Before we get started, it strikes me, “This is two separate questions.” Why is a church of Christ different from a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, or any of the non-denominational, community churches? Why are their churches of Christ that differ from each other and why? We will spend our time on question number two because a… Read More »
Command, Example, and Inference: A Case Study 3/3
Welcome to our third and final article dedicated to understanding and applying Command, Example, and Inference (CENI) in a quest to better understand the Bible. CENI is not a hermeneutic in the scholarly sense. It is better to think of the historical-grammatical method (HGM) as the dominant process for understanding the Scriptures within churches of… Read More »
Command, Example, and Inference: A Case Study 2/3
Welcome to part two of a three-part series on Command, Example, and Inference. The first lesson of our study focused on the Enlightenment. This intellectual movement in Europe believed truth could be known by an application of observation, the scientific method and common sense. The United States government is a product of Enlightenment thought applied… Read More »
Command, Example, and Inference: A Case Study 1/3
This week’s Bible class centered around personal convictions about the faith, work, and practice of the Lord’s church. I was a little unsettled with the response or lack thereof to questions about baptism, congregational singing, and weekly observance of the Lord’s supper. It was a startling red light for me. It suggests the preacher at… Read More »
If Not At Baptism; When?
The religious world teaches many confusing things about baptism. Who is the proper subject to be baptized (infants or repentant believers)? What is the Scriptural mode of baptism (sprinkling, pouring, or immersion)? But the doctrine most discussed in our part of the world has to do with the “when” of baptism. When does someone become… Read More »
Stealing Lawnmowers And God’s Church
What would you think of me if I stole my neighbor’s lawn mower and said, “I don’t think he cares.”? Would you think I had lost my mind if I then said, “You can’t show me where it is against the law.”? No sane person would say such a thing. You would think, “Obviously that… Read More »
Don’t Leave God Out Of Baptism
In discussions with our religious neighbors, no subject comes up more than the issue of baptism. When is a person saved; at the moment of faith or when a believer submits to baptism? Does baptism save? What about faith alone? Where is God in this kind of deliberation?. Let me say clearly. I believe a… Read More »
Elders: Thoughts From 13-Years Ago
[Editor’s note: This article is from February 2012. It shows this church’s commitment to being scripturally organized.-JS] What would you do if you had to leave your children and go on a long journey? And I mean a long journey, like 20 to 30 years. If you had to provide for protection and nurturing of… Read More »
Truth Matters
I have always been impressed with this quote from author, apologist, and thinker C.S. Lewis, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” It reminds me that talking about spiritual things is not about winning an argument or convincing someone to… Read More »
Why Not Add Or Take Away?
If you are a member of a church of Christ or even if you have just visited a worship service or two over the years, you have probably heard the guiding phrases: Do not add to or take away from the Bible; Speak where the Scriptures speak and be silent where the Scriptures are silent;… Read More »
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