Private Conversations First?

by Matthew W. Bassford Recently, I posted a critique of John Mark Hicks’s book Searching for the Pattern. This generated a number of interesting responses, one of which came in a private message from a good-hearted brother. He asked me if I had gone to Hicks privately with my objections before raising them publicly. He…

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Your responses are harsh and demeaning

Question: I am writing this because I came across your website and read through a few of the responses to people’s questions. While we are told to snatch others from the fire, the responses to these people are so harsh and demeaning, I don’t at all see the reflection of Christ in them. These people…

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Dealing with Criticism

by Mike Grushon One of the persistent problems young people must overcome is criticism from adults. Paul exhorted Timothy to conduct himself in such a way that he would give no one a basis of truth for such criticism (I Timothy 4:12). Unfortunately, some choose to criticize the young even if they do not provide…

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Responding to Other’s Comments

by Doy Moyer Among the works of the flesh are strife, outbursts of anger, dissensions, and divisions (Galatians 5:20). There seems to be a great deal of this in the world, and that should not surprise us. But there also seems to be much of this among those claiming to follow Christ. I’d like to…

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To Call or Not to Call

by Jefferson David Tant Names, that is. For some time brethren have discussed whether or not we can mention denominational names in our preaching. Some say we offend and drive people away when we mention the teachings of the Catholic or Baptist churches, etc. While we agree that such can be abusive and mean-spirited, is…

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What kind of critic are you?

by Doy Moyer People are critics of others. Right or wrong, good or bad, people will criticize. We all do it. But there are good and bad ways to go about this. Not all critics are the same. Not all share the same credibility or show the same levels of concern. Think about it on…

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Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ

by Matthew W. Bassford As you work your way through Romans, hopefully, the extraordinary quality of the epistle becomes obvious. The Book of Romans has changed the course of human history, and with good reason. The substance of Paul’s argument is astonishing in its scope, and the skill with which he argues is no less…

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Love It or Leave It

by Ed Harrell Vanguard Vol 3, No 21, November 11, 1977 It is difficult to keep one’s thinking truly un-denominational. Proud, carnal attitudes constantly make their way into spiritual affairs. The sources of jealousy and strife today are the same carnal attitudes that plagued the Corinthian church (I Corinthians 3:1-5). I think few people have…

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Button That Pocket, Soldier!

by Jefferson David Tant A retired Army officer recalled an incident when he inspected some recruits who had just finished basic training. He stood right in front of one, making the young man quite nervous. The officer noted an unbuttoned pocket flap on the private’s shirt, and barked out in his best authoritative voice, “Button…

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How Do You Show Love?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/How-Do-You-Show-Love.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 5:6-21   I.         It seems that today, showing another person love means never telling them they are wrong or criticizing them any way             A.        People claim to be offended if other person disagrees with them or points out a flaw in their behavior                         1.         Islamaphob! Homophob! Etc.                         2.         To take a…

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