What would happen if a visitor came who had never been with us? Would they understand what is going on? For instance, from time to time a visitor will get a really strange look on their face when I call on them to read or answer a question Maybe it is because we do not… 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 »
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 »
Worship Lessons From the Worst Singer I Have Yet To Hear (originally To Obey Is To Worship)
Maybe, no certainly, the worst singing I have ever heard during a worship service was by a man named Elbert Jacks. Maybe, no certainly, the most uplifting singing I have ever heard during a worship service was by a man named Elbert Jacks. Brother Jacks was deaf or nearly deaf and it affected his ability… Read More »
Choosing A Congregation
Sometimes you choose to do a series. Sometimes a series chooses you! Following on Choosing A Mate and Choosing Your Friends, today we are discussing what we should look for in a local church. Since this is “drop off day” for Austin Peay students, I thought it would be a good time for all of… Read More »
Truths Taught In Song
In his letter to the church at Colossae, Paul gives the early Christians direction and encouragement for their Christian lives. In chapter three, Paul tells us to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,”-Colossians 3:15. He gives us the following instructions as a way to let that happen: “Let the word of Christ… 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 »