Every now and then I have stop and protest one thing or another that has become fashionable among Evangelicals. We’re always told that every good and trendy thing comes from the Throne Room. But that isn’t really the case, and it makes sense to call some of these things out. I have friends on Facebook …
Phoenix Sonshine: Shinin’ In The Light
(Destiny D-4404-S) 1971 "Jesus Music" was, by definition, evangelistic. It also tended to be folksy; there were many in the movement who had strong reservations about the use of straight-up rock 'n roll for Christian music. (There were others who didn't, but I digress.) Phoenix Sonshine epitomised that sound and that message with this evangelistic, …
Fading Glory
Next month, Lord willing, I start the second year of my PhD adventure in Computational Engineering. "Adventure" is a good way to describe it, especially in my superannuated state. In the midst of getting the coursework started last fall (yes, Europeans, sad to say we have coursework with PhD programmes) we had a "freshman" orientation. …
They Love to Feel the Whip
One of the most ill-starred love stories of the last century was that of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Tsarina Alexandra. Neither was equipped by temperament or upbringing to lead an absolute monarchy into World War I. Nicholas was a weak-willed heir thrust into his role prematurely and unwillingly by the death of his …
Preventing the Anglican Revolt in the Church of God: The Obvious Rationale Behind Agenda Item #18
As I mentioned earlier, the Church of God will convene its General Assembly next week in Orlando. The agenda is out and posted. Most church meeting agendas like this are full of arcane items that may be very weighty to those whom they directly impact but of little relevance to everyone else, even for general …
A Multicultural Body: The Church of God's Greatest Challenge
Now that the Episcopalians have completed their boffo performance in Indianapolis, we can turn to another large church gathering: the Church of God General Assembly in Orlando, which will be warming up this time next week. There are many issues on the agenda, including the church's favourite parlour game: who will move up in the …
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When Evangelicals Were Cool: He Doesn't Know the Half of It, Musically at Least
It was a pleasant surprise to see Philip Jenkins article When Evangelicals Were Cool about what many of us refer to as the "Jesus Music Era". Given the protracted trashing that Evangelicals have gotten since (done, in part, because they're perceived as a threat) it's nice to see someone bring up an era--the late 1960's …
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Why I've Never Been Sold on "Christian Social Activism"
There were two things I was hoping to escape when I joined a Pentecostal church: social-climbing Christianity and social justice Christianity. Silly me: I've achieved neither of these. I deal with the former on an irregular basis. I think my church people and pastor are aware of my rants on the subject but up to …
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Maybe the NAE Will Ruin Us After All
Things aren't going to plan in the vanguard against liberalism: It gets worse. In 2010, the NAE adopted a resolution seeking "common ground" and "fresh national dialogue" on the subject of reducing the number of abortions in the United States. Cizik's successor, Galen Carey, said at the time that partnering with notorious pro-abortion groups like …
The Important Difference Between Inexcusable and Unforgivable
I recently read a Father's Day article from a man well-known in men's ministry circles, who described the importance of forgiving his father for certain things, as his father had to do with his father, and so on. One of the commenters launched into a bitter diatribe about his nasty Broward County divorce, about how …
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Positive Infinity 