When we speak of the church as a spiritual “force” we mean to borrow from the physical world in hopes of deducing principles and perspective for the modern church[…]some churches, like the boulder, have been sitting around for a long time to the chagrin of their pastors and leaders, yet, if the Spirit can add the velocity needed, that same church could become a powerhouse for the Gospel.
Read MoreThere is something intriguing about the notion that the smallest elements of matter that make up all of life are, possibly, vibrating strings, as it would seem to imply theologically that God is then the great maestro conducting the symphony of the universe – and He cannot end without the music of existence ending too. In short, creation testifies to an active God who did not just “set it and forget it,” but who created, sustains, and holds it altogether by the active power of His will (Heb. 1:1-2:8).
Read MoreQuestion 7: What is God?
Question 6: Is there more than one true God?
My practice is to walk while I pray. While not every time I pray, I often include some singing in my prayer time...The problem for me is one of my vocal cords is paralyzed.
Read MoreThis past Sunday, the congregation where I worship, Calvary Church in Charlotte, NC, started their week-long annual missions conference. For me, this is the highlight of the year in terms of Sunday-morning worship.
Read MoreWhere are all our missionaries? As we come to the end of the second decade of the 2000s, we have zero full-time missionaries from North America serving through Advent Christian General Conference’s Department of International Missions. Zero!
Read MoreFrom Christianity Today: “Dowling Park was a retirement community built around widows and orphans. A century later, it’s a model for intergenerational ministry.”
Read MoreQ2: Who is the one true God?
Read MoreQuestion 1: What is your supreme satisfaction in this age and the age to come?
Answer: To know and be known by God now and forevermore in the new heaven and new earth.
I first want to say, “Thank You.” I know this is not how most book reviews begin, but I must say it.
Read MoreWe’re just through the Christmas season (and our fellow Anglican and Orthodox Christians celebrate a bit longer than the rest of us do). Winter break is over for schools. Most of us are trying to get back to normal and deal with holiday debt. Congregations begin to look ahead to Easter, which comes a bit later on the calendar this year.
Read MoreIn the midst of doing the research for my eventual essay, "Recollecting an Advent Christian Political Theology: A Retrieval of Advent Christian Thought on the Relationship Between Church and State”, I had the good fortune of uncovering a digitized version of I.C. Wellcome’s pamphlet, “Should Christians Fight?”.
Read MoreWhen studying the Advent Christian tradition, one is hard-pressed to find any self-conscious attempts at political theology. In larger treatments found in pamphlets and books, implicit political theologies might emerge in the midst of discourses on world events, the Kingdom of God, and of course pacifism, but there are very few (and by my count no) books consciously dedicated to the subject. In smaller treatments found in various Advent Christian periodicals, one does find some forthright consideration of the relation between the church and politics, but as is the case with most of the books above, it is difficult to measure the influence of these writings. The lone exception when it comes to measuring influence may be I.C. Wellcome’s popularly received pamphlet Should Christians Fight?
Read MoreLast summer, the murder of eleven Jewish people while at worship in a Pittsburgh synagogue stunned so many of us, not just because it represented an assault on religious freedom in the United States, but because it served as an ugly reminder that Antisemitism still lurks in the shadows of American life. In the last ten years, we have seen horrible Antisemitism manifested in Europe and the Middle East, but beginning with Charlottesville and the alt-right “tiki-torch” march through the campus of the University of Virginia in the summer of 2017 we were shocked to see it expressed in such hateful ways in our own country.
Read MoreWhat practical application does the incarnation of Jesus Christ have for your daily living? There is tremendous application but not in terms of some kind of immediate self-help, make your life better and more fulfilling kind of application.
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