This is an interesting time. I grew up in a Fundamentalist church. Without going into a lot of historical detail, Fundamentalists were Bible believing evangelicals who were almost militant in their commitment to fight against a corrupt culture. They were driven to identify the evils of their...
I grew up an independent Baptist. Among the many things that this might mean is that my church experience was never “high church.” There was little in the way of tradition, formality, and certainly no liturgy. I used to joke and say that our only “high church” experience...
Thinking about church in changing times. A lot has been said in recent years about the changing spiritual culture in the US and what it means to church life. I am not in a position to add much to the massive amount of writing that has accumulated on the subject, other than to offer my own...
There are a number of ways to distinguish contemporary American culture. One can do so economically or in terms of its entertainment focus. It is certainly possible to discuss our culture from a political perspective, or even from the point of view of current trends in American philosophy. But...
You’ve heard the phrase before, because it seems to capture well how much of journalism works: “if it bleeds, it leads.” The fact is, bleeding things tend to be pretty newsworthy. Potholes in the streets and traffic violations are hardly enough to capture the attention of the...
A number of the words you may hear in church are unique to the Christian world. Words like “baptize” and “evangelize.” These words are used almost exclusively when speaking about Christianity or in a church context. Another such word is “psalm.” In the Old...
Since we were not able to meet together on Sunday, we are providing a simple note page from the passage Pastors Gary and Ben shared on Sunday (Nov. 15th): Philippians 4:8-9. Just click HERE for the notes.
“Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.” (Phil. 3:17) Is there a difference between personal heroes and mentors? I think of a hero as someone I admire, but I could never be like. I find...
It seems to me that the sky is falling every four years. Every time we have an election I hear that someone is going to move to Canada if their candidate of choice does not win. Every election things are much worse than they were before and the stakes are higher than they ever have been. It is a...
Is there any part of the American experience that does not involve competitive marketing? The American consumer is daily barraged with product claims and comparisons, with advertisements extolling the superior virtues of one soap over another. We are targeted as a potential jury to judge between...