As a teenager, I recall an incident in the Pentecostal church where I grew up. The young pastor was expounding Scripture and taught that once saved, salvation was unassailable. In other words, “once saved always saved”. That seemed eminently reasonable to me but one man walked out
Read more →Boys with Toys The problem with being anointed as king outside of God’s specific purpose is that it leaves a grace gap. Here’s the principle: God will always provide the grace needed to equip us for whatever God has purposed for us to do. Saul was in
Read more →The literalist wants his streets of gold in heaven but will not repent of wrong belief; he wants his city, the New Jerusalem to descend out of heaven as a perfect cube, (don’t forget: wearing a wedding dress) but he does not gouge his eye out when
Read more →It was once considered in some circles that most nominal Christianity was found in the mainline churches. Perhaps that was a little unfair but it was somewhat easier to claim to be a Christian on the basis of infant baptism and occasional, or even regular, attendance. In
Read more →21st Century Idols 1. Image These are the days of the spin doctor, of marketing and “it’s who you know, not what you know“? There’s no doubt about it, these are powerful cultural influences that we grapple with. This is my first personal website; my circle of
Read more →Democracy, Division and Consensus One of the great privileges of growing up is having the right to vote. It is the cornerstone of every free society. It allows the right to free speech: the right to express opinions whether they are valid or not. Of course, the
Read more →Using Jesus: the Felt-Needs Gospel We’re in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 17, the incident when ten lepers came to Jesus and asked Him to have pity on them. The term “leprosy” represented a whole variety of skin diseases, and there were stringent regulations given for the treatment of
Read more →So What’s Wrong with Sarcasm Anyway? Just Kidding! We came to live in Canada in February 1999. We love Canada and we love the Canadian people, and we would like to stay. Although England and Canada have had a close relationship, there are some cultural differences. I
Read more →Do What Is Right and Be Accepted The Church Is Ethical How do you feel about the statement that the Church is ethical? Perhaps you have a story to tell about injustice or corruption in the Church. Perhaps you have been badly treated. It seems like
Read more →COVENANT, COVERING and CONTROL Covenant: a binding agreement between two unequal parties. It has the effect of being exclusive. The covenant offers benefits (blessings), but to leave or challenge it invokes censure (curses). A covenant is entered into by swearing an oath. It is a spiritual transaction
Read more →