Recently the concept that God's original intent for man was vegetarianism has surfaced and gained currency amongst Christians (to say nothing of the followers of synthetic Judaism that passes for Christianity in the US.) This has been promoted for commercial gain by such movements as the Hallelujah Diet. But is this correct? A succinct case …
When Timing Is Everything
The claims that the ten plagues of Egypt are natural phenomena doesn't really answer the question of their Creator's intent. As anyone knows, timing is everything, and it makes sense (to me at least) that the Creator of the universe (and by extension the natural laws that govern it) would operate within the framework that …
Admitting the Obvious, in a Biblical Way
In a conference call earlier this week, Pat Robertson fielded a question he gets often these days: why did he endorse Rudy Giuliani for President? He reiterated the whole business of the importance of national security (which I brought up back in February and he stated in his endorsement speech) but then he made two …
Jeanne Assam: When All Of The Pieces Fit Together
The breathtaking story of Jeanne Assam's quick termination of the massacre at New Life Church illustrates something that most people--Christian and non-Christian alike--don't think about, and that's the vital role of support personnel in the life of any church or parachurch organisation. The people "up front"--pastors, preachers, music leaders and the like--get all of the …
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Authority and Evangelical Churches
During a recent ministry conference I was attending, I was listening to a well-known (and one I respect) leader in men's ministries. He was explaining to a pastor why women leading Sunday School classes didn't work. His explanation? "Men won't accept the authority of a woman." He went on to extend this argument, saying that …
Book Review: The Gospel According to Starbucks
Next August, the ministry I work for has invited Dr. Leonard Sweet to speak at our luncheon during our church's General Assembly. In looking forward to this, it occurred to me that it would be nice if I brush up on his work. The most recent manifestation of that work in book form is The …
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The Trouble With Morality
Time magzine is wading into deep waters with its article What Makes Us Moral. Christians automatically assume that morality is their objective, as opposed to those who would "abolish" it. But the truth is more complicated than that. Back in seventeenth century France, there were two very prominent preachers, the Jesuit Louis Bordaloue and the …
Being Right May Not Be Enough
It's tempting for me to dismiss Russell Kelly's last outburst in our back and forth on tithing. But I can't quite bring myself to do so. The whole encounter has been rather bizzare, given that we both agree on the most important premise: that tithing is an Old Testament concept, not a New Testament one. …
Once More, With Feeling, on Tithing
Russell Kelly responded via email to my last post on tithing. He had problems with the "math question" (which I will discuss below.) But I will reproduce his email and my response. You have a lot of verbiage but little concrete content. I am not sure what your postilion is on tithing, but it seems …
Pickett’s Charge and Tithing
Russell Earl Kelly was quick to respond to my piece The Backlash Against Tithing. But, like our Confederate ancestors at places like Gettysburg, he may have charged without properly assessing what was in front of him. Let me start by reiterating one important point that Dr. Kelly has obviously missed: I do not say that …
Positive Infinity 