To some extent, Christian denominations can be seen as ways to ‘do church’ differently. Usually, what sets denominations apart is their take on certain biblical subjects, beliefs, interpretations, and practices. Variations on a recipe, if you will. In some denominations, the style of the church gathering is different; others have different perspectives on topics such […]
WHAT IS THE GAZA STRIP?
A recent BBC report partially attributes the December 2008 rocket attack by Hamas to a blockade set by Israeli forces in Gaza. The blockade was established nineteen months earlier in an effort to cut off the gasoline supply to the region. Mutual attacks between Israel and Palestine have escalated since Hamas’s rise to power in […]
THE LIGHT OF ETHIOPIA
Many people think of Ethiopia and only think of famine, war or pictures of starving children. I have to admit this was my first image of Ethiopia. I have now come to realize that it so much more than that; what we see in the media is not the whole story. For me, Ethiopia is […]
POEM: RED ROOTS
Red Roots Tree painted with red roots bleeding into deep browns rooted in blood. Can red symbolize anything besides blood? Your blood is in my roots. But water, and not blood, came from your side. A broken body mine is too. Red roots painted into the ground, up the trunk. Climbing the pole, hugging it, […]
DENOMINATIONAL DIFFERENCES: PART 2
To some extent, Christian denominations can be seen as ways to ‘do church’ differently. Usually, what sets denominations apart is their take on certain biblical subjects, beliefs, interpretations, and practices. Variations on a recipe, if you will. In some denominations, the style of the church gathering is different; others have different perspectives on topics such […]
ARE CHRISTIANS HYPOCRITICAL OR JUST HUMAN?
In the last issue we mentioned the book UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity: And Why It Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons (2007), that details nonbelievers’ view of Christians. In it, Kinnaman and Lyons, with research from the Barna group, highlight the ways Christians are viewed in a negative light, […]
WHEN THE CHURCH {BODY OF CHRIST} MALFUNCTIONS
When I was almost fourteen, I became part of what started as a home church with several other families. We had two pastors who traded off preaching every week. To me, it seemed like the perfect church with near-perfect leaders. I loved the atmosphere, my new friends, the sermons—everything. Previously, church disasters seemed to haunt […]
PURSUE OR BE PURSUED?
Should the man or woman take the lead role in dating? We asked a handful of Christians what their perspective on dating is and whether there is any Biblical authority on the subject. From tradition to Biblical description, together we find some intriguing answers and wise words. “It goes either way. Well, if they are both […]
HIGHER CALLING EDUCATION
It seems like a cliché adorned on many a teacher’s appreciation gift, but that doesn’t make it any less true—to teach is to touch a life forever. Teachers have a profound impact on our development and help shape the way we learn, reason, and act. Three Christian teachers share their experiences educating the next generation—and their […]
4 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A LOCAL CHURCH
Teaching the Bible, God’s Word—Not Someone Else’s 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV) For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. Essential to the function of […]