All Posts (Page 33)
Saved by Grace by Anthony Hoekema: A Critical Review
Anthony Hoekema (Th.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) taught Bible at Calvin College from 1956 to 1958 and systematic theology at Calvin Seminary from 1958 to 1979. The books he authored include The Four Major Cults, What about Tongue Speaking, and Holy Spirit Baptism. He died in 1988. Saved by Grace (Eerdmans, 1989) is the third and final in a series of theological studies. The first two books are The Bible and the Future (on eschatology) and Created in God’s Image (on…
A Brief Review of D.A. Carson’s A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers
D. A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1992, 230 pp. D. A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, Illinois). He is also the author of numerous books that have reliably served followers of Christ for several decades. This trend continues with A Call to Spiritual Reformation, a book in which the pastor’s heart of the author beats loudly as he…
A Critical Review of John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart
(This book review was revised on 03-30-10) Eldredge, John. Wild at Heart. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001. (Spirituality/Christian living; 222 pages; hardcover; suggested retail price, $19.99) John Eldredge’s book Wild at Heart was recommended to me by several different Christians. Partly out of respect for them, and partly out of my pastoral sense of obligation to “Test all things; hold fast what is good,” I made the time to review what Charles R. Swindoll endorsed as, “the best, most insightful…
A Review of Krista Horning’s Just the Way I Am: God’s Good Design in Disability
Krista Horning was born with a rare genetic disorder called Apert Syndrome and has undergone over sixty surgeries in her lifetime. I first heard about her book, Just the Way I Am: God’s Good Design in Disability, from John Knight, the senior director of Desiring God Ministries, who writes at www.theworksofgod.com. Horning’s book is a glorious achievement and a demonstration of God’s grace in her life. I eagerly anticipated its arrival for two reasons: First, I have a daughter who…
Another Faithful Church Removes Deadbeat Members
At the end of a 4 year process, 1st Baptist Church, Gonzales, Louisiana, removed the final 250 people from the rolls of the church who do not attend. Now the remaining attendees are the real members of the church. Not every church will need to spend so long at the process, admittedly, but I commend the patience of this traditional SBC church for arriving at their goal without alienating the church itself. Only two voted against the final stroke of…
Book Review: A Thousand Miles of Miracle
Book by A. E. Glover, Christian Focus, 2000 They were locked in a tiny, bug-infested jail in inland China. The heat inside was suffocating, and the doors and windows were sealed tight by the guards. Outside their prison, crowds of people called for their death, rioting until late in the night. At daybreak, it began again. “Mie yang,” they shouted, “Destroy the foreigner!” Archie and Flora prayed for a miracle. It was 1900, the third year of worsening drought and famine…
Bound to the Brochure: Why I’m Not a Fan of Topics for Conferences
Perhaps the dilemma I’m expressing, one which has caused me untold agony, will not seem important to many. Yet, I must express myself. It has to do with the practice of binding speakers to set topics in conferences. Here’s the way it happens. A pastor (or set of leaders if it is a larger conference) determines who should speak at their next conference. Perhaps he really prays about it, but sometimes not. He jots a few speakers’ names down. Then…
By Faith Alone: The Conversion of Martin Luther
It was the moment he had been waiting for. His father was in the audience watching, as were his fellow monks. It was time for Martin to offer his first mass, and he was overwhelmed with the solemnity of the event. He led the congregation, saying, “We offer unto Thee, the living, the true, the eternal God.” Suddenly Martin froze. He couldn’t go on. He later wrote: “At these words I was utterly stupefied and terror-stricken. I thought to myself,…
Exploratory Ministry Trip to Ethiopia
I accompanied CCW’s newest communicator, Selamab Assefa, to Ethiopia from September 20-October 6, 2010. Selamab was born and raised in Ethiopia, but has lived in the United States for the past five years. He is a recent seminary graduate and a member of my church, and his relationships with churches in Ethiopia will seemingly provide decades of ministry opportunities there. (I like to tease him by calling him our “Ethiopian Sensation.”) This first trip to Ethiopia was for ministry, but…
Figuring Out Christian Freedom: What Romans 14 Does and Does Not Say
Have you ever disagreed with another believer about whether or not something was allowable behavior? Your disagreement might have been about whether Christians may, or should not, watch sports on Sundays, watch R-rated movies, or hold jobs where serving alcohol is required. Christians on the “may” side of such disagreements usually argue that these types of activities are not specifically forbidden in the Bible. Christians on the “should not” side either point to a passage of Scripture they believe does…
Should Christians Pursue the Arts?
I re-skimmed George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss last week. It has had a startlingly deep affect on me over these days—searching far into caves of feeling, and engendering a few meditative walks. Its themes have turned my mind to consider why it is that I pursue things like literature, music, and other forms of art. I have at least tentatively come to the following conclusion: We were created not only to do what is right and believe what…
Slick Card-itus: When Relevance Becomes Boring
Am I just tired of relevance, or what? I received the umpteenth glossy card in the mail this week from yet another church opening a brand new “state-of-the-art” facility in our city. It claimed the usual: “casual atmosphere, contemporary music, relevant messages and friendly people who genuinely care about each other.” This shiny oversized card explained the top ten reasons why people don’t go to church. It employed a strategy right out of the church growth handbooks that has become…
Steve Burchett’s Trip to the Philippines, Summer 2009
Wednesday & Thursday, August 5-6 – I was invited to the Philippines by Doug Nichols who is the founder and international director emeritus of Action International Ministries. Other than skirting a typhoon the last hour, my flights over to the Philippines were uneventful. I was met at the airport by Ernie and Rosely Fornoles. Rosely was my contact person in the Philippines, so it was a delight to finally meet her. The majority of the time in the Philippines found…
The Corrupt Root and Bitter Fruit of Altar Call Evangelism
The last command Jesus gave before ascending into heaven was, “Go therefore and make disciples . . .” (Matthew 28:19). All true followers of Christ want to be a part of this “Great Commission.” But how should we go about it? Everyone who understands the importance of special revelation (i.e., God’s Word in the Bible) agrees that evangelism involves the evangel (i.e., the gospel). No one will be saved without it. As Paul asked, “How then will they call on…
The Reluctant Mother: Amy Carmichael
We can’t always identify life-changing moments as they occur. When a little Indian girl named Preena crawled into Amy Carmichael’s lap and called her “Amma” (or “mother” in Tamil) for the first time, neither of them could have known that this simple act would change both their lives forever, and the lives of hundreds of others. Amy Carmichael was born in Ireland in 1867, the oldest of seven children. She was a feisty child whose longing for excitement often got…
Training Men
[Below is an article written by the elders of Christ Fellowship on how we seek to develop men in our church. Our church is made up of several home congregations, each led by an elder. This provides a structure to mentor men that is natural and effective. In fact, it is our commitment to mentor every man in the church! If your church is not set up this way, you may find other ways to subdivide the church in order…