For my Christian visitors who may not be aware: the Roman Emperor Domitian was the first to demand that he be called "Dominus et Deus" (Lord and God.)Â The refusal of Christians to call him that was a source of persecution, and may well have caused John's exile at Patmos, from where he wrote the …
Reply to “Jon” on Brian McLaren and his Bridge to Nowhere
It seems that Jon and Jon want to continue the discussion on my recent post re Brian McLaren. Their comments are here. So here goes: I read McLaren as saying we have to adapt to a changed environment. That doesn't have to mean selling out, but rather that the normative C20th model of doing church …
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Why Don’t Churches Make Disciples?
Robert Easter at Sanctifusion asks this question, and answers as follows: Our world view is all wrong. "Be holy as I am holy" is not a core conviction. We prefer the things that are "more exciting" - like worship, harvesting tithes, building buildings, getting on the latest trendy movement of evangelicalism. Not intentional enough. We …
Thoughts on the Upcoming Church of God General Assembly: “I don’t know if my church loves me any more or not”
Around the time of the 2006 Church of God General Assembly in Indianapolis, I began writing my last novel, The Ten Weeks. At the core of the plot is the story of one French Catholic high school senior, Madeleine des Cieux, who performs a series of miracles. This generates a number of reactions, but her …
Please Search the Book Again
This week's podcast puts this website into a realm few thought we would go: Southern Gospel. The song is Please Search the Book Again, from the Greenville, SC group Southern Joy on their album Over the Next Hill. If you're wondering whether a search through this book would turn up your name or not, click …
Doctrinal Fidelity and the Church of God
I've noticed that Administrative Bishop Bill Isaacs, in his excellent series on the upcoming General Assembly agenda of the Church of God, has not reached Item 15 on Doctrinal Fidelity. The amendment to the minutes being proposed is as follows: For any violation of doctrinal fidelity, including teaching, preaching or publishing anything contrary to or in …
Is It Now God AND/OR Country?
That's the question that Out of Ur poses today: I’ve got a special treat for you to commemorate Independence Day—a preview of the summer issue of Leadership due out later this month. The issue focuses on the intersection of church ministry and politics (not an irrelevant subject this year). Here is a snippet featuring Charles …
When Christian Ministers Bail Out on Marrying People
In the wake of California's mandating same sex civil marriages, some in that state are considering just that: Some clergy think churches should divorce themselves from the wedding business. The controversy over same-sex marriage – along with a growing sense that many couples who marry in churches never return – has prompted faith leaders to …
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GAFCON: Where Everyone Raises Their Hands and Praises the Lord
David Virtue offers us a "photo gallery" of the end of the GAFCON meeting in Jerusalem, highlighting the final agreement the conservative Anglican gathering came to. But take a look at this photo after the signing: Pentecostals and Charismatics spend a lot of time emphasising how they raise their hands to praise the Lord--and how …
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Tim Hill at the Tennessee Campmeeting
This week's podcast features Rev. Tim Hill, Second Assistant General Overseer of the Church of God, address the Tennessee State Campmeeting on Tuesday, 17 June 2008. For those of you not in the Church of God, it will give you a look at what a Pentecostal campmeeting actually looks like. (The award for the 55-year …
Positive Infinity 