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Ad Hominem Arguments
by Doy Moyer One of the most common logical fallacies is the ad hominem. It occurs when a person attacks the character of another rather than addressing the argument. There are many ways this happens, but one that I have seen several times is in questioning the honesty of one who differs. You don’t agree…
Read MoreFather’s Day
by Ray Warfel, Jr. Today is Father’s Day, so naturally, I’ll start by mentioning Mother’s Day. Last month, on Mother’s Day, in my Sunday sermon, I highlighted various moms. Moms from long ago, moms who are a blessing, moms who never had children, moms to children who are not their own, and moms who were…
Read MoreWhen the Guests are Drunk?
by Terry Wane Benton Does John 2:10 say and mean “when the guests are drunk” as the NET so renders, or does the verse have a different connotation? My Interlinear renders this “have well drunk,” which is a far different meaning than “are drunk.” The interlinear rendering means only that they had a lot of…
Read MoreJesus, the Great Redeemer
by Doy Moyer To be redeemed is to be set free from an oppressive circumstance, generally by payment of a ransom price. Scripture tells a story of redemption, where people are set free from sin, purchased by the blood of Christ, and made again into a new creation fit for God’s service. Many passages claim…
Read MoreJust What Exactly Are the Standards?
by Terry Wane Benton I got a notice from the powers that be that I would not be able to do anything for one hour because I did something (like publish a good post with biblical and godly standards) that did not comport with their “community standards.” They didn’t say exactly what I did wrong,…
Read MoreA Living Hope
by Terry Wane Benton What is a “living hope?” Peter says we have this living hope “through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead” (I Peter 1:3). Thus, the resurrection of Jesus forms the basis of hope. When Jesus returned from the grave, it brought a dead hope to life and made it a “living”…
Read MoreCan Pets Become Idols?
by Terry Wane Benton I think we can see an unhealthy attachment to anything becomes a form of idolatry, the same as covetousness for money becomes a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5). When our love for animals gets in the way of doing what God says, it can become a form of idolatry. We hear…
Read MoreThe Judge Is Standing at the Door
by Terry Wane Benton “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door” (James 5:9). Don’t forget that the Judge is not off in some distant land attending to more important matters than our words and attitudes. He is standing…
Read MoreMy sister is too tired to attend worship
Question: Hello Minister, My question is, what should I do about my younger sister, who came to me in private about her walk? She is a young single mother who is getting by in life. She works all the time and is very tired on Sunday mornings. She only goes to church once every couple…
Read MoreDoes Love Sanctify?
by Adam Litmer The following question was submitted for consideration. “I was recently in a conversation where someone claimed that genuine love sanctifies homosexual relationships. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that in the moment. Would you mind offering some thoughts?” I’m happy to offer a few thoughts. The statement about genuine love “sanctifying”…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Help
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
Read MoreThis Will Turn Out
by Terry Wane Benton “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19). He had a mob of angry Jews trying to kill him in Jerusalem and in route to Caesarea, was kept in prison at Caesarea for two…
Read MoreAre Translations Authorized?
by Doy Moyer Perhaps this seems like an odd question, but it is good to think about this. Since most people are not going to learn Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, the only way they are going to hear God’s word at all will be through translations. But how do we show that translations can still…
Read MoreLiteral or Dynamic Translations
by Doy Moyer It should go without saying that we want to have accurate Scripture translations. For many, that means wanting a “word for word” (aka literal) translation instead of a more “thought for thought” (aka dynamic) translation. While some translations get closer to doing that than others (e.g., NASB vs NIV), the truth is…
Read MoreAre Preachers Ministers?
by Terry Wane Benton Yes! They are not the only ministers in the church, but they minister in a certain way; they serve in teaching and edifying the church’s role. They minister the gospel to the lost and the saved. That is a certain way of ministering, but the average church member is a minister…
Read MoreThe King James Translators’ Thoughts on Bible Translations
by Doy Moyer I recommend reading the translators’ preface to the King James Version of 1611. It’s easily found online, and some older King James Bibles may contain it. It helps provide some context when trying to see the value in various translations. People today make claims about KJV that the translators did not make.…
Read MoreDo Newer Translations Leave Out Verses?
A meme has been passed around a good bit, usually with a warning that these newer versions, like the NIV, have removed certain phrases and verses. This is quite misleading and does not comport with how translations work and why certain phrases and passages are “missing.” The truth is, one could just as well argue…
Read MoreLaw of God and Law of Moses: Are They the Same?
by Terry Wane Benton Seventh-Day Adventists have long made the claim that the “law of God” is the moral and permanently binding “Ten Commandments” that were kept inside the ark of the covenant, while claiming that the “law of Moses” was different. They claim it was “ceremonial” law and placed “in the side of the…
Read MoreDon’t Be a Peninnah
by Terry Wane Benton Peninnah provoked Hannah severely to “make her miserable” (1 Sam.1:6). If you don’t have anything better in life to do than to make someone miserable, you have made yourself pretty worthless. The story shows a serious flaw in the arrangement of polygamy, but it also shows a flaw in personal character.…
Read MoreIf Baptism Was a Work
by Terry Wane Benton The claim is made that baptism cannot be part of the salvation process (the process from lost sinner to saved and justified in Christ) because it is claimed that “baptism is a work” and “we are saved through faith and not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, this claim is very faulty…
Read MoreReceiving the Grace of God in Vain
by Terry Wane Benton Have you thought about the fact that you could have received the grace of God in vain? That is a very real possibility. How can we receive it in vain? “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain” (II…
Read MoreJesus, Our Mediator and Intercessor
by Doy Moyer When we consider what Jesus does for us as His people, two terms are used to help us understand why it is so important to trust Him. Scripture teaches that Jesus is both our Mediator and our Intercessor. Let’s consider these terms. Jesus Is Our Mediator “For there is one God, and…
Read MoreIf We Taught More About Grace
by Terry Wane Benton If we taught more about grace, we would teach people to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. Paul told Titus that the grace of God had already appeared to all men. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). Now, what does grace teaching look…
Read MoreHow Do I Choose a Church?
by Johnny O. Trail One radio station in Nashville does nothing but talk radio. As an avid talk radio listener, I am always interested in the questions and comments of those who call in. On one show, the host deals exclusively with emails that listeners have sent in. The other day, one that caught my…
Read MoreA Manifesto for Myself on Social Media
by Doy Moyer Please note that these are thoughts I’m mulling over for my own growth and attitude as I think about culture. If you disagree with anything here, that’s fine. I ask for respect and consideration, but you are also perfectly free to ignore this. This is in first person because they really are…
Read MoreTen of the Best-Known Early English Hymns
by Wayne S. Walker Our English word “hymn” comes from a Greek term (humnos) meaning “a sacred song” and is defined as “a song of praise, adoration, thanksgiving, etc., especially one sung at a religious service.” We often use the term generically to refer to any religious song, but hymnologists make a technical distinction between…
Read MoreJesus, the Perfect Image of God
by Doy Moyer God made human beings, male and female, in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). There are many thoughts about what that entails. We might think about our spiritual nature, moral nature, free will, the ability to reason, and the capacity to love. We can continue, but human beings have several contact points…
Read MoreIf Any of You Lacks Wisdom
by Terry Wane Benton James speaks of the wisdom to see our trials as opportunities to perfect our faith and develop durability, endurance, or patience. We can choose to count it all joy, see how to grow deeper in faith, or we can let the trials beat us down and dishearten us to the point…
Read MoreJosiah and the Book
by Zeke Flores During Josiah’s temple repairs, an astounding find was the impetus of a new force in a revival already underway. The Book of God’s law had been found … by a priest no less! But how long had the Book of the Law been lost? Since Josiah’s great-grandfather Hezekiah led a similar revival,…
Read MorePrejudice in the University
by Ed Harrell Christianity Magazine, Volume 11, #7, August 1994 In a recent book entitled The Soul of the American University: From Protestant Establishment to Established Nonbelief, George M. Marsden of Notre Dame, an evangelical historian, let the cat out of the bag — the only minority in a university that is not free to…
Read MoreManasseh’s Mess
by Zeke Flores Manasseh has the dubious distinction of being Judah’s longest-reigning king, 55 years after assuming the throne at the tender age of 12, and its worst, most wicked king. His father, Hezekiah, instituted many religious reforms that ignited a spiritual revival throughout the kingdom. His son Manasseh undid it all. In fact, not…
Read MoreHeavenly Places in Christ
by Terry Wane Benton I pointed out that Christians are presently “in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3,7), and one preacher, in disbelief, asked, “What is it like in heaven?” He thought he had me stumped for claiming we are presently in “the heavenly places.” His question reveals a disturbing misunderstanding. It is disturbing…
Read MoreYoung King Josiah
by Zeke Flores Think about it: An eight-year-old boy takes the reins of a country but doesn’t shrink back in intimidation. Instead, young Josiah goes head-first into serving his God personally, then nationally. By the time he’s 26, Josiah is leading a full-blown revival not seen since the days of his great-granddaddy Hezekiah. Idols came…
Read MoreJesus, the King of Kings
by Doy Moyer The scriptural concept of kingship starts in Genesis 1. God is the sovereign Creator who made male and female in His image and gave them dominion over the creation (Genesis 1:26-29). The idea is that humanity rules with God according to His will. In the garden, we find God dwelling with Adam…
Read MoreThe Red Heifer
by Terry Wane Benton The Muslims have occupied the place of the Jewish temple with the Dome of the Rock for centuries. There are Jews who want very badly to remove the Muslims and the Dome of the Rock so that the Jews can rebuild a temple in that place. Their temple was destroyed according…
Read MorePomp and Pageantry
by Doy Moyer Pomp and ceremony do not make worship more holy any more than does the physical location. God seeks true worshippers who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). He does not need the inventions of our hands, does not dwell in buildings made with our hands, and is not impressed by our…
Read MoreConstitution and the Bible
Author Unknown (SMH?) Want to know why, increasingly, the church is welcoming easy divorce, women in leadership roles, cohabiting couples, practicing homosexuals, and transgenderism? Perhaps surprisingly, just ask former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer—not that he is a theologian or commentator on church matters, but he might as well be. What he says about the…
Read MoreTwo Sincere Men Want to Evangelize
by Gardner Hall Biblical Insights 14(9) September 2014 The First Man The first emphasizes “the true church,” and when evangelizing, he begins his conversations with others by asking, “How many churches did Jesus build?” Later, he quotes Matthew 16:18 to show that Jesus built only one. It wasn’t the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the Mormon Church,…
Read MoreHe Restrained Them Not (Sanders)
by James Sanders The life of the Old Testament figure, Eli, is remarkable. Eli was a descendant of Ithamar, the fourth son of Aaron, and therefore was of the tribe of Levi. Combined in this man of God were the offices of both High Priest and Judge. It was the first time in Israel that…
Read MoreLive Joyfully!
by Paul Earnhart via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No 2, February 2015 Text: Ecclesiates 9:1-12 The Preacher concluded the eighth chapter with another of his oft-repeated observations that God’s ways are inscrutable to men, however wise (Ecclesiastes 8:17). Job, in his misery, twice asks plaintively: “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of…
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