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Cohabiting Before Marriage
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, June 2001 It has long been observed that marriages that are preceded by “living together” have a markedly higher divorce rate than those that are characterized by abstinence before marriage. One of the reasons that I have advanced is due to the fact that the two are not really one…
Read MoreGlorifying the Word of God
by Jefferson David Tant What comes to mind when you read the phrase “glorifying the Word of God?” That a Christian should live so that his life testifies that the Word is living in him? That’s certainly a valid point. That reminds us of our Lord’s admonition in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before…
Read MoreReligion and Government: Patriotism
by Ken Green Patriotism is defined as “Love for or devotion to one’s country.” Some consider patriotism a form of idolatry. Others wrap the cross in the stars and stripes and make little or no distinction between them. They associate loyalty to their nation with loyalty to God. Many churches display the American flag alongside…
Read MoreIt Is a Small Thing that I Am Judged by You
by Whit and Irma Sasser Sentry Magazine, June 2001 We read the following from I Corinthians 4:3-4, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet l…
Read MoreFreedom in Christ: A Biblical Look at Tithing
by Ajayi Samuel Ojeva “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). Men cherish freedom in every way. However, man is often led from freedom to bondage unaware. Men have been under various yokes of bondage at…
Read MoreDentists and the Gospel Message
by Alan Smith “Open wider,” requested the dentist, as he began his examination of the patient. “Oh, no!” he said. “You’ve got the biggest cavity I’ve ever seen — the biggest cavity I’ve ever seen.” “OK Doc!” replied the patient. “I’m scared enough without you saying something like that twice.” “I didn’t!” said the dentist.…
Read MorePolitics and Religion
by Rodger Trimm Sentry Magazine, September 2001 “Talk about anything but politics and religion” has proven to be wise instructions for many social gatherings. With some trepidation, I will ignore that advice for this article. I’m indebted to two friends, one old and one new, for expanding the perspective of a southern, white, conservative American.…
Read MoreWe Are Not a Religious Non-Denomination
by Terry Campbell Sentry Magazine, September 2001 “Denominationalism” denotes a group of people devoted to a specific religious belief system who assemble under the name of a person, or concept, as their focus within a formal organizational environment governed by those of prominence that hold to that belief system. They have creeds and by-laws that…
Read MoreLabeling Among Brethren
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, September 2001 I don’t like labels. I don’t like pigeon-holing people. There are many reasons. but the chief among them is they rarely convey the message that the label is intended to articulate. Let me provide you with some f’rinstances. The word “Liberal” in the political sense would tend to…
Read MoreParental Abdication
by Jefferson David Tant There are many things that tend to discourage and dishearten those who are striving to teach others, but few things can do the job more effectively than when members allow their children to put school activities and/or selfish desires first in their lives. We wonder if it is possible that some…
Read MoreExamining “Human Rights”
by Jefferson David Tant A familiar phrase to Americans is found in our Declaration of Independence, which says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” You will…
Read MorePersecution (Carter)
Jeff Carter Sentry Magazine, September 2001 In the United States, the church has enjoyed a peaceful existence. Our Federal and State governments allow us to worship freely. However, God does not promise us a carefree, painless life. Very early in his preaching, Jesus promises “Blessed ore those who have been persecuted for the sake of…
Read MoreWhat Is “Forgiveness?”
by Jefferson David Tant We are all familiar with the New Testament’s teaching on “forgiveness.” The book has many exhortations, examples, and commandments concerning this practice. I’m sure we would all agree that the greatest example of forgiveness would be the words uttered on the cross as Christ is about to die a most horrible…
Read MoreGreat Merchants
by Doy Moyer Revelation 18:21-24 gives three reasons for the fall of Babylon: Merchants were great men, “nobility of the earth.” “Nations were deceived by your sorcery,” (Revelation 18:23), and “In her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all those slaughtered on the earth” (Revelation 18:24). Points 2 and 3 are…
Read MoreReligion that Lives in the Past
Author Unknown Sentry Magazine, December 2001 (Editor’s note: I would love to give credit to the author of this excellent piece but there was no name attached to the article. There may have been one on the envelope but when it was detached from the article it became impossible to give proper credit. I wish…
Read MoreGuilty by Association
by Whit Sasser Sentry Magazine, December 2001 Was Jesus sinning when He ate with unfaithful Jewish brethren? Evidently, some thought so (Matthew 11:19), but you and I know it wasn’t true; for Jesus did not sin in anything He did while on the earth (Hebrews 4:15). Did Jesus sin when He ate the “Lord’s Supper”…
Read MoreDoes It Really Make Any Difference?
by Jefferson David Tant In our daily Bible reading, my wife and I have finished Exodus, and are now in Leviticus. Although we had read these books in years past, there are things that have caught my attention that I had not paused to think about before. That is one of the great things about…
Read MoreThere Is No New Thing Under the Sun
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, December 2001 The Scripture says that there is no new thing under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). This is a theme I have been preaching for the twenty-seven years that this little journal has been published. None of the “trends toward apostasy” which are operating among us are new. In fact,…
Read MorePose Pretty
by Jefferson David Tant What do you usually do when someone points a camera at you? If you are like most, you immediately “straighten up” a bit, don’t you? Hair fixed, clothes in good order, and a nice smile on your face. Did you ever wonder why we are like that — why we go…
Read MoreLonging for Home
by Jefferson David Tant Have you ever been gone from home on a long journey? Often there comes a time when you long for home. My wife, Flora, and I have been on many journeys through the years in taking the Good News about Jesus Christ to nations far and near. And there are moments…
Read MoreThe Place of Water Baptism
by Ken Green “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6: 4). Many consider baptism an empty symbol. Let us briefly reflect upon the significance of…
Read MoreDoes the Bible Assume God’s Existence?
by Kenneth J. Wells Sentry Magazine, March 2002 “And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in aflame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great…
Read MoreThe Word of the Lord Endures Forever
by Terry Wane Benton Photo by Chris Liu on Unsplash A serious flaw in modern thinking is that you can dismiss the Bible as the authority on moral issues like adultery, fornication, homosexuality, drunkenness, etc. because the Bible has been corrupted and changed over the centuries. They make this argument, not because they looked at…
Read MoreAnd Then I Prayed
by Forrest D. Moyer Sentry Magazine, March 2002 I really thought there were material things in this life that were important. I saw people living in luxurious furnishings. I saw their fine cars and their exclusive clothing. That seemed important, for a moment at least. Then I saw something else. I saw that so many…
Read MoreWhat Should be Our Appeal?
by Jefferson David Tant Some four or five students from our local high school have been having some Bible studies with me. Some have come for weeks, but one had come only once. I asked her if she would be interested in studying some more. She replied that she preferred to go where they appealed…
Read MoreA Salvation Issue
by Bobby Graham In more recent years some have responded in this way with increasing frequency to our insistence upon adherence to the Scriptural pattern: “Well, it’s not a salvation issue.” It might be a matter of the organization of the local church, the use of women in roles of leadership, or the use of…
Read MoreWhere Is the Scripture?
by Jefferson David Tant In discussions about the Bible and various practices and beliefs of members of churches of Christ, sometimes, the question is asked, “Where does the Bible say that’s wrong?” Various practices prompt the question, with it often being asked concerning the use of instrumental music in our worship. When it is pointed…
Read MoreChildren Are Special
by Doy Moyer According to Jesus, children are special and need to be protected. In Mark 9:36-37, we read this: And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever…
Read MoreAutomatic Forgiveness
by Robert M Hartian Sentry Magazine, June 2002 Schoolmates hung a sign on a high school in West Paducah, Kentucky that read “we forgive you Mike!” Mike Carmeal, 14, the day before, had killed three of his classmates. Dennis Prager, a Jew, covered this story in the Wall Street Journal (December 15, 1997). This immediate…
Read MoreSongs in the Night
by Judy Chappelear Sentry Magazine, June 2002 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken … ” That scripture was taken from Acts 16:25-26. We recall that Paul…
Read MoreLessons from the Old Testament
by Leland R. Ping Sentry Magazine, June 2002 Paul wrote to the church at Rome in Romans 15:4 that “whatever things were written before were written for our learning.” In a simple statement like this, the persecutor-turned-apostle explained the reason for the Old Testament. In light of a statement like this, it is prudent to…
Read MoreWho’s God Looking For?
by Flora Hartsell Tant “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (II Chronicles 16:9). I was just thinking: What or who is God looking for? I remember the words of our dear brother Sewell Hall: “The…
Read MoreBiblical Authority and the Silence of the Scriptures: Does it Allow or Disallow?
by Jefferson David Tant For hundreds of years, believers in the Bible have discussed the question of “the silence of the Scriptures.” Does silence indicate a lack of authority, and thus whatever is not specifically condemned is permissible? Or does silence mean there is no authority for whatever practice is under consideration, and therefore it…
Read MoreThe History of the Institutional Controversy
by Jefferson David Tant Those who have a general knowledge of churches of Christ today are aware of the fact that a division took place during the last half of the 20th Century. This division took place over doctrinal issues concerning the organization, work, and mission of the Lord’s church. In many respects, this division…
Read MoreCitizenship
by Raymond Gonzalez Sr. Sentry Magazine, June 2002 In 1950, a decree went out from the modem state of Israel, granting automatic citizenship to “Jews” in all the world. The purpose was to get as many of the scattered Israelites (Diaspora) back on Holy Ground. Many Jews from Europe, Africa, and the Americas flocked to…
Read MoreListen to Him
by Jefferson David Tant A “breathtaking” event took place in the lives of Jesus’ disciples James, Peter, and John when they went with Christ up a mountain. It was an experience they would never forget “Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a…
Read MoreWe “Have a Name”
by Robert Turner Concerning the church at Sardis, the Lord said, “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Revelation 3:1). Now think, where did they get that “name”? “Name” is here used in the sense of reputation the popular opinion. But the smallness and insignificance of the…
Read MoreFlawed Logic from Marilyn Vos Savant
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, June 2002 I am accepting of people of all sexual orientations, but the following point was made to me recently: “Gay people cannot be normal. If everyone were gay starting tomorrow, the human race would die out, so being gay cannot be nature’s intended way.” I’m having trouble finding a logical…
Read MoreThe Convenience of Sin
by Mark Chatfield Sentry Magazine, June 2002 I was late for an appointment, driving in an unfamiliar part of North Carolina, and my PT Cruiser was beeping at me because it was low on gas. The exit sign said, “Gas 0.5 miles,” but I had already gone more than a mile down the obscure side…
Read MorePrayer
by Jeff Wolverton Sentry Magazine, June 2002 Prayer involves a God-man relationship: man speaking to God. In prayer, the thoughts of man are communicated to the infinite mind of God. God is the Benefactor and man the beneficiary. Prayer is indispensable in leading man from earth to heaven. Prayer involves a God-man relationship, but more…
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