Category Archives: Index

Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: Baptism, Primitivism, and Heresy, Part 1

The Restoration Movement was not begun with baptism in mind. Indeed, Barton W. Stone, Thomas Campbell, and Alexander Campbell had all begun their ministries and had written some of their most famous documents long before baptism became an issue. You … Continue reading

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Starting a Hispanic Ministry, by Tim Archer

Great series of articles by Tim Archer on something I know nothing about, over at his “The Kitchen of Half-Baked Thoughts” — Stockdale bilingual church Should we be preparing to be bilingual? The magic formula for having a successful Hispanic … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: Celebrating Celibacy

We should be a community that … stops acting like heterosexual marriage and sex itself are absolutely essential for a fulfilling Christian life. We should elevate celibacy/singleness as a vocation, testifying that sexual drive and all desire needs to be … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: Worship and Sex

We must be a community that … worships in a way that orders desires towards God and away from narcissism (feel-good pep-rallies), for any other kind of worship cannot train us out of our narcissistic obsessions with sex. I admit … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: Law vs. Story, Part 2

What the story says about marriage And so, what does this story tell us about marriage? Well, everything. (1 Cor 6:13-20)  “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”–but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: Law vs. Story, Part 1

The next point made by David Fitch in his article is — Quit disembodying sexuality in the way we do whenever we make the Bible into moral propositions that should be enforced instead of a narrative world to be shaped … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: Having Babies for Jesus

Marriage is a sacrament, as marriage is a covenant with God that brings a bit of heaven to earth as we restore men and women toward Eden. But there’s more. You see, sex not only brings a bit of God’s … Continue reading

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Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: “Raccoon” John Smith and the 1832 Unity Meeting

“Raccoon” John Smith Smith’s story is well told by June Baldwin Bork, In 1814, after much thought, John took his wife and four children to Alabama with dreams of settling and farming a large farm and eventually becoming a prosperous … Continue reading

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Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: Barton W. Stone and Richard McNemar

We in the Churches of Christ often claim to be part of or heirs of the Restoration Movement, founded by Barton W. Stone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell. We like to recite various Restoration Movement slogans and give them very … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: A Video Comment

I received this email from reader Brad Stanford, watched the video, and just had to post it. I have a video about love that I put together for the 2008 Valentine’s Day dinner at our church. I’ll let that serve … Continue reading

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