Puritan minister Richard Baxter warned about the emotional toll of carrying unnecessary guilt: “That sorrow, even for sin, may be overmuch. That overmuch sorrow swalloweth one up.”1 In his wonderful old English, Reverend Baxter captured the feelings of people who have not experienced forgiveness. Grief over past sins plunges them into a depth of sorrow. […]
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Easter is Over…Now What?
A tick. What does it mean? It’s a symbol of approval indicating a bold, clear, definitive ‘Yes.’ ‘Spot on!’ ‘That’s right.’ ‘That’s good.’ It carries the authority of the one doing the ticking. They have declared that something is right or complete. Have you ever thought of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as God’s tick? […]
Read MoreA Good Man or the God-Man? The Case for the Deity of Jesus
“Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27) Jesus asked this question two thousand years ago, and the answers are still coming in: a rabbi who preached compassion, a brilliant leader who touched the hearts of thousands, a misunderstood innovator who died as a martyr. His enemies said He was a devil, a rabble-rouser […]
Read MoreDid Constantine Declare Jesus to Be “God” in AD 325?
The Da Vinci Code is not alone in claiming that in the fourth century, the Emperor Constantine changed Christianity to further his political agenda. Historians or false teachers who deny Christ’s deity sometimes suggest this event as a possibility. The truth is, Christians regarded Jesus as both God and man from the very beginning. In […]
Read MoreDid a Unified Church Develop from Diversity and Conflict?
Some modern historians and theologians propose that the early church was characterized by “radical diversity.” They argue that we cannot legitimately speak of a unified “Christianity” during that time, but rather, that the early church consisted of competing “Christianities.” Having denied the reality of the resurrection, these scholars are faced with explaining how Christianity developed […]
Read MoreTen Essential Characteristics of a Healing Church
Have you ever walked through your house at night in the dark and jammed your pinkie toe into the side of the sofa? That little toe, the one you never think about, is suddenly your primary focus as you jump up and down because it’s screaming in pain—and your whole body feels it. Amazing—one small […]
Read MoreBe Careful This Christmas
Dr. Seuss wasn’t thinking of me when he wrote How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Charles Dickens would not have asked me to play Scrooge in his story. In spite of what you may read later . . . remember that! I’m not anti-Christmas, nor do I brandish the overused bumper sticker, “Put Christ Back into […]
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