Month: January 2017
West Virginia Mother Wants School Bible Course Ended So Her Daughter Doesn’t Have to Attend
Posted on January 31, 2017 in Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
When I was about 9 years old my elementary school announced that our class, a group of fourth graders, would be taking part in a sex-education course. They sent a letter home to all parents and let them know the dates of the course. This allowed parents to decide whether they wanted their kids to be in the class or not.
My parents decided that they did not want me in the course and signed a form requesting that I be excused from the class during that period.
So, every day during the sex-education class – which only lasted a week or so – I went to another room and did other work while my peers and friends took part in the course.
10 Lessons for Parents to Teach Their Children from John MacArthur
Posted on January 25, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
I recently came across an article sharing the “Ten Crucial Lessons Every Father Should Teach,” from John MacArthur’s book Brave Dad. This list is not only biblically based it’s practical. Furthermore, it’s counter-cultural.
Look, the bottom line is that we live in a society that is upside down. The things that are valued in our culture go against the biblical values that we want to teach. And, in order to combat that anti-biblical teaching our kids are bombarded with in culture we must be diligent in teaching them, clearly, what the Bible says. It won’t happen by accident. And while we should expect our church to reinforce what we are teaching our kids at home, we should not expect our church to be the primary biblical teacher of our kids.
Look at how practical, and counter-cultural, these lessons we need to be teaching our kids are:
The Secret to Church Growth is Out!
Posted on January 24, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Finally, the secret to growing a church has been discovered, and revealed.
Like me, if you have spent time in leadership at your church you have wondered, and discussed, ways to grow the church. You’ve tried to figure out what the “secret” is and how you can see church growth in your church. You’ve looked at programs, discussed strategies, and planned campaigns designed to see exponential and permanent growth. And you are still wondering: what is the key?
Personally, I’ve been concerned that the secret to church growth is having a full head of hair and a Ph.D.; because I have neither. I’ve also been concerned that the secret to quick growth is in cool glasses and skinny jeans and soy-non-fat-mocha-vegan-gluten-free-useless warm brown water. Because, if that’s it…I’m in trouble.
How Would You Answer This Question: What is the Gospel?
Posted on January 18, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
There is much confusion and misinformation in our world about what the Gospel is. Some people think the Gospel is doing good things, living “right” (whatever that means), or going to church once in a while. Many Americans believe that being born in America or in a particular part of the country is enough “Gospel” to save someone. And other, well meaning “church people” would say that the Gospel is doing good deeds as a form of “servant evangelism.”
Still, there’s those pesky mega-preachers that claim to know Jesus and say that the Gospel is loving people. All you gotta do is flash a perfectly white smile, say some fluffy, inspiring cliché’s and, voila, Jesus.
None of this is the Gospel. So the question remains, what is the Gospel?
Do You Know How Much Money You Will Need for Retirement?
Posted on January 17, 2017 in Money by Nathan Cherry
Saving for retirement is not a static event. You can’t merely put a dollar amount into a 401k at age 25 and continue for the next 35 years. Retirement saving is an ever-changing event that will depend on your idea of retirement. For those that want a more quiet retirement at home, less might be needed. And for those that want to travel and buy new things regularly, more might be needed.
Was It Appropriate for National Geographic to Feature a Transgender Child?
Posted on January 11, 2017 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
As a culture and society, we should do everything in our power to protect children. Whether that is protecting the unborn in the womb, or ensuring child predators are stopped, protecting the children of our nation should be a top priority.
For this reason it is alarming to see a well-known publication promoting the dangerous political ideology of transgenderism.
National Geographic recently made the decision to display the image of a 9-year-old boy named Avery on its January 2017 edition. Avery, according to his parents, identifies and lives as a girl.
If You’re Not Praying for the Persecuted Church – Read This!
Posted on January 10, 2017 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Once again Christians were the most persecuted religious group in the world in 2016. This makes several years in a row that Christians have topped the list as the most persecuted religious group.
What this reality tells us is that those who deny Christians are persecuted for their faith are simply not paying attention. Often we hear about Muslims being persecuted, and it is true that Muslims are the second most persecute religious group in the world. But, denying that Christians are persecuted for their faith can only be done out of ignorance. And, interestingly, Muslims are typically persecuted by other Muslims while Christians are persecuted by Muslims, governments, and others.
There is a Difference Between Political Statements and Religious Convictions
Posted on January 5, 2017 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
People should be free to live and do business according to their convictions, even if that means refusing to serve food to Donald Trump supporters.
Some of the Top Articles Concerning Life and Abortion in 2016
Posted on January 3, 2017 in Life by Nathan Cherry
One pro-life outlet that I follow regularly recently did a look back and their top 10 headlines from 2016 and it’s no surprise that 40% of those headlines involved political candidates and the election. Take a look at the list of headlines below and you will realize how broad the issue of life is in our culture. It involves the unborn, the ill, and the aged. The issue of life stretches from the White House to the Church house. This is an issue that touches every aspect of our life and culture and continues to leave a lasting impression on us all.