“Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God.” J. Wesley
Introduction In the Spring of 2006, I had the great privilege to travel to Shang Hai and train twelve Chinese engineers to support my company’s software. Spending 10 days with these people, I found myself immersed in their culture. Each day at lunch, we would go to a different restaurant and would talk …
I am a huge Larry Norman fan. So Long Ago the Garden was one of the first Christian albums that I listened to the whole way through. It rocked my world because I always thought that Christian music had to be sterilized copy of what the secular music world was doing. But what Larry Norman …
Good review of a book that I have read and still use...
A Concise History of Christian World Missions: A Panoramic View of Missions from Pentecost to the Present by J. Herbert Kane is an ambitious attempt to review the history of Christian missions succinctly. Kane spent the first part of the book reviewing the different ages of Christian missions and the second part on reviews of …
Continue reading "Book Review: A Concise History of the Christian World Mission"
This is a very good article on Slavery in the Bible. Many skeptics point out that the Bible condones slavery. It clearly does not. Read on…
Earlier this week Haden’s post answered critics who claim that God is immoral because He condoned slavery in the Old Testament. Clearly this is not the case, for Old Testament slavery was completely different from the nineteenth century enslavement of African-Americans by American plantation owners. As a companion piece, I will now examine slavery in the New Testament, drawing many of the same conclusions.
Mentions of Slavery in the New Testament
Slavery is a topic that arises multiple times in the New Testament. Three mentions of it are found in the household codes of Ephesians (6:5-9), Colossians (3:22-4:1), and 1 Peter (2:18-25). The main Greek word used to denote slaves in the New Testament is doulos, occurring 126 times. The related term oiketes is also used four times. Interestingly, the way English translations of the Bible translate these words differs greatly. The HCSB, my translation of preference, translates doulos
View original post 1,333 more words
Over Memorial Day Weekend my wife and I traveled throughout Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri taking in various sites, sounds, and smells on an almost twelve hundred mile adventure on our motorcycles. (Yes, my 5’5″ tall wife rides a 2013 Victory XCT) Of all the things we experienced and all the folks we met I will always remember a motorcyclist named Ron from Alaska. I met him alongside the highway outside of St. Louis where his Harley was broke down with nail in the tire. When we stopped to see if we could offer assistance we were greeted with a big smile, ‘You are the only bikers to stop. And, I’ve been here a while.” I responded “Yeah. It sucks to be stranded on the side of the road and watch bikers wave as they pass by.”
When I began riding there was a code. Part of which stated “NEVER…
View original post 147 more words
Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically by Beth Felker Jones My rating: 4 of 5 stars In her book, Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically, Wheaton University’s Dr. Beth Felker Jones presents an argument that theology is not just for academic discussion. No, theology must go beyond …
Image of CMA and its members CMA has two saying that are frequently heard among members. The first is the organization's vision statement: “Changing the world, one heart at a time.”[1] The second statement is the unofficial CMA motto: “Here if you need us.” CMA wants its members to be known as dedicated Christ followers …
Another Stryper week. The new album is just so good I can't get enough of it. This is the video for Sorry - pretty powerful video and a great message. It's Friday, let's rock!
Introduction Several years ago, I was sitting at a table with a number of security contractors having lunch. We were all involved in some intense weeklong training, hoping to end with a series of technical certifications. During this lunchtime, in order to clear our heads from all the technical studying we were doing, we …
The title “evangelist” brings with it a set of powerful preconceptions. For some, it brings to mind thoughts of John Wesley going from town to town on horseback, George Whitfield preaching in large fields in England or Dwight Moody in halls and on stages around the world. For others, the evangelist brings to mind …
All of life is worship. This is something that true regardless of one’s religious affiliation or faith commitment. Whatever is thought about the most, whatever is worried about the most, and whatever costs the most time is what is worshipped. When one becomes a Christ follower, then those things that were once worshipped are unseated …
Many church trends have come and gone. The Christian church in all of its forms has ebbed and flowed between many different worship styles and many different liturgical movements. Most of these movements have been a reflection of culture. The Christian church should be sensitive to the culture without losing its identity. But like Indian …
This is a really good and concise review of Bible translations. Well worth the read.
Who ever thought that buying a Bible would be an overwhelming experience? You just go to the store and grab one, right? Well…no. You go to the store and you have to choose between this translation and that translation, between this study Bible and that study Bible. It’s more difficult than it should be.
So if you are looking for a new Bible, which translation should you choose? I thought that if I shared with you about the translation process and the differing methods used, it would help you make a more informed decision.
Some Translation Difficulties
As you know, the sixty-six books of the Bible were not written in English. The original authors, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote in three languages: Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. With the exception of a few words, the entire New Testament was written in Greek. Most of the Old Testament was written in…
View original post 1,784 more words
Dealing with our postmodern culture is one of the most important issues the American church is facing today. In the lecture on just what the church is, Dr. James Flynn with the help of Dr. Joseph Umidi, reviewed how institutionalism has had adverse effects on the church – often times shutting down creativity and enhancing …
Continue reading "The Church in Postmodern Post-Christian America – and that’s the good news!"
Following up from Good Friday – Happy Resurrection Day! He is risen, He is risen, indeed!
For the past several weeks leading up to Easter, we have been examining possible natural theories of the Resurrection. We have found them all wanting. If we are going to believe in the Resurrection and present it as true, we will need more than negative arguments against other theories. Is there any positive evidence for the Resurrection? Today, on Easter Sunday, we will make a positive case for the Resurrection.
Jesus Died by Crucifixion.
That Jesus died by crucifixion is one of the strongest attested facts surrounding the event. The historical data is overwhelming. All four Gospels record the events of his crucifixion, and I will quote three early historical sources here:
“When Pilate, upon hearing him [Jesus] accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified” (Josephus, Jewish Historian).
“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated…
View original post 1,278 more words
Very cool! If I ever hang up my Indian…..
Luis Fonsi, singer/songwriter best known for his 2017 hit song “Despacito” and long-time friend Alex Vega owner of The Auto Firm collaborated on a custom 2018 Polaris Slingshot SL.
Luis called me and said that he had been thinking about getting a toy, something that I can drive on the weekends and just relax,” said Vega. “Right away my first thought was get a Slingshot, you’re in Miami!”
Vega and Fonsi, two artists in their own medium, designed a custom Slingshot the streets of Miami have never seen before. “It’s such a sexy, fun hybrid,” said Fonsi. “It’s the perfect car for Miami!”
Have a look below at how this custom Polaris Slingshot SL came together.
Happy Resurrection Day!
The week leading up to Easter is often referred to as the Passion Week. This week began with Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem on a Sunday (Palm Sunday) and ended with His death and burial. This, of course, led to His resurrection—Easter—which we are getting ready to celebrate in just a few days.
When you read the four gospels in the New Testament, you get the picture that the Passion Week was an incredibly busy week for Jesus and His disciples. I would like to take a few minutes to walk you day-by-day through this week, maybe the most famous week in history. You will see that most of these events can be found in all four gospels.
Sunday
As mentioned above, this week began on Palm Sunday with Jesus’s entry into the city of Jerusalem. You can read about this in Mt. 21:1-11; Mk. 11:1-11; Lk. 19:28-40; Jn. 12:12-19. Some…
View original post 1,619 more words
I am new to the idea of the 5-fold ministry. Sure, I have read Ephesians 4: “And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, equipping the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in …
If Paul describes precursors to the “Day of the Lord,” does that not contradict 1 Thessalonians 5:2 when the Day of the Lord is described as coming like “a thief in the night” – a sudden coming of Jesus? The “day of the Lord” was something that bothered the Thessalonians. In chapter 2 of second …
Continue reading "The Coming of Jesus and Antichrist – 2 Thessalonians"
What makes the New Covenant superior to the Old Covenant? The writer of Hebrews makes a bold claim in chapter 8:6. “But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises.” He is claiming that a New Covenant …
Excellent overview of what the Bible is and isn't. We do not worship God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Bible - We worship the true Trinity God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Why did Paul use Abraham in his explanation of God’s promise coming through faith? Paul, a Pharisee and one of most learned Jews of his day, had a profound affinity for Abraham. Being the father the Jewish nation and culture, the name of Abraham carried significant weight when used as an example or a …
Continue reading "The Promise of Faith and the Destruction of Legalism – Romans 4"
Rumours of Glory: A Memoir by Bruce Cockburn My rating: 4 of 5 stars There is an old saying “Never meet your heroes; you will always be disappointed.” There is some truth to that, and it plays a part of Cockburn’s memoir. I have read a lot of biographies and memoirs of my musical heroes …
Interesting thoughts on Billy Graham.
By the time you read this, it will have been 9 days since the passing of Reverend Dr. Billy Graham. People will have attended his funeral and perhaps, some of the shock will have settled as the world comes to grip with the reality that he is no longer living among us. I have been pondering what prophetic insight I could glean from his passing, especially in light of so many others who have both previously have prophesied about him. While I don’t claim to be as anointed as those who have a more public presence, I no less believe that God has shared with me some things to take note of.
Image Credit: Patheos
As I reflected on who Billy Graham was to the nation and the type of ministry he led, I began to get a sense that God is awakening His Church to a new time…
View original post 724 more words
The Wandering Wesleyan 