A Biblical Understanding of Music
God created all things for His glory and pleasure (Rev. 4:11). This includes music. It is a gift from God to humanity as a good and perfect gift (Gen. 1:31; Job 35:10). God intends mankind to enjoy and use the blessings of music for His praise in both public and personal worship (Ps. 96:1-2). God…
What A Fellowship
The Greek term we translate “fellowship” in English has a connotation different from what English speakers think of when we mention the term. We think of comradeship or companionship, and the pleasure those relations evoke. The Oxford English Dictionary gives us this idea here: Companionship, company, friendly association (frequently of or with a specified person or persons); an instance…
A Brief Biography of Timothy
Raised in Lystra (Acts 16:1–5), “from childhood” Timothy had “been acquainted with the sacred writings” (2 Tim 3:15), thanks to his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice who had “a faith that dwelt first” in them (2 Tim 1:5). Eunice was “a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek” (Acts…
Fearing God When Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
Our church recently finished a series through Deuteronomy 5-11. One thing that is hard to miss when studying this section is the importance of fearing God. In fact, fear of God and love of God are frequently put forward as dual motivations for obedience to God. Moses alternates between the two often, with the word…
Learn to Pray like George Müller
The name George Müller is familiar to most Christians who have attended church for many years and have listened to hundreds of sermons in their lifetime. A German by birth, George Müller founded and operated an orphanage in Bristol, England in the 19th century. He kept a meticulous journal detailing his life and ministry. Buried…
The Origins, Division, and Authority of the Four Cs of Doctrinal History
In the development of Christian doctrine throughout history, we see a fascinating progression of how biblical truths have been articulated, defended, and preserved through various documents and councils. This progression doesn’t represent a change in doctrine itself but rather demonstrates how believers have carefully formulated and expressed doctrinal truth in response to challenges and theological…
Interesting Headlines From Around the World
In The News
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Moving to Canada – Christianity Today
A prominent but troubled evangelical seminary has agreed to be acquired by a Canadian university and move to British Columbia, the school’s leaders announced Tuesday. The move comes after years of financial struggle and declining attendance at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School—known as TEDS—an Evangelical Free Church school whose alums have played an outsized role in…
Rift Grows In SBC Over Support For Leftist Immigration Policy
Over the past decade, a growing divide has emerged within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), as denominational leaders have increasingly framed left-leaning border policies as a Christian imperative. Source: Rift Grows In SBC Over Support For Leftist Immigration Policy Photo by Barbara Zandoval on Unsplash
Muslim vigilantes colluding with authorities to entrap Christians | World
Muslim vigilante groups are working with federal authorities to lure young people into sharing blasphemous content on social media in order to put them behind bars, according to an investigation by Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR). A steep increase in blasphemy cases this year, many of them filed against Christians and other religious…
Opinion Pieces
Kids From Strong Families Less Likely to Fall in Love with Robots – Breakpoint
The complications of creating artificially intelligent robots for service, companionship, or sex has been the plot of movies and TV shows for decades, from Terminator to Bicentennial Man to A.I. to Westworld. While some of these entertainment properties portrayed the human-AI relationships as potentially good, others warned of the inevitable, unforeseen dangers. All assumed that…
Christian conservatism and realism vs. Christian nationalism | Opinion
Nearly all self-identified Christian nationalists are Calvinists, typically Presbyterian like Wolfe, but often theologically Reformed Baptists. The latter can be confusing because traditional Baptists are most associated with religious liberty. Source: Christian conservatism and realism vs. Christian nationalism | Opinion
Should a Christian Skip Voting on November 5? | RealClearReligion
While the Bible does not speak directly to the issue of voting because elections didn’t exist in Bible times, a relevant passage that presents a principle to guide our contemporary context is 1 Timothy 2:1-2. When Paul gave Timothy instructions concerning how to lead the church, his first instruction was to urge church members to…
Home & Family
On Parenting: Are You Bribing Your Way Through?
Not long ago, I was sitting in an airport when a family of four appeared. The little boy, who seemed about five, was having a meltdown I’d heard many times before. His mother was doing all she could to calm him down, but nothing worked. In just a few minutes, I witnessed a parade of…
Can a fighting spirit help conquer cancer? The limits of positivity for cancer patients | National Post
The idea that cancer progression or disease survival can be influenced by a positive attitude or by keeping up a “fighting spirit” isn’t grounded in scientific evidence, he and other doctors said. Anecdotally, however, “you’ll hear from people, ‘I beat this because I was positive, I had the right thinking, the right attitude,’” Isenberg-Grzeda said.…
The false promise of keeping a loved one ‘alive’ with A.I. grief bots | America Magazine
With the creation of A.I., anthropomorphized chatbots are one critical example of how the rapidly advancing technology is testing the limits of the human condition. Source: The false promise of keeping a loved one ‘alive’ with A.I. grief bots | America Magazine