“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matt. 6:7, KJV). The phrase “vain repetitions” comes from the translation of Matthew 6:7 in the King James version. It is a translation of the Greek word battalogeo. This is the […]
Archive for the ‘Doctrinal Questions’ Category
What are Vain Repetitions?
June 4, 2015Musings
September 5, 2014What Color is Your Church? Sean Palmer nails race relations within the church. If you read one thing this week, make sure this is it. He writes, Christians have known for a long time that Sunday morning at 10:00am is the most segregated hour of the week, but curiously, we do, or care, little about […]
Where Do We Go When We Die
August 26, 2014Where do we go when we die? This is a question we are intrigued by. Even people who are not religious are interested in this question. In 2010 Clint Eastwood directed a movie entitled Hereafter. The film was about the afterlife but the focus was more on psychic powers rather than religion. The question of […]
Musings
August 10, 2013Scot McKnight’s Thoughts on Baptism Scot McKnight published an interesting post this week on the subject of baptism. In it he examines the importance of baptism in the early church and points out passages in the Bible that connect baptism to repentance and forgiveness. He writes, The early church carried on this practice — it […]
Christmas, A Time To Remember
December 17, 2010Growing up I was a little confused about Christmas. I wasn’t confused about Santa Claus. I knew he was the big guy in a red suit who brought me presents if I was good. I also understood that Christmas was a time to enjoy getting together with family. What I didn’t always understand about Christmas […]
Brief Thoughts on Mergers and Pluralism
March 11, 2010I was recently asked to give a lecture on the subject of mergers and pluralism. Here are a few brief thoughts on the subject. The idea of mergers and pluralism begins with a focus outside the local congregation onto something else. It will be beneficial to examine this focus to see whether or not it […]
Christ and Christmas
December 16, 2009Yesterday, I received a wonderful phone call from one of our elderly members. She wanted to talk to me about Christmas and she she wanted to know my beliefs regarding the Christmas holiday. I immediately thought to myself “Here we go again.” I figured I would have to explain why we were having a church […]
Who is a False Teacher?
November 18, 2009Some may look at this question and think the answer is simple. They may believe a false teacher is anyone who teaches something false, but I believe the answer is more complicated. Our English term, false teacher, implies there is something false about the teacher. This could refer to any number of things (teaching, character, […]
