Article
Is Socialism a Biblical Concept?
by Matthew W. Bassford Much to my surprise, for the first time that I can remember since the Cold War, there is a flurry of national interest in socialism. As someone who is a student of history, this concerns me. As someone who is politically unaligned, I’m not sure what to do about it. I…
Read MoreTwo Genders
by Terry Wane Benton Male and female made He them (Genesis 1-2). God said it and did it. That settles it. There is no third and fourth gender option. I was not able to “decide my gender.” That was fixed at the moment of conception. I operate under the fact of my gender assigned by…
Read MoreExpository Teaching
by Joanne Beckley I find that expository preachers often do not really ask, What’s the purpose of this sermon? What should it do in people’s lives? If you say, “Why are you preaching on Romans 5?” some preachers answer, “Well, because last week I was in Romans 4. Next week I’ll be in Romans 6.”…
Read More“It Is Written”: Reflections on Authority, CENI and Grace
by Doy Moyer Those claiming to be Christians will make the claim on the basis of what they believe the Scriptures teach. This is so, regardless of how far right or left on the spectrum of thought they find themselves. This is not to say that all interpretations are correct or that as long as…
Read MoreWhat Is Your Attitude Toward Brethren Whose Children Go Wrong?
by Peter J. Wilson via Truth Magazine, May 3, 2001 The rearing of children at any age is a fearful responsibility. God entrusts into our care a soul (worth more than the whole world) wrapped in a tiny body. While that child is a gift from God (Psalms 127:3; Genesis 33:5), we are really stewards of that…
Read MoreMerciless Progressivism
by Matthew W. Bassford The other day, I read a fascinating op-ed, “The Cruelty of Call-Out Culture” by David Brooks. It tells the story of a member of a punk-rock band who called out the band’s lead singer for sending an unwelcome, explicit photograph to a woman, leading to his banishment from the punk-rock scene.…
Read MoreBaptized but Not Converted
by Fred Shewmaker Years ago in a home Bible study, the couple with whom we were studying complained that the words I was using were too big. Being somewhat inexperienced in home Bible studies, I was surprised by their complaint. The words about which they were complaining were all words found in the Bible. I…
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit and My Feelings
by Doy Moyer It’s not good theology to attribute to the Holy Spirit that which the Holy Spirit never attributes to Himself. Doing so results in both faulty and contradictory claims, and this is exactly what we often see. Feelings get attributed to the Spirit, which are then contradictory to the feelings of others who…
Read MoreThe Kingdom of God Is Within You
by Bryan Matthew Dockens According to Jesus, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). Contrary to popular theory, the establishment of God’s kingdom would not be a visible event. The coronation of Christ…
Read MoreCleaning Out the Barn
by Mark McCrary Growing up, this was the job I hated the most (and, hate is not too strong a word). Three times a week I had to clean out the feed room in the barn. That includes everything you think would be included. It was a stinky, unpleasant job. I did it because it…
Read MoreJesus versus Muhammad
by Terry Wane Benton Due to sin, there was a need for Jesus. He came to deal with the inward issue of sin. He was prophesied to come to deal with sin (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 53). Muhammad only made sin worse as he was a sinner. Jesus worked miracles to prove His words were from…
Read MoreJesus and the Passover
by Alan Feaster “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). Jesus, we know without a doubt was in the grave for three days, it was prophesied many times. When we say three days,…
Read MoreYou Can Be Loved But Not Yet Accepted
by Terry Wane Benton God loves the lost and seeks to save them. They are not saved and accepted just because God loves them. Love longs for reconciliation, but just because God loves us it does not mean we are reconciled to God. God demonstrated His love by giving His only Son for us (John…
Read MoreAged Preachers – “Seeking an Answer”
by Travis Main via Church of Christ Articles Baptisms and burials: over a lifetime, the preacher performed a great number of these. From Genesis to Revelation, his words carefully uttered the precepts of God. His hair was once full, and his face youthfully smooth. Now his hair sports only grey, and wrinkles outline his face. God…
Read MoreThe Rationale of the Tolerant
by Warren Berkley via Truth Magazine – May 16, 1974 The idea of sinking all our differences into a sea of “love” and sweet tolerance and uniting in division seems to be rapidly reaching every part of the religious world. Denominational bodies who have formerly harbored revenge are now skillfully defending latitudinarianism and independence of…
Read MoreA Godly View of Sin
by Sewell Hall “What happened to sin?” This question, occasionally asked these days, can be answered with another question: “Whatever happened to God?” When people lose sight of God, sin cannot be far behind. The World’s View of Sin Worldly people usually have in mind some vague definition of sin. In their view murder is…
Read MoreVerdict on the Resurrection
by Ray Madrigal via Guardian of Truth – April 4, 1991 Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict? In these closing statements, I will briefly summarize the evidence that you are asked to weigh. Since this case is one of history, I shall appeal t Verdict on the Resurrection o the…
Read MoreFalse Dichotomies
by Gardner Hall A false dichotomy is treating two different principles or ideas as mutually exclusive when they are not, or an issue or group of issues as the only options when there are others. In a controversy, the use of false dichotomies often involves a demand to choose one principle or the other when…
Read MoreIgnoring Shemaiah
by Matthew W. Bassford Of all the leaders in the Bible, Nehemiah is one of my favorites. He confronts a wide variety of problems, but through them all, he remains steadfast in his purpose, trusts God, and eventually achieves success. One of Nehemiah’s most revealing actions, though, is something that he does not do. Nehemiah…
Read MoreFaithfulness, Not Perfection
by Matthew W. Bassford Over the past few weeks, Shawn and I have spent Sunday mornings explaining how it is that we can know that we are heaven-bound for certain. We’ve seen that we can put our confidence in the powerful sacrifice of Jesus and in the perfect forgiveness of God. However, that doesn’t quiet the…
Read MoreThe Spirit Speaks
by Terry W. Benton The Spirit speaks completely through the scriptures. The Spirit gave the Scriptures so that we would know what the apostles knew (Ephesians 3:3-5). We can know all that the Spirit revealed to Paul, read it, and then know all he knew. That is no small matter because the Word of God…
Read MoreMiracles Then Versus Now
by Terry W. Benton When Jesus worked miracles, nobody could deny it. Unbelievers tried to explain them away, but they could not deny a miracle happened. Jesus raised the dead, healed the lame, opened blind eyes, turned water to wine, walked on water, healed the dying at great distances, and all of it instantaneously. There…
Read MoreThe Church Treasury
by Terry W. Benton Consider the following quote from a house-church denominationalist: It is true that the disciples were instructed to treasure up some things, “And concerning the collection that [is] for the saints, as I directed to the assemblies of Galatia, so also ye — do ye; on every first [day] of the week,…
Read MoreChurch Issues and Love
by Edward O. Bragwell Throughout church history, divisive issues have arisen among Christians, even to this present day. While this should concern us, it should not cause excessive alarm. They are to be expected. After all, the apostle Paul wrote in the First Century: “For, in the first place, when you assemble as a church,…
Read MoreFear or Faithfulness?
by Matthew W. Bassford From an earthly perspective, many of the prophets of the Old Testament got a raw deal. On this list, we certainly must include Jeremiah. He was forbidden to marry and have a family, he couldn’t attend parties or funerals, and he prophesied in a time that was utterly hostile to his…
Read MoreAn Inquiry into Baptism
Sprinkling, Pouring, or Immersion, Which Shall It Be? by Jefferson David Tant Introduction Since the Bible teaches that baptism is an essential part of my relationship with Christ (Mark 16:16; Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3-5, etc.), then it behooves me to make sure that my baptism is pleasing to the one who has given the ordinance. …
Read MoreBe Careful Assigning God’s Judgments
by Doy Moyer A hurricane just demolished a town; it must be the judgment of God. Sickness took the life of this person; God must be judging. Some really bad things happened it seemed all at once; surely God is judging. Not so fast. We are not in a position to make such sweeping pronouncements.…
Read MoreChristianity that Is Appealing to Atheists
by Forrest Antemesaris I was a happy atheist. I didn’t sense a need for any kind of religion in my life. However, I wasn’t completely closed-minded toward religion. I visited a Baptist service, a Catholic Mass, and dabbled in the teachings of Buddhism (my favorite at the time). Yet, religion in all of its forms…
Read MoreSpiritual Wisdom and the Internet
by Matthew W. Bassford The Internet is one of the most powerful inventions in human history. If we use it to seek the Lord, it can accomplish great things for Him. Without the Internet, I certainly wouldn’t be able to blog, and I probably wouldn’t be able to write hymns. This is to say nothing,…
Read MoreA Review of Recent Arguments for Women Preachers
by Wayne Jackson Every significant movement within society will eventually, to some degree, make itself felt in the church. The phenomenon of “women’s liberation” is no exception. There are those within the body of Christ who are clamoring that women must throw off the yoke of male domination and claim their rightful place in the…
Read MoreA Study of Heaven
by Wayne Jackson Is heaven real? If so, how does one know? In spite of bogus claims of having visited heaven, such as that professed by Ellen G. White of Seventh-day Adventist fame (1945, 32ff), no one has died, gone to heaven, and returned to earth to tell of the experience (cf. II Corinthians 12:1-10). All…
Read MoreMade to be Sin
by Doy Moyer Sometimes I am struck with the beauty of a passage while, at the same time, humbled by the fact that its fullness and depth are out of my reach. The passage becomes a never-ending source of thought, ideas, and encouragement. Such is the case for me with II Corinthians 5:21 — “For…
Read MoreThe Problem with Jeroboam II
by Matthew W. Bassford In any secular history book, Jeroboam II would look like a successful king. He reigned for 41 years in an age when the length of a reign correlated with political power. Militarily, he was one of the greatest commanders among the monarchs of Israel. During his reign, he brought the seesaw…
Read MoreThe Real Issue in Modesty
by Doy Moyer I see a variety of discussions about modesty. Often they seem to devolve into disputes about issues like women’s empowerment, men’s lustful habits, and where exactly the lines on the body should be. I have no interest in starting another such dispute, so let’s not go there. What I do want to…
Read MoreLimping Between Two Opinions
by Matthew W. Bassford The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is one of the most famous in the book of I Kings. Even though the direction of the book is generally downward, I Kings 18 contains a moment of spiritual triumph. However, even before the triumph takes place, there are still lessons…
Read MoreCome on Over
by Emma Wyatt When I was newlywed, my husband asked if we could invite the visiting preacher over for supper one night. I panicked. I said no. I had just barely learned to cook. And everyone knows the only appropriate meal to feed a preacher is a pot roast, right? I didn’t know how to…
Read MoreNever Give Up
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton He first contacted me because he was struggling with sexual sins. Conversations were not the greatest because English was his second language and I could not speak his. There was also a cultural gap because he only knew the Orthodox church and its teachings. It was also frustrating because he would…
Read MoreBearing Sins
by Doy Moyer I was reading in Matthew and this caught my attention and my mind began to chase the rabbit down the hole. Maybe others have made this point: “That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who…
Read MoreWhen Is a Baptism Valid?
by Matthew Bassford Seven or eight years ago, I got a call from a brother in St. Louis who asked me to study with his mother. I set up the study and began, as I usually do, by asking her questions about her religious background. She explained that she had been brought up in a…
Read MoreJesus’ Approach to Authority
by Terry W. Benton Here was Jesus’ approach to authority: The Son can do nothing of Himself (positive authority must allow the action). But what He sees the Father do (Divine precedent or example). The Father shows Him all things that He Himself does (John 5:19-20). Thus, Jesus placed a lot of emphasis upon example and the authority of…
Read More