I have been following the posts and video debate of my fellow Advent Christians Catherine Rybicki, Luke Copeland and Robert Mayer concerning egalitarianism and complementarianism. By now I am sure all those who are regulars at Advent Christian Voices have no need for these terms to be defined or explained. Of these two positions I do believe that the complementarian one is the harder of the two to hold.
Read MoreYou know that feeling when you see someone else doing something you really don’t like and you say to yourself, “I’d never be caught dead doing that!” only to find yourself a day or a week or a month later doing the very same thing?
Read MoreJefferson Vann describes his Summer vacation of 2021, and notes some refreshing and encouraging conversations he had with Dr. John Roller while they dined together at Lakeside Advent Christian Campground.
Read MoreWhat is the Judeo/Christian hope? Jeff Vann, David Davis, and Penny Vann explain why “Resurrection” is the answer.
Read MoreSome time ago an article was brought to my attention that charges modern Bible translation with changing the meaning of the original text of the Bible. These questions, of course, come up from time to time. There are often those, from inside and outside of the church, who question translation accuracy in order to support a particular agenda. The problem for many Christians is that we generally do not know the original languages. So when one of these challenges arises, it can cause us to question not only the teaching of our own church, but the very teaching of the Bible itself. And so, I have written this article to reassure you that yes, our modern Bible translations are accurate to the original languages.
Read MoreTime-traveling really captures my imagination. I would really love to go back in time. Theoretically, a time-travel machine could also take me into the future, but that interests me less. Am I alone in feeling this way? It is a sentiment that has made me ponder…
Read MoreThe writer Dorothy Sayers authored a short book in the first half of the 20th century with a simple question as the title. Are Women Human? You would think that the answer is simple and clear, but Sayers had noticed all of the overt and covert messages in church and society that appeared to scream out, “No, they are not!” She lived in a society where patriarchy was still the order of the day.
Read MoreIf at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned . . . or like a fellow complementarian disappointed in the length and quality of your arguments.
Read MoreIn roughly two weeks, Catherine Rybicki and I will have a public dialogue on the complementarianism vs. egalitarianism controversy. It will be livestreamed on the Advent Christian Voices Facebook page as a special episode of Bible & Banter before the end of July. Below is my presentation of the positive Biblical case for complementarianism, specifically in regards to positions of spiritual authority in the Church.
Read MoreA Case for Biblical Egalitarianism: Part Two
Read MoreEgalitarianism. Otherwise known as - being in support of women in ministry and women holding positions of spiritual authority.
Read MoreIn “Daniel’s BAR ENASH in the New Testament” Jefferson Vann explains how the vision recorded in Daniel 7:13-14 is alluded to over 80 times in the New Testament.
Read MoreIn Matthew 12, Mark 2, and Luke 6, we have an event recorded of Jesus’ disciples rubbing wheat grains in their hands and eating them. The Pharisees who were with them at the time accused them of performing work on the sabbath, as it seems was their custom. In response, Jesus recounts the time in David’s life when he and his men were fleeing from king Saul and came to the high priest who gave them the bread of the presence and you can read the rest if you so desire, but the focus of this article is what some skeptics take to be a contradiction regarding the high priest in particular…
Read MoreIt was legendary. When I think about dramatic conversions, the story of Saul of Tarsus tops the list. No one expected it or saw it coming. Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus radically changed his life. A primary persecutor of Christians becomes “The Way's” most proficient proclaimer! I've always thought it would be amazing to have a conversion story like that. (I often forget how everyone who turns towards Christ is an incredible, miraculous conversion.) But the more I think about it; I'm not sure if I would want that to happen to me - and how often I fight it when it does.
Read MoreThe more I consider the political and cultural landscape of our country the more concerned I become that many professing Christians are confusing the fight for moral or traditional values with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read MoreI believe that questions are important. Incredibly important.
I’ve said it before – I am a question asker. I like questions. I like to ask questions. I like being asked questions. I like thinking about questions that come up in my mind throughout the day. I like contemplating the hard questions in life.
Perhaps the reason I love questions is because I love research. And questions are certainly the foundation of research.
But, I like questions primarily because they are relational in so many ways.
For Christians in particular, questions can sometimes be or provide an open door for us to share the love of Christ in unique ways.
Read MoreThere’s an ideology sweeping our society that is a major obstacle to the gospel and to the witness of Christ’s bride. It has infiltrated how we educate our children and poses a significant issue for people of faith. If we don’t present a united front against it, it has the potential to damage our nation in ways that will affect generations to come. We’ve already been experiencing its effect. You might have heard of it, it’s known as CRT.
Read MoreSome people have American flag pajamas. You know it’s true. Red, white, and blue attire knows no bounds. When you see such garb, do you think it’s a bit much? Maybe too patriotic? Perhaps you do; that tends to be my opinion.
Read MoreIt is the month of June! And in our day and age, that means that the corporations and politicians of our culture are promoting what has been dubbed “pride month.” I was debating whether to write on this topic, given the sensitive nature of it, but after seeing not just the culture generally going extra hard for pride month this year, but professing Christians also cudgeling the church into submission with the cultural norms of the day, I felt it necessary to address what I believe to be key notions believed by pro-gay Christians, helping biblical Christians to handle this behavior biblically.
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