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Posts tagged Theology
The Great Cultural Commission
The Great Cultural Commission
by Eric Rauch
In my own experience, I have found that many Christians do not understand the “hows” and the “whys” of cultural engagement, even to the point of wondering why Christians should be concerned in the first place. Cultural critic Ken Myers states the issue well when he writes: “It might seem an extreme assertion at first, but I believe that the challenge of living with popular culture may well be as serious for modern Christians as persecution and plagues were for the saints of earlier centuries…Enemies that come loudly and visibly are usually much easier More >
Idol Factories of Modern Worship
Idol Factories of Modern Worship
by Eric Rauch
Few topics generate more opinions in the 21st century church than the topic of worship. In fact, it would be safe to say that most Christians have pretty strong views about what they like, and don’t like, about their church’s worship service. Some of you reading this review have probably left or joined a particular church based on how their worship service was structured. While subjectivity and opinions are legion when it comes to the area of worship, all Christians should be able to agree that the Bible should have the final word More >
The Limitations of Devotions
The Limitations of Devotions
by Eric Rauch
One of the most damaging practices of the modern church is the tradition of “devotional” Bible reading. Tragically, it is also one of the most lucrative areas of Christian publishing. Devotionals are produced for just about every demographic under the sun, and they can range anywhere between a short paragraph to several pages in length. The typical structure of a devotional is as follows: a Bible verse or passage is quoted, followed by the writer of the devotional making a few points of “practical” application of the biblical text, a “prayer point” or something More >
God’s Teaching Aid
God’s Teaching Aid
For the first fifteen years of our marriage, Jill often told me that somehow a part of her was unfulfilled because I didn’t “need” her. This became, over the years, the source of a great deal of frustration to her, and while it wasn’t a front-burner issue, it was always there just under the surface. We didn’t discuss it a lot because, frankly, I didn’t know what to do. Yes, I was independent in many ways, and no, I didn’t need Jill at my side providing emotional strength to make it through every day. She More >
The Resting of Christ
The Resting of Christ
(This is Part Fifteen of a series. Click here to read Part One.)
Picking up where we left off last week, we were in the midst of arguing that the change from a Saturday to a Sunday Sabbath is indicated by a careful exegesis of Hebrews 3 4. I remind you that these arguments are not original with me. I found them more fulsomely made in Walter S Chantry’s Call the Sabbath a Delight.
We have established that the writer to the Hebrews is drawing from Psalm 95, which itself hearkens back to the wilderness experiences More >
Trust Not in Man
Trust Not in Man
I am being providentially hindered from writing my intended post this week, so I thought I’d use my hindrances as an opportunity to write a brief essay on what the Lord is teaching me through the things he’s leading me through.
There are some serious theological errors afoot in the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) and other Reformed denominations that have their genesis in the teaching of men like Norman Shepherd, a former professor at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, and N.T. Wright, an Anglican scholar. What you end up with is a teaching that advances More >
The Purpose of Man
The Purpose of Man
(This is Part Two of a series. Click here to read Part One.)
The purpose for the family is summarized clearly in one of the foundational Scriptures of the Bible, Genesis 1:26-28, where God speaks into existence man’s multi-faceted purpose:
1. To bear the image of God. This image not only includes the fact that God is a family, but it includes His personality as well. He has a will (He can choose or decide), He has an intellect (He can know or comprehend), He has emotion (He can love) and He is a creator. We have this More >
