Reflections of an Undeconstructed Pentecostal
My last blog was the most read and shared that I’ve ever written. It struck a nerve among over committed and over worked ministers. But even as I was writing it I worried that some would use it as an excuse to justify sloth. So, please allow me to offer a few suggestions by which a pastor may examine his/her self as one who has been “approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thessalonians 2:4).
Continue reading “Are You a Lazy Pastor?”
I typically don’t write blogs like this. But right now my heart is bursting. I have given my life to Christian ministry. I love God and his people. I usually tell people that I have no regrets. But here I confess that I have some regrets.
I do not believe in Christian nationalism. In other words, I am uncomfortable with the concept of the United States as a “Christian nation.” Why?
Continue reading “Not Christian Nationalism, But Christian Mission”
Religious freedom is an inalienable human right granted by God in creation (Genesis 2). Religious freedom is an expression of free will. In the Garden of Eden, God granted to the first humans the freedom of choice – the choice to believe, the choice to be obedient, and the choice to rebel. The Apostle Paul affirmed that all humans, Jew and Gentile, have a religious conscience that prompts an intuitive search for God (Romans 2:15; Acts 17:24-28). Because religious freedom is granted by God, this is a freedom that is not derived from the state and should not be suppressed by the state. In fact, government derives it authority from God and exists to promote the flourishing of human civilization. Therefore, the proper role of government should be to protect the free expression of religion throughout its domain (Romans 13:1ff). The temptation for government is to deify itself, thereby suppressing religious freedoms (but that is a topic for a future blog).
Continue reading “Religious Freedom is Essential to the Mission of Christ”