Perspectives
Jesus, Politics and Social Media
I want to say at the beginning that I hope you will read this as a heart-felt appeal and not as in-your-face challenge. Most of us know that Jesus’ call to receive the kingdom of God means we must reevaluate our culture and reject those things that do not fit with it. This is an appeal for us to examine one aspect of democratic culture in the twenty first century as we take a careful look at Jesus’ teaching.
Salvation: Pass It Along
We are immensely blessed by God to have been brought, by Him, to rebirth. He worked in our hearts directly and he worked through obedient disciples to teach us that a person is born again when they repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38 and John 3:1-8). There are lost people who don't believe, who believe only, who are baptized without repentance, who have repented but have not been baptized for the forgiveness of sins and some who apparently had it right doctrinally (at least) but walk no more.
Commentary: Live What You Believe
The Barna Research Group released a survey a couple of years ago involving 152 separate items comparing the general population with those who define themselves as Christians. The survey revealed that almost 85% of Americans consider themselves Christians. That’s truly amazing because that’s a very large number—247 million people to be exact. Obviously, an inflated number when examined in light of some of the disturbing findings of the survey:
Guess Who's Been Coming to Dinner
Let me give you one bit of advance notice: this article is not really about an old movie or about the Black history behind it. However, since I love Black history, it seemed a good way to segue into the real subject, which I predict you will find both surprising and fascinating. So, stay with me until I reach the real reason for writing the article.
ICOC Growing Again after Crisis
The Christian Chronicle is the largest publication of the Churches of Christ. Bobby Ross, Managing Editor, attended the 2012 World Discipleship Summit and published this encouraging story.
Has a New Era Begun in the ICOC?
The 1980's and 90's were a heady period of growth and expansion for the International Churches of Christ. We exploded into over 100 nations, and planted 500 churches worldwide. As the 90's finished, however, our growth had stopped, our US churches were shrinking, and there were some problems we needed to face.When the new millennium dawned, our issues became a full blown crisis. We lost 30% of our members, and what followed was a decade of reflection, repentance, and reorganization. As a fellowship we took several big steps. We apologized to each other. We held painful open forums in many congregations. Leadership practices were examined, and we repented where needed. The appropriate people were fired. We abolished worldwide offices of authority. It was a painful yet productive decade, and through the power of God we watched as He righted the ship and healed our wounds.
Commentary: "Why I Look Down on Condescension"
In the US, we are living in the most disrespectful era of my 51 years. Children disrespect their parents in ways unimaginable even 20 years ago. Parents have been tricked into believing authority is bad and should never be called upon.
Have We Been Doing it Right All Along?
As I near the 21st anniversary of my baptism in the Los Angeles Church of Christ, I ponder the meaning of my decision to take up with a “controversial” church that employs “unconventional” methods to achieve its goals. We respect time-honored traditions, but we’re not enslaved to them. We respect our leaders, but at the same time we’re not afraid to question them or even replace them when necessary. The struggles of recent years have borne witness to that reality. Time and again I’ve been called upon to defend our teachings, our institutions, our innovative means of evangelizing the world. I would like to think I’m getting both smarter and humbler as I go.
The Power of Persistent Prayer
Jeff Balsom is a beloved elder in the Chicago Church of Christ who was diagnosed with brain and lung tumors last fall. He has since undergone brain surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy. On his blog he is sharing his struggles and victories. Here are a couple of recent excerpts from jeffbalsom.com.
.jpg)
2012 Mania is Here!
Believe it or not, 2012 mania has struck Christianity. One would think that Christians would avoid all association with a Hollywood-inspired interpretation of an obscure reference in a Mayan calendar. One would be wrong. The human fascination with end-time predictions seems to be able to overcome all rational considerations as well as all biblical advice to avoid such speculations.