Monthly Archives: May 2007

We’ve been studying the Gospel of Luke the last quarter at church, and we’re about to continue for another quarter. Most of the teachers haven’t gotten past chapter 7, and we’ll surely not get done this second quarter either. However, … Continue reading →

The last three months, the Gospel Advocate has been blessedly free of declarations that those who disagree with the editors are damned, and I’m thankful for it. I hope this trend continues. If we could just get over the habit … Continue reading →

Myth #10. It’s a good idea to talk about other denominations. In my early years of teaching, I taught as I’d been taught–by teaching what “the denominations” do wrong. Sadly, sometimes there were visitors there from exactly those denominations, and … Continue reading →

In my last series of posts dealing with Richland Hills and the instrumental music controversy, I mentioned the importance of building community in a congregation. It’s certainly more important and more urgent than buying a piano. You can bring in … Continue reading →

Now, all that being said, I have trouble seeing the Churches of Christ remaining a cappella for another 100 years. There are some very good reasons to seriously consider picking up a guitar or violin. First, we live in a … Continue reading →

Church leaders considering having two different worship styles, whether instrumental or not, in two separate services have to wrestle with the risk of effectively creating two congregations that share a common building. If one service is traditional and another is … Continue reading →

It’s well known among the Churches of Christ that our largest congregation, the Richland Hills Church of Christ in Ft. Worth, recently decided to add an instrumental Saturday night worship service to their two Sunday morning a cappella services. I … Continue reading →

The men who are waiting there in the back to pass out the trays to pick up the collection are perhaps the most under-appreciated servants of the church. As they pass the trays from row to row, they try hard … Continue reading →

There are a host of practical questions that arise in an effort to arbitrate a case between brothers. I don’t know all the answers, but here’s a stab at some answers– Who is my brother? This is, of course, the … Continue reading →

In a frequently ignored passage, Paul commands us not to take our disputes to the secular courts but to resolve them within the church. (1 Cor. 6:1-8) If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it … Continue reading →