Tag: theology
Theologian James White Explains How Christians Should Think About Islam and Muslims
Posted on December 8, 2015 in Family, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
There is no doubt that Muslims, Islam, and ISIS are front and center in the news. All of us will – if we haven’t already – have a conversation about whether these people are one and the same or if they can be separated. The talking points are reaching a fever pitch as political candidates are calling for deportations and registries here in the US for Muslims that want to be in our country. With all the noise it can be hard for Christians to know what the proper, biblical attitude toward Muslims should be. I confess that I have struggled with knowing exactly how the situation should be handled. (I’m thankful I’m not in a position where my opinion matters.)
I found this short video featuring world-renowned scholar James White helpful. In the video, posted on YouTube, White discusses some basics about Islam and a starting point for Christians that want to think through the issue. On one hand we want to extend the love of Christ and be a visual example of the Gospel to people trapped in a dark and violent religion. On the other hand we want to protect our family, our friends, and our country from people that seemingly hate us and want to inflict unending violence against us. That is not an enviable position.
Take a few moments to listen to Dr. White explain a good starting point for us as Christians as we think through this difficult and highly controversial issue. We need to have more than raw emotions and political talking points when we discuss Islam and Muslims. Our theology must carry over to this issue. Dr. White’s thought will help with that. I hope you find this as helpful as I did. (If the video doesn’t appear automatically, please refresh your browser.)
Weak Preaching Has Left Millennials with Weak Theology. Will They Weaken the Church?
Posted on October 20, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The reality is that the churches’ silence on many of the difficult, controversial topics of our day has created a vacuum that is being filled by secularists and others that see the Bible as a book of fairy tales. Because more pastors are not willing to address tough topics – they don’t produce warm fuzzies – many young believers are left to fend for themselves when it comes to being educated about these topics. The drive inside many churches to avoid conflict is a misguided attempt to produce unity. Pastors believe if they only focus on the main issues in Scripture that the church will be united. Two decades of this mentality has proven otherwise.
I’ll be the first to say that issues such as abortion, gay marriage, gender identity and immigration are tough. Some of these the Bible speaks directly to; others are not so clear. But the one thing I am absolutely convinced of is that clear guidance can be gleaned from the pages of Scripture. But it takes a man dedicated to clearly communicating what the Bible does say about these topics, and a willingness to teach the biblical principles concerning each topic regardless of public opinion.
A Millennial Writes an Open Letter to the Church. And He Nails It!
Posted on July 29, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Church “experts” and analysts seem to be in a frenzy trying to figure out how to keep millennials from walking away from the church. There’s a panic to discover the strategic secret to making sure those younger generations stay connected, attending, and active in church.
The result has been a whole-sale failure on the part of the church.
Before anyone gets too mad at me, understand that I was part of the problem. I watched church trends and attended really cool conferences and seminars to learn new tips and tricks to bringing young families in and keeping them. What I’ve come to realize is that no matter how hard the church tries to keep millennials – they will eventually walk away IF they’ve never had a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
You see, the problem is not the church format, or ministries, or anything inside the church. The problem is what’s going on inside the people inside the church. Too many people inside the church have never encountered Jesus and been saved from their sin.
Now, don’t get me wrong. If you’re still preaching topical sermons from a King James Bible after you sing every verse of 5 hymns from a dusty hymnal then your church has some problems. But those problems are just symptoms of a larger problem. The root cause can be found by looking into the hearts of the people and seeing that many that claim to be saved are in fact lost.
So trying to start new – really cool – ministries, or change the format is like putting a band aid over a gunshot wound; it simply won’t help.
I was encouraged by a recent article in which a young millennial encouraged the church to stop trying to be cool and simply preach the Gospel and address tough issues from a biblical perspective. There’s a novel idea.
New Research Shows Christians Aren’t Reading Their Bibles. Thanks Captain Obvious!
Posted on July 14, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
You are never going to believe this. A new study reveals a major problem among Christians and those who regularly attend church> It’s probably not what you are thinking either.
Sure, we all have problems, no one is perfect and no one goes through a day without making a mistake. But one of the biggest problems plaguing Christians right now could very well be the source of many other issues happening among the family, community, and culture.
According to a new LifeWay Research study, only about 45% of people that claim to attend church regularly say they read the Bible more than once a week. In other words, 55% of people attending church regularly don’t pick their Bible up at any other time than on Sunday. A recent article reports:
Why Does Having a Gay Kid Change a Parents Theology?
Posted on February 5, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
A headline caught my attention a couple of weeks ago. The headline reads “Evangelicals with gay children challenge church.” Being an active participant in the effort to strengthen marriage and convey the biblical definition and image of marriage God designed to the next generation, I couldn’t help but read the article.
The story is about parents, Rob and Linda Robertson, whose 12-year old son Ryan told them he was gay. The Robertson’s sought o help their son by loving him, seeking counseling for him, and through church participation. Sadly though, at age 18, after a six year battle that eventually led to drug use, Ryan overdosed and died.
What strikes me about this story is not the circumstances, the Robertson’s story is one of many that are very similar. (That is a tragic reality of our culture.) Instead, I am struck by the Robertson’s response. They are seeking to help the church change the way it responds to evangelical kids that come out as gay. In essence, the Robertson’s want Christian parents to affirm their kids’ homosexual lifestyle.
Linda Robertson recently said:
Recent Survey Discovers the Most Popular Heresies Among Evangelical Christians
Posted on November 11, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
As my church prepares to begin walking through the book of Ecclesiastes on Sunday mornings, I am already reminded of Solomon’s oft-repeated phrase: “There’s nothing new under the sun.”
That phrase comes to mind as I read the results of a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research for Ligonier Ministries concerning the theological beliefs of evangelical Christians. These views, heretical at best, show the lack of theological training and how it has caused a host of ancient heresies to resurface today.
Here is a list of some of the troubling statistics:
In recent years blogger Rachel Held-Evans has amassed a following of sorts. Mostly for her neo-evangelical views that continue to move away from biblical theology and increasingly embrace a more liberal doctrine. She has publicly embraced homosexuality as compatible with Christian doctrine and appears to hold serious contempt for the Complementarian view of gender given in the Bible.
But the evidence that Evans is straying into a liberal theology rife with dangerous ideas can be seen in her “God as Mother” language used in an article that is now two years old. Like many people, I missed the article when it first came out but recent reviews of it by Owen Strachan and Karen Swallow Prior caught my eye. In the article Evans says:
“Mary was not the first, nor the last, mother to hold the broken body of her child in her arms. … And, because of today, because of the cross, it is a pain that God Herself understands.”
Did you see the two little words that have very big implications?
How Should Christians Think About Education?
Posted on June 11, 2014 in Home School, Theology by Derick Dickens
What is a great education? Some people may envision an Ivy League degree or an “A” student who belongs to the honor society. But as Christians, education is more than memorizing facts and being able to answer mathematical equations. These are all good, and they do makeup part of the educational process, but they are not education; education is more substantial.
Part of the problem is that there is a diminishing definition of education. Today, people have relegated education to a diploma and reading, writing, and arithmetic, but this minimalist view of education is destroying the soul of true education, replacing it with a cookie cutter approach, test focused studies, and ideals that fail to educate.
There are many distinct offerings for education that is often missed, but today we will explore three.
Education is Theological and Spiritual
Can Evangelicalism Win America?
Posted on April 30, 2014 in Theology by Derick Dickens
Original article posted here.
When John Ockenga* noted in 1947 that fundamentalism was found wanting because, “fragmentation, segregation, separation, criticism, sensoriousness, suspicion, solecism is the order of the day for fundamentalism” he was spot-on.
However, the solution that Ockenga supplied, called evangelicalism, is also found wanting because through unity they have destroyed distinctions of the church–making her ineffective.
Evangelicalism was, after all, a response against fundamentalism’s hard line stances on non-essential doctrine, moralism and harsh condemnations. In some regards, Evangelicalism was a welcomed response that was both conservative and respectful.
What came about, though, was a watering down of theology to the lowest common denominator. In some ways, they avoided fragmentation, segregation, separation, criticism, sensoriousness, suspicion and solecism, but they did not avoid other vital issues which caused them to be susceptible to error.