Links from Sandy Grant on the reformation; the installation of a new bishop; the relationship between Christianity and words; thanking God for your normal, boring life; the last of the confessions of an angry pastor; and Os Guinness about Christian disagreement and the public square.
I used to think I had nothing in common with Michelle Bridges, certainly not in terms of carbohydrate intake or BMI. But after hearing Carmelina Read speak on training at the recent EQUIP Leaders Conference, I realized I was wrong.
A few weeks ago I had an interesting encounter with an older religious lady on our university campus. She noticed that my eyes and skin were discoloured by jaundice, and once I had explained the cause (a rare genetic condition that I’ve had from birth), she was filled with pity and told me that she would pray to her God for my healing.
We don’t like to memorize stuff. We find it dull, painful, and pointless. Most of us would rather go to the dentist than spend 15 minutes working on memorizing something. Honestly, did any of you enjoy learning the times-tables in school? It’s rather laborious work.
Growing up in the church, I held the misconception that evangelism was leading someone through a sinner’s prayer—if I hadn’t done that, I’d failed. But as we read through the New Testament and see evangelism occurring, God paints a very different picture of evangelism.
Rather than churches viewing evangelistic courses as solely an event for non-Christians plus a pastor and perhaps one or two others, we should be striving to have as many Christian church members there as possible.
I’ve always loved Acts 10, the story of the divinely ordained meeting between Peter and Cornelius that unlocks the door for the gospel to go to the Gentiles. For a few years it has been one of my ‘go to’ passages when I am asked to speak on the topic of mission.
It’s a word that drives just about any pastor to despair (although not necessarily because he sees it in his own heart and life). The word? Consumerism.
Tony Payne's introduction to what the Vine Journal is all about.
Maybe you’ve got family and friends who believe things taught by preachers that aren’t quite biblical. Having come from ‘the other side’, here's a perspective that may be of use.