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Showing posts from January, 2023

A modern disciple's doubts

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  The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them.   17  When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. (Matthew 28:16-17) I try to be faithful to the Scriptures when I write or preach. I aim to draw out the lessons I can and apply them to today’s daily walk of faith without saying more than the biblical witness. I want to get everything I can from the diligent study of the Bible and share that with others without putting words in God’s mouth. I can’t help but wonder, though; I don’t recall that I’ve heard anyone focus—I mean really focus—on that doubt. That’s what I hope to do in this essay, and I hope what follows does not stretch the biblical sense far beyond what Matthew ever intended. “But some doubted.” The disciples were moved to worship in the presence of the risen Christ. Yet, even in this profound moment, some still wrestled with doubt.  We hear it said that “seeing is believing.” Yet even as the disciples saw Jesus on th
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10 Critical Barriers to Church Revitalization

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 Below are ten critical barriers to church revitalization, with a generalized remedy for overcoming them. I would add that the primary cause of all these problems is a lack of Gospel focus. The path forward includes a prayer-filled, repentant, and singular focus on putting Christ and His Great Commission and Great Commandment front and center in the church’s life. 1.       Resistance to change : Many congregants may resist change, particularly if they have long-standing traditions or practices they are unwilling to let go of. The path to overcoming this resistance involves communicating the need for change and involving congregants in the process as much as possible. Further, the church—as a body—must learn to be flexible and open to new ideas and be prepared to adapt to changing circumstances. 2.       Lack of vision and leadership: Without a clear vision and strong leadership, it can be challenging to bring about change and revitalization in a congregation. The church must devel
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The Overturn of Roe v. Wade: A Lost Opportunity?

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 Evangelicals, and the Republican politicians we support, have squandered a once-in-a-generation opportunity posed by the overturn of Roe v. Wade . First, let me lay my cards on the table. After all, this is my blog and my opinion. I believe that abortion is nothing short of murder—the murder of people who are the most voiceless and, perhaps, the most marginalized of our society. I will set aside the politics of how we came to have a Supreme Court that was brave enough to take on the “settled” matter of abortion in the Roe v. Wade precedent. The machinations behind Donald Trump’s nominees (especially in the matter of the death of Justice Scalia during the waning days of the Obama Administration) is undoubtedly a matter worthy of discussion, but one I will save for those more into partisanship than I am. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022), the Supreme Court recognized that, contrary to the badly-decided 1973 Roe decision, the U.S. Constitution nowhere guarantees a
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