Category Archives: Index

The Afterlife: Lesson 1, focused on 1 Corinthians 15 (June 5, 2016)

Finally, I’m well enough and my church has been kind enough to give me a Sunday morning class to teach. I call it “The Afterlife: Heaven and Hell and Points in Between.” Some students have asked me to record and … Continue reading

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The Mission of the Church: Alternative Popular Approaches, Part 2

The Missional Church Missio Dei Technically, “missional” is a newly coined adjective for “mission.” A church truly on the right mission is missional. But, sadly, the term has been co-opted by some to refer to their particular way of being missional. … Continue reading

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The Mission of the Church: Alternative Popular Approaches, Part 1

Thompson begins his book by summarizing several possible views on the mission of the church. Political Action Committee Thompson explains, While liberals and conservatives choose different issues, they agree that the task of the church is to mobilize and influence … Continue reading

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The Mission of the Church: James W. Thompson’s New Book

As I mentioned in the last post, James W. Thompson, a professor at Abilene Christian, just published The Church according to Paul: Rediscovering the Community Conformed to Christ. He begins by reviewing several popular theories of church mission. Having observed … Continue reading

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The Mission of the Church: Christopher Wright & James W. Thompson

I earlier introduced the readers to the writings of Christopher J. H. Wright (no kin to N.T.) in my review of his commentary on Ezekiel. Wright is a marvelous writer, and he’s twice turned his attention to the doctrine of … Continue reading

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Getting Rid of a Bad Elder (Revised)

I get emails — Hi Jay, I’ve read some of your articles and recently read one about elders firing their minister. My husband was once fired from a position, and it was a mess. And as we have moved on … Continue reading

Posted in Bad Elders, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Mission of the Church: Vision Statements

I do not like vision statements. I think they’re a colossal waste of time and energy. As Exhibit A, allow me to introduce into evidence these statements I found by searching “Church Vision Statement” in Google Images:

Posted in Missional Christianity, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

The Mission of the Church: Introduction

So I’ve been thinking about the mission of the church some lately. I know that’s badly out of fashion. According the authors of evangelical literature, I’m supposed to be thinking about the mission of God — and doing so in … Continue reading

Posted in Missional Christianity, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Numbers 31, the Midianites, and Genocide, Part 2

We’re continuing to look at ways to deal with one of the Bible’s most difficult passages, Num 31, where Moses commanded that upon defeat of an enemy, all the people were to be killed, regardless of age, other than virgin … Continue reading

Posted in Numbers 31, the Midianites, and Genocide, Theodicy (How God can allow bad things to happen), Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Numbers 31, the Midianites, and Genocide, Part 1

I’m a fan of Al Maxey’s work. He began posting on the Internet long before me, and he’s done a world of good for a great many readers, myself included. Al recently wrote a post on one of the most … Continue reading

Posted in Numbers 31, the Midianites, and Genocide, Theodicy (How God can allow bad things to happen), Uncategorized | 19 Comments