Six Negative Consequences of Church Members Having an Entitlement Mentality
The opposite of a healthy church member is an entitled church member.
The entitled church member sees the church as an organization that doles out perks and benefits somewhat like a country club. The church, therefore, exists for the members rather than the members serving sacrificially as the body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12). What are some of the negative consequences of this entitlement mentality? ... Continue Reading
Dementia: A Biblical Approach for Care
The biblical approach recognizes that people with dementia and their loved ones need counseling based on biblical truth.
In brief, dementia is a cognitive disorder. The affected person’s thinking ability gradually deteriorates. It interferes with judgment and memory and also can create confusion, fear, and irritation. There are several types of dementia. The best known is Alzheimer’s, which was experienced by former president, Ronald Reagan. When you hear the word dementia, what... Continue Reading
Is the Church Full of Hypocrites?
For a Christian simply to demonstrate that he is a sinner does not convict him of hypocrisy.
A hypocrite is someone who does things he claims he does not do. Outside observers of the Christian church see people who profess to be Christians and observe that they sin. Since they see sin in the lives of Christians, they rush to the judgment that therefore these people are hypocrites. If a person claims... Continue Reading
5 Marks of a Stinky Sermon
To help you avoid preparing and preaching stinky sermons, I have provided a short list of common marks of a stinky sermon.
Walk into each sermon with the assumption that God has already written the sermon for you, and you merely need to follow the text. A text-driven sermon will eventually take both the preacher and the congregation to the foot of the cross, or else it is merely empty speech. No preacher should expect to... Continue Reading
What Else Do You Have On In The Week?
Sometimes they’re asking: How can I be involved? Often they’re asking: How can I belong?
If someone’s life is already full of unwitting cultural liturgical practices, then why would our default be to offer a pick-and-mix set of other liturgical practices to slot into the increasingly narrow timeframes? That’s a recipe for frustration and busy-ness for churches. That is the #1 question newcomers ask when wondering if they should... Continue Reading
ELCA Hits Bottom
There is no going back to Christian orthodoxy once churches have become liberal Protestant; the forces unleashed in those first steps to heterodoxy will be pressed onward toThere is a slippery slope: There is no going back to Christian orthodoxy once churches have become liberal; forces unleashed in those first steps to heterodoxy will be pressed to unforeseen extremities. unforeseen extremities.
After watching these recent proofs that the ELCA is pretty much both “in the world” and “of the world,” however, I want to write this as a warning. First, to those orthodox souls who remain in “evolving” churches. They belong to and support churches that increasingly depart from right teaching. Indeed, those churches suppress it.... Continue Reading
The Nashville Statement Confronts Heresy, and That’s Why we Needed It
Today Christianity is facing a conflict with the zeitgeist over sexual morality, and there are no shortage of attempts to “reconcile” the faith with a revolution in sexual mores that is inherently incompatible with the faith once for all delivered to the saints.
McGrath reveals what is an ironic truth about heresy. It is often propagated by those who appear to have good motives. It is advanced by those who think they are doing the Lord’s work by reconciling the Christian faith with some perceived conflict with the age. The problem with such efforts at reconciliation is that they can... Continue Reading
The Slow Killing of Congregational Singing
Evidence suggests that most worship teams are performers, and the needs of the congregation they are meant to be ministering to are forgotten.
A few years ago I wrote an article entitled, ‘The Slow Death of Congregational Singing’ (The Briefing, April 2nd, 2008). I now believe my title was too generous. In fact, what we are witnessing in our churches is ‘The Slow Killing of Congregational Singing’. I’ve just returned from another National Christian conference. Never have so many people complained to... Continue Reading
China Bans Zion, Beijing’s Biggest House Church
Shut down after Sunday services, influential congregation had refused orders to install government surveillance cameras.
Zion had received a letter from city authorities in April, asking the church to install 24 closed-circuit video cameras in the building for “security reasons,” Reuters previously reported. “The church decided this was not appropriate,” Jin told the agency. “… Our services are a sacred time.” After services on Sunday, officials delivered on their... Continue Reading
Nationwide and Arkansas Class Certified in Gospel for Asia RICO Case
A major development in the RICO lawsuit filed against Gospel for Asia.
In a major development in the RICO lawsuit filed against Gospel for Asia in the Western District of Arkansas, Judge Timothy Brooks certified a nationwide class of people eligible to pursue a RICO claim against Gospel for Asia. He also certified a subclass of Arkansas donors. The judge gave GFA until October 10, 2018 to... Continue Reading
