Bible, theology, culture, etc.
https://youtu.be/WG7Lic7kTns Ireland for a long time was the most thoroughly Christianized nations in Europe, retaining a much higher percentage of practicing Christians than any other European country. The authority of the Catholic church in particular was staggering, so much so that many assumed that to be Irish was to be Catholic. Yet, today, Ireland is … Continue reading Ought You Not Rather to Mourn? (1 Cor 5:1-8)
https://youtu.be/cOwqXuUyL8U What is the difference between “forced” religion, and true faith? I have found no better summary than the writing of Henry Scougal’s The Life of God in the Soul of Man: “Force and artificial religion,” he writes, “is commonly heavy and languid, like the motion of a weight forced upward: it is cold and spiritless, like … Continue reading You Are God’s Temple (1 Cor 3:1-17)
https://youtu.be/ghpcBXlH3uk And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and … Continue reading A Demonstration of the Spirit (1 Cor 2)
https://youtu.be/XFnrysxgr0w Mrs. Turpin, the main character in Flannery O’Connor’s 1964 short story Revelation, may be the most well-written, modern-day Pharisee in all of literature. Mrs. Turpin is a rural, Southern, church-going, landowner who owns a large farm, and believes that God has given her a little bit of everything and the good sense to know … Continue reading God Chose the Foolish (1 Cor 1:26-31)
https://youtu.be/TAxe6fuaprc It’s third grade in Mrs. Baker’s class at Sunset View Elementary. Recess has just begun and you are being lined up by the biggest kids in class to play a game of kickball. Each team captain begins to pick who they want on their team. It’s seventh grade in your third-hour English class. Mrs. Williamson … Continue reading The Folly of the Cross (1 Cor 1:18-25)
https://youtu.be/57IJ-KQBChA What can a church divide over? A church can divide over big issues, or petty things; theological issues, or parenting philosophies. It can look like a few individuals in the church starting rumors, or it can look like a vocal majority voicing disagreement. And the splits aren’t always formal—in fact, most of the time, … Continue reading Is Christ Divided? (1 Cor 1:10-17)
How should a pastor respond to false teaching in his church? With no shortage of heresy, the pages of church history have shown a myriad of examples of how the church has responded to false teachers in the past. From excommunication to execution, Christendom has always, though often imperfectly, fought to defend the faith once … Continue reading “Rebuke Them Sharply”: Critical Rebukes, Gentleness, and Tone in the Pastoral Epistles
Here is the idea: if you have the ability, you should build/buy/rent a home with a spare bedroom(s) with the explicit purpose of using it for the Kingdom. There are many ways we can use our house for the Kingdom. You can have people over for meals, host a small group, use it to bless your own … Continue reading Use Your Big House to the Glory of God
In the most popular chapter in Augustine’s Confessions (VIII), Augustine relays what led him to his conversion. But before his hallowed moment under the fig tree, Augustine met with the local bishop, Simplicianus, to talk through his spiritual angst. As Augustine asked questions, the older bishop shared the story of how the celebrity intellectual, Victorinus—whom Augustine had … Continue reading Do Walls Make Christians?
Lead us, Evolution, lead usUp the future's endless stair;Chop us, change us, prod us, weed us.For stagnation is despair:Groping, guessing, yet progressing,Lead us nobody knows where.Wrong or justice, joy or sorrow,In the present what are theywhile there's always jam-tomorrow,While we tread the onward way?Never knowing where we're going,We can never go astray.To whatever variationOur posterity … Continue reading Lead Us, Evolution, Lead Us!
Marc Sims 