Monthly Archives: July 2007

Several years ago, our then minister, Buddy Jones, preached a powerful sermon. He begin with a large, clear glass. Maybe it was a brandy snifter. He began by talking about how busy we all are. He placed some large smooth … Continue reading →

Here I am, an elder of an a cappella Church of Christ, and we just had another wonderful worship service with truly marvelous singing. We’ve figured out how to do a truly excellent job with our singing (praise team of … Continue reading →

So let’s try out all these theories on a tough question: is a cappella music in worship mandatory? Rather than considering the traditional arguments, let’s go through the hermeneutical principles taught earlier and see where they lead us. Each bold … Continue reading →

Additional important examples of Jesus’ hermeneutics are found in the Sermon on the Mount. Early in the sermon, Jesus declares, (Matt. 5:17-18) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come … Continue reading →

Consider how Jesus interpreted the Old Testament: (Matt. 23:16-22) “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his … Continue reading →

Many years go, public television aired a biography of Socrates. I well remember an exchange between him and one of his opponents– Opponent: Socrates, you have to stop teaching these lies! You’re destroying your reputation. People are laughing at you. … Continue reading →

Amazingly enough, I’ve been invited to speak at Lipscomb’s Summer Celebration, which is what they call their lectureship nowadays. It’ll be good to visit my alma mater and share a few ideas on grace. The topic is “What Really Is … Continue reading →

I imagine this sounds contradictory to what I just said about being cautious in using the Patristics, but it’s not. We do need to learn from history, but what we need to learn is more about ourselves. The Bible is … Continue reading →

Some things are in the Bible to teach us and as examples we are to follow. Other things are just what happened–not as examples. Jesus changed water into wine at a wedding. Does this mean we are to serve wine … Continue reading →

The “Patristics” are letters and such written by uninspired Christians in the centuries shortly after the founding of the church. Sometimes the authors are called the “Church Fathers.” We are blessed by having a considerable volume of these writings. We … Continue reading →