Southey & Slavery
By Nathan Trimble God often uses ordinary means to accomplish extraordinary feats in culture and in society. And all too often, Christians ignore one of the greatest tools that God has given them, namely, those talents with which He has gifted them. Several examples shine forth through the centuries, which represent attempts to redefine the cultural norms and to effect change in the name of Christ. Robert Southey was such a man. This...
Church Growth: Whose Job Is It Anyway?
Every day junk mail floods church mailboxes luring pastors to jump on the church growth bandwagon. Information on the topic constantly streams forth in the form of seminars, conferences, and books. Pastors and laymen alike are urged to model their church after the newest, trendiest, most popular methods used by other churches. Unfortunately, there is no end in sight for this downward spiral. Many of the concepts of what we know as...
Rebuilding Baptist Identity: Reestablishing the Priesthood of All Believers
Everyone longs for identity. As Christians engage with postmodern culture, many find themselves in the midst of an identity crisis. They realize that their identity lies outside of themselves (rather than the confines of their own perception) and is therefore established within the boundaries of Scripture, the local church, and the greater Christian tradition. The quest for identity has caused evangelicals to rethink who they are and...
Can Positive Thinking Save Your Soul?
In 2006, Rhonda Byrne released a New York Times Bestseller entitled The Secret. This book dominated bookstore shelves, online blogs, and book discussion groups everywhere. The book’s message proclaimed the power of positive thinking. Essentially, if you think positive thoughts, positive things will come your way. You can be healthy, wealthy and wise—just be more positive about your situation. Byrne’s own words are actually more...
Uniting for a Cause: Reestablishing the Local Society
When seeking to right the wrongs in society, many Christians feel helpless in their attempt to effect change. The task seems insurmountable, the problems overwhelming. Yet time and again, people make a difference. Some familiar examples include William Wilberforce and C. S. Lewis. The former dismantled an entire social structure, the English slave trade; and the latter has captured the imaginations of a countless many. Yet the...
First Things for Christian Apologists
For centuries Christians have believed in the need to give a reason for the hope within. Apologetics (the defense and articulation of Christian truth) has produced a great heritage of theological and philosophical resources. In the wake of the legacies of C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer, many have taken up this mantel with remarkable zeal. Apologetics texts burgeoned in the late twentieth century, along with institutes, courses, and...
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