Tag: church
Are Christians Being Persecuted During the Coronavirus Lockdown?
Posted on May 20, 2020 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom, Theology by Nathan Cherry
It’s understandable that a robust discussion is taking place, after all, unlike a grocery store where you walk in, get your items and walk out without much personal interaction. Meeting as a church family has a higher degree of risk. The church sings together, sending breathe and saliva into the room. The church is prone to close contact such as handshakes and hugging, the same behavior that caused the virus to spread so rampantly in Italy.
Thinking Biblically About When to Baptize Children
Posted on December 12, 2018 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
In a country like the United States, where easy believe-ism has produced false converts and cultural Christianity that seems to identify more with the American flag and White House than with the Scriptures and church house, this view is understandable. It’s almost a necessary evil.
Sunday: Is It The Lord’s Day or Just Another Day for Sports and Recreation?
Posted on May 22, 2018 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
There’s no doubt we are all aware of how sports has become a god in our culture. Kids sports are no different. It has often been noted that parents will drive for miles, sit out in the cold or rain, and spend large sums of money for their kids to play a game. The dedication parents and kids have to sports is admirable. But, as it’s often been noted, the same dedication doesn’t exist for the church.
2 Ways the Church Makes Being a Christian Hard
Posted on April 12, 2018 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Prior to the 19th century there was no such thing as an altar call. It might surprise many to know the church, even the American church, never used such a method. And yet, the American church experienced tremendous growth. But Finney wanted more. He wanted to see people saved immediately and sought to use the altar call (he called it the “anxious bench”) to create an emotional response from people. The unintended consequence, however, was to change the way Christians think about evangelism.
I Am Tired of Evangelical Christians
Posted on March 1, 2018 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Most of all, I’m tired of the sin in my own heart. It calls to me daily to enjoy a moment of pleasure and forget about the season of death that will follow. I struggle daily to kill the sin that lives in me. The battle is never ending and tiring. My soul is weary. My heart is heavy.
What makes it harder is that Christians largely don’t know how to “bear one another’s burdens.” We’re too busy being judgmental.
From One Pastor to Another: Don’t Wait to Get Your Financial House in Order
Posted on February 27, 2018 in Money, Theology by Nathan Cherry
I recently learned of a pastor that retired from ministry and told his wife they had enough money for 7-8 years. He then got brain cancer and died shortly after retiring, leaving his wife with medical bills and financial concerns. What could he have done differently? Who could he have asked for guidance to avoid this scenario?
I get the impression that many pastors think they don’t have enough money to work with a financial professional.
Why Letting Your Kids “Figure It Out” is a Bad Idea
Posted on December 20, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
I confess that I don’t understand the impulse to “let kids figure it out” for themselves. Not only does this go against the biblical imperative to teach and train our kids, it goes against our instinct as parents.
When Can Hobbies and Recreation Be A Bad Thing?
Posted on November 30, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
When we can’t make it to church on Sunday, it’s not a problem because we “live under grace” and God’s okay with it. The end result is a Christian that sees Sunday morning as the primary time to “be a Christian” but doesn’t attend faithfully (which is okay) because of distractions and recreations.
This is an issue that stirs up all sorts of trouble with Christians. Accusations of legalism and judgment abound when someone starts stepping on toes regarding recreation. It’s hard to comprehend Christians getting angry over someone saying they should be faithful to their Christian duties. Welcome to modern America.
If I Get To Define Grace We Are All in Trouble
Posted on November 7, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
In some ways, American Christians have bought into the false teaching that it’s important to feed their self-worth. We’ve become so caught up in making sure we love ourselves, and making sure everyone else does too, that we’ve created our own personal idol out of our self-worth. We end up projecting our idea of grace onto the church…
Altar Call? What’s An Altar Call?
Posted on August 1, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The preacher would end his sermon by saying “every head bowed and every eye closed.” I knew that the next few minutes would be spent listening to the pianist play “Just As I Am” on the piano while the preacher encouraged people to come down front and pray. At some point the preacher would inevitably say “if you want to be saved, repeat this simple prayer after me,” after which he would recite the “sinners prayer” from memory. Then, with every head bowed and every eye closed, the preacher would ask if anyone said that prayer. He would ask people that said the prayer to raise their hand while assuring them that “no one will see and no one will approach you.”
That might be a familiar routine to you. You also might be wondering what it is and why some churches do it.
First, let’s talk about the history of the altar call and how it came to be a sacred ritual in many churches today. An article at Christianity Today shares some of the history of the altar call: