Category Archives: Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues

Buried Talents: The Women after Pentecost

Pentecost Jesus’ inclusion of women among his disciples begins a pattern that is reflected in the conduct of His apostles. Women disciples were with the apostles at the very beginning: (Acts 1:12-14) Then [the apostles] returned to Jerusalem from the … Continue reading

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Are We Sacramentalists? The Creation

In a previous post, we considered the verses that teach that God acts on us, through his Spirit, as we study the Bible. This makes Bible study — or listening to the word taught or preached — sacramental, as a … Continue reading

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Buried Talents: The Women of the Gospels and Acts

The Gospel Prophetesses Before the birth of Jesus, three prophetesses were inspired by God to speak and to instruct men. The first is Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:42-45). Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also inspired to … Continue reading

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Are We Sacramentalists? Marriage as a Sacrament, and the Church

Recall Hicks’ definition of “sacrament”– The material elements do not merely represent, but they participate in the reality to which they point. They are not mere signs, but symbols that mediate a spiritual reality. The signs become symbols because God … Continue reading

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Buried Talents: References to God as Female

Of course, one of the most male-centric aspects of the scriptures is the fact that God often refers to himself as a male — as “father” in particular. But there are also a number of Old Testament passages where God … Continue reading

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Are We Sacramentalists? The Lord’s Supper and the Assembly

Back a few weeks ago, I started an exploration of the Eastern Orthodox understanding of “sacrament.” Their approach is quite different from the Catholic/Protestant approach. Let’s just, for fun, you know, see if we can find evidence of a sacramental … Continue reading

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Buried Talents: Old Testament Women (Kings, Huldah, and the Good Wife)

The Kings Many have suggested that the fact that Israel’s kings were all men indicates that women are to be subordinate to men forever. But this argument fails. First, Israel has kings at a time when the curse of Genesis … Continue reading

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Are We Sacramentalists? The Orthodox View, the Spirit, the Word, and Prayer

We’ve seen that the Orthodox Church has a very different view of the sacraments from the Western churches. The West sees the sacraments as two or seven distinct ways by which God’s grace is brought to believers by human action. … Continue reading

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Buried Talents: Women in the Old Testament (Deborah)

The Law of Moses ushered in the Period of the Judges, during which God ruled Israel through individual judges. Notable among the judges is Deborah. (Judg. 4:4-5) Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. … Continue reading

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Buried Talents: Women in the Old Testament, Part 1 (the Law and Miriam)

Any doctrine of women that we consider must pass several stern tests. First, it must measure up against the passages dealing with the relationship of men and women, and not just the ambiguous ones. Second, whatever position we take on … Continue reading

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