A Pastor’s View
Civility, or the lack thereof, is a topic often addressed in our modern culture. It is not new, nor is the lack of it. The early Christians also faced opposition. They also faced rabble-rousers and mobs when their growing influence created fear in the Jewish leaders: “But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of […]
The first house Janet and I purchased years ago in Arlington, Texas needed much work. So my granddad came to help. He became a carpenter after losing his farm in the Depression, then worked until he died at age 99. He built a tool shed, sheet-rocked the garage, redid the kitchen, and transformed our house. […]
During the month of September, we are looking at the issue of civility, or more directly, how to live out our Christian faith in an uncivil world. Over the next four weeks, I will be looking at the early Christian movement, the apostolic church, as recorded by Luke in the book of Acts. Today we’ll […]
“Civility” is one of those words you intuitively understand as an adult and hopefully practice as the natural outworking of your faith in Christ in relating to others. Its synonyms are graciousness, respect, courtesy. Its opposite is rudeness. It means “formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech.” The Apostle Paul described what I’m talking […]
We live in a culture that is permeated with sexual messaging. We are immersed in sexual temptation through TV shows, movies, advertisements, and online pornography. So much of it is laced with underlying messages about “freedom” and “be yourself.” But, nothing could be further from truth. Sin enslaves and takes captive those who succumb. […]
I live in Texas. Texans are known for putting a unique spin on anything. I once heard about a cowboy who was asked his opinion of differing views of sexuality. His response was simple, “I don’t care what people do sexually as long as they don’t do it in the street and scare the horses.” […]
Same-sex marriage may be the most divisive issue in America today. The church cannot be silent on this political and cultural movement. While public opinion is clearly moving away from biblical marriage, God is neither surprised nor defeated. His truth still sets us free (John 8:32). And reality does not change when we redefine it. […]
Let’s talk sex. That’s our topic this month in “A Pastor’s View” or “APV” for short. In just 7 months of existence we’re already shortening our name for efficiency! No, really, let’s talk sex and sexuality and all the fairly new terms that are now attached to this topic such as identity, orientation, LGBTQ+, fluidity, […]
Our culture often sees science as having the answers to most of the challenges and needs of our day. Unfortunately, many in our day also see faith as either irrelevant or, sadly, dangerous. So, let’s honestly deal with the intersection of faith and science. First, we’ll lay some groundwork, then we’ll apply what we discover […]
I have been pastoring churches in Texas since 1987. For most of my 33 years in ministry I have been intrigued and sometimes intimidated by the tension and sometimes outright conflict between science and faith. I never did well in the sciences when I was in school. In the seventh grade I walked into a […]