by Bill Tuck www.friarsfragment.com We need to ask some questions about the whole problem with the environment, pollution and ecology. The first question is this– do churches and Christians have any responsibility for the crises in which we find ourselves today? There are some scientists who are saying, “Oh yes, Churches and Christians are largely…
by Elgin Husbeck, Jr. One of the key differences between left and the right, both religiously and politically is over how they view the “rich” and the “poor.” The Bible has a lot to say about both of these. For example, in response to an earlier article I wrote, the writer cited, Luke 19:25…
by Bruce G. Epperly William Blake once asserted that “if the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to us as it is – infinite.” Blake believed that most people live in a cavern, not unlike Plato’s myth of the cave, unaware of the heights and depths of life. They are caught up in…
by Harvey Brown One week ago the western Church celebrated Easter—or if you prefer, Resurrection Sunday. The Eastern Church (Orthodox) will celebrate on May 1. Resurrection Sunday is preceded by six weeks of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Maundy Thursday. Holy Week culminates in the greatest of all celebrations, Easter Sunday.[ene_ptp]…
by Iris Subel Davis Hello Reader: Prayers for you as you read today; may the Lord have brought you here for a special reason in your life. Last month, we talked about negative experiences. This month’s entry will continue to discuss those in terms of what they can produce in our lives. I found the…
by Chris Surber The most dangerous thing you can ever do is take Jesus seriously. If you like your life the way it is, then don’t do it. If you are comfortable and want things to stay the same, take Jesus teaching as mere metaphors and nice ideas, but don’t ever, ever, take Him…
By Steve Kindle It’s almost impossible for a congregation to spiritually thrive in America. The American ethos is constructed to oppose it at almost every turn. According to the apostle Paul and the witness of the Book Acts, New Testament churches were egalitarian societies—societies whose chief concern was the well-being of the community. Everyone…
by Henry Neufeld, owner and publisher of Energion Publications The word “biblical” is one of the most misused words in theological discussion, possibly even more abused than the word “church.” As a linguist I must note that…
by Chris Eyre Chris is a retired attorney from England and is the co-host of Energion’s Global Christian Perspectives with Elgin Hushbeck, Jr. A post from Patheos recently talked about exorcism in the New Testament from the point of view that these days we consider those who would have once been called “possessed” to be suffering from mental illness….
by Allan R. Bevere One thing I have noticed as a Protestant whose tradition observes the forty days Lent: We don’t seem to be very good at observing the fifty days of the Easter season. Yes, we pull out all the stops in worship on Easter Sunday, but then we seem to immediately go back…