Tag: Christianity
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“Shack”-ed
I don’t know where I’ve been, but I’ve missed it. Apparently there is a self published book out there called The Shack that has become one of the most widely read works in country. It is in the process of becomming a major motion picture. And it is a book about theology! Well, it is a fictional story aimed…
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Emergent & Reformed Coming Together?
Sometimes listening in to others’ conversation is unavoidable – like when you are standing between two aquaintances at the Kroger’s check out line. But sometimes eavesdropping is highly informative – especially when a conversation is in print. Such an informative, though seemingly improbable, dialogue has been taking place at Christianity Today. Tony Jones, of Emergent Village, and Collin…
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The Mark of the Christian (part 6)
by Francis Schaeffer Love In Practice Let me give two beautiful examples of such observable love. One happened among the Brethren groups in Germany immediately after the last war. In order to control the church, Hitler commanded the union of all religious groups in Germany, drawing them together by law. The Brethren divided over this…
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The Mark of the Christian (part 5)
by Francis Schaeffer When Christians Disagree What happens, then, when we must differ with other brothers in Christ because of the need also to show forth God’s holiness either in doctrine or in life? In the matter of life, Paul clearly shows us the balance in I and II Corinthians. The same thing applies in…
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The Mark of the Christian (part 4)
by Francis Schaeffer True Oneness In John 13 and 17, Jesus talks about a real seeable oneness, a practicing oneness, a practical oneness across all lines, among all true Christians. The Christian really has a double task. He has to practice both God’s holiness and God’s love. The Christian is…
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The Mark of the Christian (part 3)
by Francis Schaeffer Honest Answers, Observable Love Of course as Christians we must not minimize the need to give honest answers to honest questions. We should have an intellectual apologetic. The Bible commands it and Christ and Paul exemplify it. In the synagogue, in the marketplace, in homes and in almost every conceivable…
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Studies in 1 John: Compassion Among Brothers
In my study through 1 John I had to pause and go back over one verse this week. Having preached from 1 John 3:11-18 last week, and John’s assertion that Christians are to be characterized by love for one another if Christ is in actuality alive in them, I am struck by v. 17:…
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Are We Declaring a Defective Gospel?
by Rick Wood, Managing Editor Mission Froniers Magazine U.S. Center for World Mission Is the Gospel message that hundreds of thousands of missionaries are proclaiming around the world defective? Have hundreds of millions of people bought into a message that is, at its heart, unbiblical? If true, this would be like Bill Gates sending…
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The Mark of the Christian (part 2)
by Francis Schaeffer For True Christians Only If we look again at the command in John 13, we will notice some important things. First of all, this is a command to have a special love to all true Christians, all born-again Christians. From the scriptural viewpoint, not all who call themselves Christians are…
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The Cross Enforces Three Truths
The Cross enforces three truths: about ourselves, about God, and about Jesus Christ. 1. Our Sin must be extremely horrible. Nothing reveals the gravity of sin like the Cross. For ultimately what sent Christ there was neither the greed of Judas, nor the envy of the priests, nor the vacillating cowardice of Pilate, but our…
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The Mark of the Christian (part 1)
by Francis Schaeffer Through the centuries men have displayed many different symbols to show that they are Christians. They have worn marks in the lapels of their coats, hung chains about their necks, even had special haircuts. Of course, there is nothing wrong with any of this, if one feels…
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Which Way?
Your life hangs on how you relate these two statements: “If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous” (1 John 2:1). “Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you” (John 5:14). Do you experience the first one weakening the second? Or do you experience the first one…
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Easy Chairs & Hard Words – Part 3
by Douglas Wilson “At last,” I thought. “Now we should be able to talk about what brought me here in the first place.” Pastor Spenser and I were both settling in chairs with the conversation already well under way. “I know what your position is,” I said. “But I am afraid that I still don’t…
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Easy Chairs & Hard Words – Part 2
by Douglas Wilson I had thought of a question during the week which I thought would bring our conversation back to some evangelical “basics.” My sessions with Pastor Spencer were unsettling and fascinating both; on the one hand I was attracted by his approach to the Scriptures, but on the other I was concerned…
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Seeker Sensitive vs. Cost of Discipleship
In our culture of “seeker sensitivity” and radical inclusivity, the great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd. With the most sincere hearts, we do not want to see anyone walk away from Jesus because of the discomfort of his cross, so we clip the claws on…
