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. […]
That ‘Crazy’ Herschel Walker Trade
October 11, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
A new ESPN mini-documentary concerns the legendary Herschel Walker trade in NFL football. In October 1989, the Dallas Cowboys traded former Georgia star Herschel Walker—one of the best ever running backs—to the Minnesota Vikings for five mediocre players. Nobody could understand why the Cowboys made the trade. The Cowboys’ new coach, Jimmy Johnson, was in […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Have You Been Vaccinated?
April 3, 2014 by · 2 Comments
Russ Douthat, columnist for The New York Times, wrote a column last week in which he sought to explain the social evils that result from the widespread “fading” of Evangelicalism in the Bible Belt and other heavily religious areas. For a while now, it has been a seeming paradox that heavily Evangelical areas have more […]
How Are You Related to Moses?
December 30, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
There is a great deal of confusion in Christendom about how we are to relate to the Old Testament. Surely we must look to the words of Paul, who dealt directly with first-century folks who were coming from one family into another and weren’t entirely happy with their new brothers and sisters. For example, some […]
Basketball, Brooklyn, Blatche, and the Bible
December 16, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
It seemed the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA were going to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season. One author said “scary good.” Another said the Nets were “overloaded” with stars, paying almost double the salary cap. The idea was that trading for experienced all-stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett […]
The Tragedy of Post-Christian Culture; The Opportunity of Pre-Christian Culture
November 19, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
I do not remember the first time I heard someone say that Western society represents a post-Christian culture. If he was correct, then the West represents a tragedy. In Hebrews 6:6, the inspired writer ominously warns first-century Christians against falling away from the faith, and does so based on the tragic condition of one who […]