One word can often be crammed with meaning. For instance, the mere mention of “Christmas” can evoke images of sparkling lights, smiling children, joyful carols and jovial Santas. Biblical words are no different. Terms like covenant, law, and even the word “word” itself, overflow with scriptural significance. In the well-known story of the Magi’s visit […]
Clemson versus USC. Coke versus Pepsi. Krispy Kreme versus Dunkin’ Donuts. The mere mention of such subjects will likely spawn spirited squabbles among some South Carolina Baptists. But one topic towers above all in its potential to produce dissent and debate in the pews: no, not politics — Bible translations. Most Christians have their preferences […]
Many Christians struggle to maintain perspective during the Christmas season. The endless barrage of strip-mall Santas and social events, novelty songs and nativity scenes, can kick up enough mind-numbing nostalgia dust to cloud anyone’s spiritual vision. Indeed, in the midst of our swollen schedules, we rarely think about the “how” and the “why” of our […]
“Don’t be a ‘dropout.’” As a young aspiring minister-in-training, I remember hearing this caution frequently — and annoyingly — as I packed my belongings and headed to seminary. “Many seminarians are not even in full-time ministry anymore after 10 years,” I was warned. “Don’t be like them.” For me, the warning functioned almost as a […]
No issue flummoxes and frustrates evangelicals in today’s culture wars more than that of homosexuality. It seems to many Christians a no-win issue. If we speak about it in any way, the media attempts to marginalize us. If we stay on the sidelines, it feels like we are sitting silent on the Titanic of traditional […]
God said it. I believe it. That settles it. This once popular bumper-sticker slogan sums up the argument many Christians muster when it comes to the reliability of Scripture: The Bible is God’s Word. The Bible says it is God’s Word. I don’t need another Word. It is true, and important, to assert that the […]