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Following Jesus in a World That Hates Him

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by Bart Denny Central Text: John 15:18-25 We've come to part five of our series, The Upper Room Way , where we've been listening in on Jesus' parting words to His original disciples, and seeking to understand how they call us to counter-cultural living today. We all understand visible allegiance Sometimes it is a wedding ring. Sometimes it is a team jersey. Sometimes it is a company badge, a logo on a hat, a sign in the yard, or a bumper sticker on the back of a vehicle. Those things communicate something before you ever open your mouth. People see them and immediately make an assumption: You belong over there. You are with them. That is your side. Most of the time, that kind of allegiance doesn't cost you much. But some allegiances get expensive. Some loyalties change the room. Raise the temperature.  Some loyalties make people pull back.  Some loyalties make you stand out. That's where many Christians feel the tension. It's one thing to be associ...
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Did the Early Church Fathers Believe in a Pretribulational Rapture?

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by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D., Th.M. I wrote this article years ago, and while I still see value in some of the arguments presented, my view has become more settled with time. Let me say it plainly: No, the early church fathers did not believe in a pretribulation rapture —at least not in the way John Nelson Darby and modern dispensationalists since the 1800s have taught it. They didn’t believe in it for one very good reason: the Bible didn’t teach it that way , and they were far closer—both chronologically and culturally—to the apostles than we are. But what did they believe? Let’s explore. Reading the Fathers with a Clear Eye Some scholars and popular writers have tried to find early traces of the pretribulation rapture among the church fathers. The argument often goes like this: If these early Christians believed in the imminent return of Christ and held to a millennial reign, then maybe—just maybe—they also believed in a secret rapture of the church before a Great Tribulation. Sounds in...
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