In a world with private space travel, all the knowledge of civilization at our fingertips, electric cars, non-electric trucks, and pizzas that have fried chicken for dough; why do we seem so stuck in the past as a church. Well, because the true church of Christ is stuck in that same past. You may have… Read More »
The Importance Of A Word (Part II)
Last week we introduced you to the idea of “textual criticism.” The phrase refers to the scientific reconstruction of works of literature primarily from the ancient world. None of the original writings of Homer, Tacitus, or Plato exist. In fact, the earliest, known copy of Plato’s Dialogues is 1,200-years removed from time of its writing. … Read More »
Welcome To Our Christmas Eve, 10:AM Mass
For those of you who are members here at North Second Street, this may seem to be a misleading title for a bulletin article. If the majority of your life has been spent among churches of Christ, and you are visiting with us, you may be concerned as to whether you are at the right… Read More »
Celebrating The Truth About Jesus (During a season of myth)
When Christ came into the world, the world did not love him. Jesus was mocked by family members, beaten and abused by the religious leaders of his day, and crucified by a government given the charge to, “punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”-I Peter 2:14. Jesus certainly was, “persecuted… Read More »
Why Don’t You Call Your Preacher “Pastor?” (Reverend, Father, or Bishop)
Because no one man can be “the Pastor.” If only my sermons could be as short as that answer! But alas there is usually more to my sermons and there is definitely more to answering this question. At North Second Street, we strive to, “Call Bible things by Bible names and do Bible things in… Read More »
CENI: Communication or Interpretation
Every six months or so, it seems there is an attack on “CENI.” Opponents decry this “intellectual relic from an earlier time.” We are told we need a “new hermeneutic” or a “Jesus-centered approach” to face the issues of the 21st century. Just this month, the Christian magazine Pressing On published a special edition entitled,… Read More »
An Acapella Tradition
I was reading a book on church history recently and I came across a phrase I had not heard before. The writer was differentiating between practices of congregations known as Christian churches and churches of Christ and he used the phrase “acapella tradition” to describe churches of Christ. At the time, I didn’t think much… Read More »
The Power of the Word of God
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”-Hebrews 4:12 It always strikes me as odd when a visitor to our congregation will mention they liked our… Read More »
A Sword Or A Shield?
Thanks to the wonders of autoplay, I found myself listening to a podcast with which I was unfamiliar. The algorithm at least understood I like to listen to things with the words “church” and “Christ” in the title. When the host announced the title of the show as, “Why You Can Trust Your Bible?” I… Read More »
Why Does It Matter To Be Right?
A young man visited with us recently who told me he found us on a webpage, data base which lists non-institutional churches of Christ. According to his research there were two “sound” congregations in Clarksville and he assembled with us because North Second Street was one of those two. I was encouraged to hear a… Read More »