We must think and speak in biblical ways (Philippians 4:8; 1 Peter 4:11). One important instance of biblical thinking and speaking is this: We must understand what we mean when we speak of the “church of Christ” (Romans 16:16). It may surprise some to learn that the designation “church of Christ” is not is not […]
There are No “Church of Christers,” and One Person is Not “a Church of Christ”
January 20, 2015 by · 3 Comments
Do Bible Topics Get Too Old?
January 7, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
Once in 1893, the great preacher and scholar, J.W. McGarvey, was preaching on baptism. ((McGarvey’s Sermons (Delight: Gospel Light, n.d.), 109-121.)) He began by noting that many people in his audience might think it strange for him to focus on a topic that religious teachers have covered so many times without producing a general consensus. If many preachers […]
“There’s a Movement Coming”: A Response to Patrick Mead and Lauren King, Preachers
December 17, 2014 by · 6 Comments
Christians have been warned, and we had better be ready. Recently, the Fourth Avenue Church of Christ, in Franklin, Tennessee hired Lauren King to be their preaching intern. That King, a Bible major at Lipscomb University, is using the preaching internship for university credit, is remarkable in itself given that female biblical studies majors regularly meet […]
“Back to Christ”?
October 21, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
The devil is deceptive. He is the father of lies (John 8:44) and endorses “lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Jesus portrays folks who teach false ideas as wearing sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15), so it should not surprise us when we find people using language that sounds good on the surface, but really promotes a false idea. […]
What the Devil Wants Us to Do
September 2, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Dr. Thomas B. Warren, the great Christian preacher and philosopher, once preached a sermon about the various things that the devil desires for us to do and to become. I have adapted Warren’s remarks here, showing that the devil has a multi-layered plan for us: Initially the devil wants us to be atheists, because he […]
An Amazing Experience, Not Biblical Conversion
July 11, 2014 by · 1 Comment
Many people in religion give lip-service to the Scriptures, but in reality guide themselves purely by their own feelings about what has happened to them and their desires for what will happen to them. We often hear things such as “God laid this on my heart” without thought to what God has specially revealed in […]
A Pyramid Scheme
June 24, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Those of us who are engaged the Restoration Movement are opposed to all man-made creeds and manuals for religion. Instead, we beg our friends and neighbors to return to simple obedience to the Bible and nothing else. Some have objected to the Restoration by saying something like this: “Creeds are actually good. Everybody in Christendom […]
A Christian’s View of a “Christian Worldview”
June 14, 2014 by · 2 Comments
I grew up hearing a lot of Bible-based sermons, but nothing about “worldviews”. I became a Christian without knowing that I even had such a thing as a “worldview”. I did not start hearing regularly about the so-called “Christian worldview” until I went to some conferences on education where there were many denominational folks and […]
A.G. Freed on Doubt
June 5, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Not long ago, I spoke to a group of teenagers and youth leaders on the subject of apologetics. I emphasized to them that we should take the evidence that God has given us and cease doubting. One of those in the audience criticized my presentation by saying that it was part of Christian growth to […]
He Got His Chops in Church
April 15, 2014 by · 6 Comments
I have been enjoying coaching debaters from my local congregation as they prepare for the mock debates at the Lads to Leaders Convention in Atlanta this weekend. The debate proposition for 2014 is “Resolved: The use of mechanical instruments of music to accompany the worship of God by His church is not authorized by His […]