Songs Matter: Doctrinal Discernment in Congregational Singing (Part One)
Brothers and Sisters, we are blessed. Since the mid-1970’s, the western, English-speaking church has been blessed by a plethora of new music. From the simple choruses of Integrity’s Hosanna Music in the 1980’s, to the prolific output of Chris Tomlin, to new hymns written by Keith & Kristyn Getty, we are not in short supply of new songs to sing. The number of songs available multiplies exponentially when you factor in the massive impact of Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation Music.
Progressive Christianity: Another Round of Falsehood
It’s been interesting to me to read and watch church history, especially over the last 100 years or so. False teaching and bad theology just make their rounds. One round will blow through, then comes another and another. There’s never anything new; it’s just a reiteration of old, bad stuff.
The Church and the Kingdom
The ecclesia (church) stands as the visible embassy of the basileia (kingdom). The church – the King’s renewed people – doesn’t need to adopt the methods, songs, strategies, or resources of the world, of Caesar. We have a true and better reality, a true and better song, a true and better doctrine, message, and methodology to promote! If Christianity is “just a religion”, this will cause the gospel message to be “substantially neutralized as a force in the world beyond the realm of private spirituality and an escapist heaven
Celebrating Reformation Day
We call it "Reformation Day"–because on that day, 503 years ago, a German monk, pastor, and seminary professor named Martin Luther published 95 complaints against the Catholic Church practice of selling reductions to the penalty of sin (called indulgences). In a sense, Luther had the boldness to share what the Church should and shouldn't be.
Six Reasons Why Christians Must Vote
What then should Christians do, if even prominent, Bible-expositing pastors disagree so sharply? What should our Biblical, Gospel-centered response be to elections, civic involvement, or politics? I believe there are six answers to those questions - Six Reasons Why Christians Must Vote:
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
The church is a building. Perhaps you are envisioning a grand cathedral, a quaint chapel, a location in a strip mall, or a school auditorium. While these are just a few of the many places that the church gathers, this is not the sort of building pictured throughout Scripture. In fact, it is ironic that when you ask most people about the church they attend they usually identify a physical building. Yet we see that Romans 16:5 says