Brown Shins |
Are you supporting
the latest alleged revival, with its goose-bumps, falling over and other
exciting phenomena? Or are you a diehard biblicist with no time for such
things? Too many Christians polarise on this issue. Does it have to be one
or the other in every case?
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Shifting Ground
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Someone has warned,
'It is dangerous to loosen foundation stones'—meaning we should not tinker
with fundamental Christian doctrines. But there are secondary issues
where a change of views may well prove desirable. Here I list some of the
areas of doctrinal understanding where I myself have shifted ground over the
years.
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The Pastor
The Problem
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It has come to be taken for
granted that a local church will have one man at the top: the pastor
(minister, vicar or priest). But in New Testament times there was a very
different arrangement. Is there a case for reviewing the current situation
and reverting to the original pattern? Or does it simply not really matter?
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No Revival—So
What Now?
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For many years it was the
prospect of imminent revival that kept many of the 'new churches' going.
Revival hasn't come and many disillusioned believers are now looking for
something else to inspire them. What church-trends are becoming apparent as
they search? More important, what kind of church should we be aspiring to
be?
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| A Meal of
Vegetables |
Vegetarianism is in vogue and
its supporters are frequently militant. Among them are some Christians who
claim that there is a biblical basis for adopting the veggie lifestyle. They
would advise that before you pop down to Macdonalds for your next quarter-pounder,
you should ask yourself, 'Should I be having a slice of nut-loaf instead?
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| Red Herring
in Galilee |
Israel is one of the world's
trouble-spots, with violence and political conflict never far away. Should
this be more significant for Christians worldwide than, say, conflict in
Burma or the Balkans? And was the establishment of the state of Israel in
1948 a fulfilment of Bible prophecy? Does the answer even matter?
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| Apostolic
Authority |
The ministry of 'apostles' has
been newly recognised in the last 30 years. After initial scepticism, the
church at large now accepts their validity. But there is argument about the
nature of their authority. Is it executive (overruling local church leaders)
or merely advisory?
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| Miserable
Sinners? |
Is it true that, even though we
are God's redeemed people, we are still (in the words of the Prayer Book)
'miserable sinners'? How do we square that with the Bible's teaching that we
are the children of God, seated with Christ on his throne?
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| Breaking
Covenant |
We all deplore 'church-hopping'
because some degree of commitment to a local church is essential if it is to
be 'church' at all by biblical definition and if it is to make real
progress. But some people who have moved on for what they regard as good
reasons have been accused of 'breaking covenant'. Is it a fair accusation?
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| Catching Men |
In charismatic churches,
especially where there's a 'Toronto leaning', it is now common for people to
fall over when prayed for and end up stretched out on the floor. To prevent
them from hurting themselves, 'catchers' are commonly deployed to ease them
to the floor. Is this what Christianity is really about?
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| Organs and
Harps |
In traditional churches, the
organ still reigns supreme. In others it has been replaced by a 'worship
band'. In both cases the music tends to dominate, rather than accompany, the
singing. What is the ideal role of music in praise and worship?
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| Ought for my
Comfort? |
The 'health and wealth' teaching
so popular today reflects the lifestyle of the rich western nations. What
are we to make of the fact that the majority of God's people live in
desperate poverty? And how true is it that true Christianity is a guarantee
of material comforts?
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| Sailcloth and
Stones |
Word-based churches emphasise
the steady exposition of the Bible. Newer churches, by contrast, tend to
focus on the prophetic—what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church at any
given time. But surely the two aren't mutually exclusive?
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| The Oil
Business |
There's much talk these days
about 'anointing'. We have anointed music, anointed preaching and anointed
testimonies. But we use the word too loosely. Often it denotes little more
than a contribution that is loud and enthusiastic. So what exactly does
'anointed' really mean?
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| The Right
Coins |
Some popular preachers would
have us believe that physical healing is consistently available to
believers, provided they have the requisite faith and quote the right
scriptures. It's just a case of having the right coins for the slot machine
that is God. Insert them, and that chocolate bar is yours!
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| The Rod that
Thudded |
Christianity has its fads and
fashions. Today it may be miraculously-provided gold dental fillings;
yesterday it was 'prayer sticks' or angels singing. How are we to view these
changing fashions?
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| Wart
Treatment |
The history of Christianity
shows it to be strong on 'isms': Calvinism, Arminianism, Dispensationalism,
Amillennialism, Reconstructionism and a host of others. By definition, every
'ism' is something less than full-blooded Christianity.
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Most
of these cover issues on which Christians tend to take a black-and-white
stand but which, on closer examination, are better suited to the grey area
between. Hence the group title. All those
written so far are available for reading online. New ones are being added
from time to time. They are summarised below. Click the dot next to a
title to read it.