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Category Archives: Index
Churches of Christ in Decline? Setting a Short-Term Vision
Okay, I’ve warned you against just buying the hot new evangelical book and making it the short-term vision. It doesn’t work. Well, actually, sometimes it does. But not always. Back when the church growth movement was in full swing, those … Continue reading
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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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Tagged All, Christian environmentalism, N. T. Wright, sacramentalism, sacraments, Simple Christianity
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Churches of Christ in Decline: Silos, Politics and Turf Wars
Silos, Politics and Turf Wars is a business management book by Patrick Lencioni. I’m a huge fan of his The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, which should be required reading for every elder and minister in the Churches. I’m such … Continue reading
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Churches of Christ in Decline? Data Points
Alan Rouse, in a post on his blog, brought together several pieces of data that bear on the decline of conservative denominations, such as the Southern Baptists and Churches of Christ. I’d like to add a few more. First, the … 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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Straight Talk About Premarital Sex
Excellent article from Janice Crouse reporting the results of the latest research on premarital sex.
Churches of Christ in Decline? “Good News and Bad News” (revised)
Dr. Flavil Yeakley, long the unofficial chief statistician of the Churches of Christ, has just published a booklet called “Good News and Bad News: A Realistic Assessment of the Churches of Christ in the United States 2008.” It can be … Continue reading
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Tagged All, church growth, Churches of Christ, Flavil Yeakley
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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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Tagged All, marriage, N. T. Wright, sacraments, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope
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Southern Baptist Churches In Decline
New research shows that the Southern Baptist denomination, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, is no longer growing and is, in fact, in decline. A discussion of the report by one of the researchers, Ed Stetzer, may be listened to here. … Continue reading
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