Tag Archives: Church of Christ Links

The Blue Parakeet: Eden as Hermeneutic

Genesis 1 and 2 give the model for a Godly marriage and Godly sexual conduct. Hence, adultery, fornication, bestiality, and homosexuality are all wrong because they violate Genesis 1 and 2 — which define sinless sex — even if the … Continue reading

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The Blue Parakeet: Corollaries — The Gospel Hermeneutic (the Love part)

The application should be obvious by now. Love and faith are the “interstitial doctrines,” that is, they fill in all the gaps. There are no gaps. No silences. No missing authority. It’s all there in two words. Maybe a reminder … Continue reading

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The Blue Parakeet: Corollaries — Positive Law

We’ve worked through several examples about how this Story/narrative approach to Bible study pushes us to rethink some familiar passages. Now that the quarter is nearly over, I want to sort through some additional hermeneutical principles built on the narrative … Continue reading

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CENI: A Better Way — The Acts of the Apostles

Let’s try the same thing with Acts. After all, Luke wrote Acts as something of a sequel to his Gospel. Let’s again purge from our minds the notion that Acts is all about baptism. It’s not. Let’s try to take … Continue reading

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CENI: A Better Way — The Gospels

Take a deep breath and repeat after me: “The New Testament is neither a constitution nor a blueprint. The New Testament is neither a constitution nor a blueprint. The New Testament is neither a constitution nor a blueprint.” Much of … Continue reading

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Ed Stetzer on Reversing Our Decline: The Cure — Networking

In the latest issue of Outreach Magazine, Ed Stetzer makes a point that caught me a little off guard — but I think it’s exactly right: Networking will go a long way toward fixing our churches. It’s not the cure, … Continue reading

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CENI: The Laws Behind the Curtain

What’s really going on? Why do our leaders feel so comfortable — so insistent — that their interpretations are right, when it’s obvious that the scriptural support for many of their positions is very, very thin? Well, it all goes … Continue reading

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Ed Stetzer on Reversing Our Decline: The Cure, Part 2

So what do we do?We cannot simply mandate how churches, pastors, and believers live. Our theological convictions of the priesthood of all believers and local autonomy of the church lead us to allow each church to heed God’s will on … Continue reading

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Thinking Out Loud About Elder Training

[I’m sticking this post to the top of the stack for a few days to encourage further comment — pro and con.] (1 Cor 9:25) Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get … Continue reading

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CENI: Necessary Inferences

The “NI” in CENI is necessary inference. Now, I majored in mathematics, and to us mathematicians, an inference is not “necessary” unless it is proven to a mathematical certainty. The Church of Christ approach to necessary inference is something else. … Continue reading

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