Tag Archives: spiritual authority

Divine Prosperity: Heresy or What? #1:
Eden & The Hebrew Patriarchs

By | 9 Apr 2016
1 Comment
cash in wallet

One of the most controversial doctrines which has been ever taught over the last 4 decades or so is that of divine prosperity, the concept being defined as it is not God’s will for Christian believers to live in poverty, but to actually have more financial resources than barely-enough-to-survive. I’d estimate that it’s the 3rd most controversial doctrine… Read More »

By His Stripes We’re Healed #7:
Divine Euthanasia?

By | 24 Apr 2015
3 Comments
worshipping man standing next to empty wheelchair

There is a term I learned from a former pastor who used it whenever he was discussing phrases or statements made by well-meaning, but biblically ignorant church folk when challenged to believe something from the Word of God that is beyond their current level of faith. The term is “Religious Escape Clause.” The most prevalent example of such… Read More »

Calvinism vs. Arminianism

By | 7 Jul 2014
2 Comments
Jacobus Arminius and John Calvin image

Historically, one of the most destructive and divisive controversies within Protestantism has been between the followers of reformer John Calvin, a French theologian who lived from 1509-1564, and the adherents of Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived from 1560-1609. The name-calling and propagandizing against one another by these two groups has been damaging our unity of the… Read More »

Ask & You Shall Receive #12:
The Beauty of Worship

By | 9 Mar 2014
2 Comments
worship faves title image

In a previous article entitled Know Your Weapons, I mentioned how God has used various animals to teach me things on more than one occasion. In this article, we’re gonna dig into another one of them. I ask you to bear with me as I give you a bit of personal information, because it’s important to the point… Read More »

Ask & You Shall Receive #11:
The Whole Armor of God

By | 12 Jan 2014
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I cannot even begin to count the number of sermons, books, and other teachings I’ve encountered on this topic over the last 40 years. As I was listening to my wife quote the latest iteration from a best-selling Christian author’s book, it suddenly hit me that in every instance I can remember, the authors — while excellent teachers… Read More »

Ask & You Shall Receive #10:
Thanksgiving in Prayer

By | 25 Dec 2013
2 Comments
praying hands on Bible

One concept linked to prayer in the New Testament on multiple occasions is the giving of thanks to God. Earlier in this series, I cited a pair of Scripture verses concerning prayer which also mention thanksgiving and I want to reiterate them for this article: Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it Colossians 4:2 Rejoice always, pray… Read More »

Virgin Birth?

By | 20 Dec 2013
1 Comment

Merry Christmas! As we navigate the hoopla inherent to the season when we celebrate Jesus’ incarnation as God-in-Sandals, the Pew Research Center took a poll of Americans concerning Christmas. One of the questions asked was, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ was born to a virgin, or don’t you believe this?” 73% of those responding responded affirmatively, 19%… Read More »

Ask & You Shall Receive #9:
Unpacking the Lord’s Prayer

By | 4 Nov 2013
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praying hands on Bible

Committed Christ-followers and pew-warming pietists alike have been reciting the Lord’s Prayer for literally over 2,000 years. Anyone who has hung around any church or organization calling itself “Christian” for even a few minutes has at least heard it and many have it memorized. Tragically, over those 2 millennia, the Lord’s Prayer has become, for many church-goers, a… Read More »