I was talking to a friend of mine. He was a missionary for many years and is still semi-active in that role. However, upon returning to the US, he looked into the possibility of serving as a Missions Pastor. That was something I had thought about at least on a couple of occasions. What he …
Category: Christian Leadership
When Your Dissertation Cannot Be Your Specialization
Back years ago when I was attending Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary (ABGTS), I wasn't sure what my specialization would be. Actually, I originally thought about going with a Doctor of Missiology. Later, however, I decided to switch to Doctor of Theology (ThD) with a focus on Missions. Topically, I originally wanted to do my …
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Being a Bad Coach, and How that May Relate to a Bad Minister
I was listening to sports radio yesterday. The issue brought up was about an audio file of Rick Patino, a very successful college mens basketball coach. He was ripping into his team verbally and swearing at them. The question posed was whether today's student athletes can handle this sort of coaching... or are they now …
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Structurally Messy Churches Are a Good Thing– Part 2
Continued from Part 1, Previously, I have argued that from the perspective of the Bible, Structurally Messy Churches are fine--- or at least not anti-Biblical or sub-Biblical. That is nice to know, but is far from suggesting it is a good thing. I would like to argue that it is a good thing from a …
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Structurally Messy Churches Are a Good Thing– Part I
There are both good things and bad things associated with having a highly structured church with unambiguous lines of authority. But I would like to make the case for "Messy Church," where authority and structure are rather murky, or inconsistent. Point #1. Biblically, the primitive church of the first century does appear to be rather …
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Growth and Development
Craig Van Gelder in "The Ministry of the Missional Church" describes six (6) things that led to growth and development of the primitive church as found in the book of Acts (of the Apostles). #1. Growth and Development through CONFLICT. Conflict is often seen negatively--- "Storming" in Group Dynamics. However, Conflict is necessary to address …
Are “Good Little Soldiers” Good Christians?
I just watched a couple of videos that I found quite interesting... in a disheartening way. First, was a new video by Chris Stuckman. He is a pretty successful movie critic on Youtube. He spoke of his upbringing in the Jehovah's Witnesses. It probably is not as painful as some of the stories that I …
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When Mentors Disappoint
Karl Barth in his book "The Humanity of God" wrote, One day in early August I 914 stands out in my personal memory as a black day. Ninety-three German intellectuals impressed public opinion by their proclamation in support of the war policy of Wtlhelm II and his counselors. Among these intellectuals I discovered to my …
Ethical Loyalties in the Church (by looking at the same in the military and police)
I was reading an interesting article entitled, "Why the US Military Usually Punishes Misconduct but Police Often Close Ranks." The article promotes the idea that while both the military and paramilitary (police) may cover-up crimes done by members, it is far more likely for the police to do this, and more likely that the military …
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The Murky Waters of Ministerial Restoration
I chose not to name names here, but as the stories/charges from my former school have multiplied since I first wrote this narrow somewhat even-handed post, I invite you to read more on your own... https://rightingamerica.net/rape-sexual-harassment-and-more-the-cedarville-stories-are-multiplying/?fbclid=IwAR3w4PvmDPtu5fcnddvHU_EtiR1P534Vdd3PsOu0NVUvx5ZfJlSsFNt5CUQ A Christian college I attended years ago has been in the news lately. It recently fired a professor (I …
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