I remember the day when I realized that I wasn’t going to Hell. I grew up in a fearful tradition. One that had no assurance of salvation… we would only know once we were standing at Judgment Day. Verses would always be resounding through my head, warning me to be wary because God was just looking for a reason to send me to Hell. Continue Reading
Lately, one of the things I’ve been studying has been silence in Scripture and how we’re to react to it. My whole life I’ve heard the phrase “Speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent.” This principle always made perfect sense in my life. Of course, we practiced like the 1st-century church! Sunday school? Not in Scripture. Bible classes? Not in scripture. Kitchens, musical instruments, paid preacher, the list of things we didn’t have goes on and on and on. Not only were we Church of Christ… but we were the REAL Church of Christ because we didn’t let in the additions that some of our weaker brethren did. People would ask me, do these additions matter? Of course, they do! What about Nadab and Abihu using a fire not commanded? What about poor Uzzah who got struck dead for trying to steady the Ark? Of course, we don’t know if anyone will go to Hell because they have Sunday School, but… better safe than sorry. Continue Reading
Act 17:6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
I’ve always loved this description of Paul’s preaching. Christians were so well known that they were considered to turn the world upside down. To have changed everything. And thank God for that. But why did the message of Christ turn the world upside down? What was there that was not around before? Continue Reading
My main goal with this blog is to show the dangers and inconsistencies in the ultra-conservative mindset. For convenience sake, I call the ultra-conservative position Pharisaical. Continue Reading
This is a question that I’ve asked myself a lot over the last few years. After all, the Pharisees generally meant well. And that’s not to say that every person that’s conservative is a Pharisee. Pharisaism is a hyper-conservatism. It is only obtained when the traditions become the law as we read in various examples. I’d like to take a look at some of the charges that Jesus brought against the Pharisees.
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