John R. Gower and the Culture of Turn-of-the-Century Free Will Baptists (1/3)
Much of the history of Free Will Baptists in the nineteenth century is limited to analyzing the events that occurred within the movement but fails to connect the hopes, dreams, pursuits, and fears of our movement fully to the broader cultural and political context. In this essay, I provide some context to the culture of Free Will Baptists at the turn of the twentieth century by considering the life of John R. Gower, a farmer, social...
Sports in the Modern Era: 20th Century-Present
by Joshua R. Colson & Brandon K. Presley Over the course of three previous articles (here, here, and here), we have covered the shifting nature of how Christians wrestled with sports throughout the first 1700 years of church history. Prior to the 16th century, the primary concerns with which Christians grappled were how closely sporting events were tied to idolatry (particularly for the early church) and how many sporting events...
The Heart of Ministry: Pastoral Reflections on 1 Thessalonians 2:1–8
When reading the second half of Acts recently, I was struck by the commitment of Paul and his companions to press on in ministry no matter the opposition they faced. A good example of this point occurs in Acts 16–18. Just after the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), Paul and Silas set out for Paul’s second missionary journey. In Acts 16, they added Timothy as a companion in ministry and soon ended up in Troas. In Troas, Paul had a vision by...
Examining the Language of “Election” in the New Testament (2/2)
My previous article examined the language of “election” in the New Testament in relation to the believer’s salvation, arguing that God has elected individual believers in Christ from eternity past by His foreknowing their faith unto the end of eternal life. This article treats the language of election more broadly. The first portion of this second article concerns the believer’s election as well, focusing particularly on the topics of...
Why Meet? A Brief Defense of Religious Meetings
“Not another meeting.” So goes the sentiment of millions of busy Americans every day. In the wake of COVID-19, “Zoom fatigue” has become a problem responsible companies must guard against. Our weariness with meetings is perhaps rivaled only by our wariness toward meetings. If we are not exhausted by them, we are certainly skeptical of their importance and benefits. Religious people have good reasons to second-guess their exhaustion or...
A Kindergarten Homeschool Year in the Rearview
As public schools become less and less of a viable option for many Christian families, interest in alternative schooling options is increasing. Christian private schools remain financially unattainable for many (especially for larger families). Homeschooling, on the other hand, can be incredibly intimidating for those without direct experience or exposure to what homeschooling looks like from day to day. The internet has been an...
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