- Why Aren’t Christians Nicer? - We are works in progress. Jesus didn’t come for those who don’t need help. One of the arguments I’ve heard against Christianity is, “If Christianity is true, then how come so many people who aren’t Christians are nicer than those who are?” I can answer that question because I happen to be one of those … Continue reading
- Tradition, Fads and Silver Bullets - Why programs seldom produce expected results, and what to do about it. Everybody knows what happens in a church service. Right? In fact, with only minor variations, the “order of service” is remarkably similar across denominations. And, most congregations hardly vary anything year in and year out. Drop a total stranger into just about any … Continue reading
- Leadership Training (Part 2) - An overview of training methodologies. Re-stating the Problem In part one of this series I talked about the shortage of leadership the church faces. For over 100 years, churches have looked to the Bible colleges and seminaries to train and provide their leaders. However, in spite of all the effort and money lavished on our … Continue reading
- Turfed Out! - Dealing with rejection. They asked me to resign. I’ve been thrown out of the eldership by the very people whom I helped ordain. And it hurts. It hurts really bad. “What is the kerfuffle all about?”, you ask. “Why did they toss you out?” Sorry, but I’m not one to air the church’s dirty laundry … Continue reading
- Missionary Failure - Let it be clearly understood that I have nothing against missionaries. I was raised on the mission field and have served as a missionary, myself. Over the years I’ve met quite a few other missionaries, visited their works and read plenty of mission newsletters. I’ve also read a fair number of mission books, not only … Continue reading
- Stuck In A Rut - As I listened to speaker after speaker my sense of frustration and defeat grew. Oh, I appreciated their enthusiasm. I was impressed by their courage. Several had never spoken in public before. Others had to make their presentation in a language which was not their mother tongue. One man was almost illiterate. Yes, I admired … Continue reading
- The Word In Time - How God communicates with us / Christ as the image of God In another of these essays I used the metaphor of a computer game to illustrate the point that, if God exists, we cannot infer, with certainty, anything about either the beginning of the universe or its end by observing current conditions. Just as … Continue reading
- Already Gone - Some thoughts sparked by the book by Ken Ham & Britt Beamer I. The Observable Trend Ham begins his book with the observation that the church buildings of Europe are mostly empty and that those in the U.S. are not far behind. Many buildings are being re-purposed or torn down. While this may be disturbing, … Continue reading
- They Devoted Themselves to the Fellowship - On effectiveness in overcoming sin. To be perfectly candid about it, I’ve never had any use for 12-step programs. There – I said it! A lot of you are probably ready to nail my hide to wall for saying it, but it’s the truth. Since honesty is one of the basic principles of the 12-step … Continue reading
- An Example to Follow - Developing a well-rounded congregation. As I sat in the pew and observed the rest of the congregation I wondered, yet again, what the point of it all was. On the surface, the congregation was dynamic and vibrant. There was lots of enthusiasm and optimism. The music was contemporary and the services were upbeat and well … Continue reading
