Eusebius – The Church History

I recently finished Eusebius’  The Church History, translated and edited by Paul L. Maier.  Eusebius is nicknamed the “Father of Church History” for good reasons.  He traced its paths for the first 300 years after the resurrection.  He quotes many people extensively whose writings we wouldn’t have otherwise.
It was dry in spots, but very informative [...]

Good and bad ecumenism

Ecumenism is a movement promoting unity among Christians.  It is biblical in concept, given that Jesus prayed for believers:
John 17:20-23 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and [...]

Who has been like Jesus to you?

 I received this request from a friend who is a former blogger and thought that it would be good to open up to everyone here.  If you have a story you’d like to share, please leave it in the comments section.  She will accumulate to share with others.  These would be great to post on your own [...]

What about the Crusades?! And the Inquisition?! Etc.?!

When people try to dismiss Christianity or belief in God by asking, “What about the Crusades?!,” this is my first reaction:

You don’t judge an ideology by those who violate its tenets.
I make it a habit not to apologize for things that a) happened 1,000 years ago and b) I didn’t do. 
If there is no God [...]

Death bed conversions Q&A

Q. Can someone convert to Christianity on their deathbed and still be forgiven and go to Heaven?
A. Yes. See the story of the criminal on the cross as well as many other stories of people who converted late in life or on their death bed, such as the father-in-law of Lee Strobel (author of The [...]

Home churches

I’ve heard that home churches are gaining in popularity.  I’ve heard concerns that there could be doctrinal issues given the lack of seminary-educated leaders, but with so much bad doctrine being pumped out of so many churches it is hard to imagine the problem being worse!
What do you know about home churches, and what is [...]

The tomb is still empty

Spoiler warning: The next paragraph gives away the ending to the Gospels.
My favorite part of The Passion of the Christ was the understated scene where Jesus is sitting in the tomb on Easter morning and then He just stands up.  That’s it.  No humans saw him get up, though angels may have. 
The resurrection is the [...]

Good Friday – “It is finished.”

Isaiah 53:5-6 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity [...]

Merry Christ-Mass and Happy Holy-Days!

It is irritating to have stores pretend that Christmas doesn’t exist at the same time they try to milk every last dollar out of our covetous wallets, and the whole public education / public square polical correctness thing is frustrating as well.  
But if we complain too loudly it comes across as shrill.  Aren’t we supposed [...]

Suffering

There are lots of sound theological reasons as to why God permits suffering.
But when that question is raised, I encourage people to probe a little to see why it is being asked.  It is usually one of three categories. 
1. If someone asks it for the theological reasons, there are lots of answers (sin, free will, [...]

Church business cards

I encourage people to make business cards with their church information and include their Sunday School class and anything else they consider relevant (email address, home page, etc.). 
I have found these to be very useful when inviting people to church.  There are also helpful when you have visitors at church and you want to invite [...]

Grace and truth

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus is full of grace and truth, and He is perfectly balanced.
We don’t have perfect a perfect balance of grace and truth.  [...]

Which is it?

Whenever tragedies happen (9/11, Virginia Tech, etc.) people often ask, “Where was God?” as if He were asleep at the wheel.  (Oddly, we usually ask that question for our tragedies and not for those endured by others, but that is fodder for another post.)
Yet many people – Christians included – tend to be repulsed by the doctrine [...]

The Divine Transaction

There is a divine transaction that takes place when someone becomes a Christian. By trusting in Jesus the following trade takes place:

 

Your sins and the associated guilt are transferred to Jesus’ account. He willingly took the punishment for these sins on the cross.
Jesus’ righteousness and perfection are imputed or credited to your account.

It is the ultimate good [...]

Throwing the baby Jesus out with the bath water

Sadly, many people have been wounded by the church or Christians.  Some people may use this as a convenient excuse not to believe. 
However, the assertions that Jesus really lived, died and rose again are either true or not.  Whether people were wounded by the church or someone in it is ultimately irrelevant to their eternal [...]

Kenya

This is a letter from Jeri Savuto, a missionary at the Maua Methodist Hospital in Kenya.  We work with Jeri and her husband when our church’s mission team goes there.  This gives you a flavor of some of the cultural challenges the Kenyans face. 
I pray that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will continue to spread [...]