why I am a Confessing Pentecostal
The founding of the Assemblies of God (my denomination) was based on the lack of creeds in the very beginning. They believed in the Bible, bless God, and that was enough. It wasn’t long before theological controversy forced them into a statement of faith. (But it’s not a creed. 😉 ) Over the years as I have studied more of Church…
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The Pope and Pentecostalism
Pope Benedict made the following comments about Pentecostalism: The geography of Christianity has changed dramatically in recent times, and is in the process of changing further. Faced with a new form of Christianity, which is spreading with overpowering missionary dynamism, sometimes in frightening ways, the mainstream Christian denominations often seem at a loss. This is a form of Christianity with…
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The King Jesus Gospel — Messing Up the Message
I am beginning to work my way through The King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight. My church staff will be making our way through it the next several weeks as well. The diagnosis of the “evangelical problem” resonates with me. The struggle over “decisions” and “disciples” has been something I’ve felt for all my years in ministry. McKnight lays out his…
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Whiplash Politics and Microwave Christianity
David Brooks of the New York Times hits the nail on the head today. (HERE.) We think so highly of ourselves, we just think we can whip this economy back into shape without realizing the depth of the problem and that TIME will really help in pulling ourselves out of the mess. This is leading to what I call “whiplash”…
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The Loss of a Moral Compass
David Brooks’ column in The New York Times gives a synopsis of where we have come. Just yesterday in my Church History lecture I was talking with my students about the place tradition had in the Church for about 1700 years. While I will never argue that trusting tradition is always a good thing, I will say it is basically a good thing,…
Category: Church
