Seems whenever a holiday rolls around with a Christian theme (Easter, Christmas) some conversation will take place about the historical ties of that holiday to some pagan celebration. I personally don’t see what difference all of that makes to us today. Much of the historical trivia is...
Spiritual warfare. Few topics have spawned as many whacky and speculative ideas as this one. Naturally the idea draws interest and fuels the Stan Lee imagination in us all. But when I read the books and articles I am left wondering how much is real, and how much is just...
It nearly drove him mad. As a monk, Martin Luther agonized over the state of his soul. A particular strand of late Medieval theology had taught him that his relationship to God depended on him “doing his best.” The gospel that Luther was taught depended on him, not God. One of...
Paul wrote that the transformed mind helps the believer know what the will of the Lord is (Rom. 12:2). Jesus taught that only those who “do the will of my Father” will enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 7:21). Both Jesus and Paul spoke of discerning God’s will as a basic axiom of...
Russell Moore recently posted a good article on the Gospel Coalition website (read it here). The article talks about the dysfunction of being drawn to controversy, as we use say, “just for controversy’s sake.” While it is certainly true that many controversies are unavoidable...
In photo: Louisiana Baptist Missions and Ministry Team Leader John Hebert (left, hat), Celebration Church Lead Pastor Dennis Watson (center, black shirt), Louisiana Baptist Convention President David Cranford (right, hat) and others were briefed about feeding operations by North...
In 2020, 4.3 billion people lived in cities – that’s 56% of the global population. By 2050, it is estimated more than two billion people will be added to that number. The cruel reality is that 86,765 city dwellers die every day without a relationship with Christ. These city...
“For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.” As Bill and I were talking in his kitchen it occurred to me that I had known him since the 1970s. We...
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (BP) – With the current migrant crisis along the U.S.-Mexico border worsening by the day, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) churches and disaster relief volunteers are sharing the love of Christ by ministering to the displaced. Politics and views on...
I think the word “revelation” in Paul’s phase “a spirit of wisdom and revelation” trips us up. If I just say that he prayed God would give the churches a “spirit of wisdom” we understand it easier. As I mentioned on Sunday, the idea of...