We have a saying in our family: “That makes opposite sense.” It means something is so absurd it goes beyond nonsense and causes sense to be reversed. This happens in church families, too. For example, followers of Jesus have battled—with words and fists—on the very ground where they believe Jesus died and rose again. In […]
Week 48 Character | The Christian’s Hope
The Call to Hope Hope is a biblical concept that should characterize the life of the Christian. I’ve heard people being criticized for depending on some whimsical hope and I’ve listened to sermons that discourage Christians from thinking about their reward. Yet hope is a topic mentioned throughout the Bible. Hope is good. Hope, correctly […]
Week 47 Study | The Church Grows in Greece
Richard Halverson, former US Senate Chaplain, quoted Sam Pascoe, “Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise.” That is a sobering statement to […]
Week 47 Application | Small Talk
Scrolling through “breaking news” on my cell phone the other day, a story caught my eye about a family in California who, while remodeling their bathroom, saw a note written inside the wall from a previous homeowner. The note said in part, “We remodeled this bathroom Summer 1995. If you are reading this, that means […]
Week 47 Mission | What Others Believe: The Non-Religious
America is becoming increasingly post-Christian. Christianity has been in decline and is losing ground as the majority religion. According to the Pew Research Center, only 56 percent of Americans saying they believe in God “as described in the Bible.” A recent Barna report showed that just 38 percent of Americans attend church services weekly. This […]