I’m a frequent observer of congregational advertising and recently noticed this on a local church’s website:
Relevant, Bible-based teaching and preaching
What is it to be relevant? Surely if this church wants to attract the unchurched or less churched, advertising relevancy is no detractor. If I’ve fallen away, I’m not likely to be brought back to a [...]
On the way home from Rochester today, we splurged at Wegman’s* and bought cookies (me) and a donut (Karly). She likes lemon-filled donuts, which I don’t have a lot of use for. In lightheartedly criticizing her penchant for this sweet treat — I mean, why waste your sugar quota on fake lemon junk?! [...]
May, or must, a church use new songs? Songs written by and for the current generation?
New songs may in truth speak of God’s work today, but I sometimes feel the need to probe what it is, really, that a contemporary songwriter is speaking of. These really aren’t the days of Elijah or Ezekiel, [...]
The following was written by an elder quasi-mentor of mine, Leroy Garrett. Leroy has for nigh unto 50 years been working for theological understanding, unity in diversity, and growth among all three branches of the Stone-Campbell (American Restoration) Movement. By reports, in his earlier years, he was not as influential; somewhere midstream, he [...]
In Grant Wacker’s article “Searching for Eden with a Satellite Dish” (in The Primitive Church in the Modern World, ed. Richard T. Hughes, 141), a previously elusive appellation was made clear for me.
I once heard a radio ad for a denomination known as the Foursquare Church. I had not previously heard of this group, [...]
Those churches that have the gift of thoughtfully approaching method and doctrine are likely to think they are more progressively different than they really are.
This afternoon I took a long-overdue bicycle ride and ended up being chased, again, by an unrestrained country dog. This particular pooch looked so much like our dear Tessa (who, incidentally, enjoyed her 2nd-ever kennel stay at K&A last weekend) that I was naturally unconcerned as he ran up to me.
However, this mutt instantly [...]
Perhaps, this cheapening of the notion of anointing is related to the exaggerated number standing ovations these days.
There remain two imperatives for Christians who desire but to follow Jesus’ steps into God’s kingdom.
