I just got free access to this thing called RightNow. I was able to get free access through my school, Trinity International University. And you can have access to it as well, for FREE! (It’s ethical for me to share; I checked.)
They call it “the Netflix for Bible study.” And as you will see, that’s a pretty good description of it.
The ERLC has shared several videos in which Pastor Sam Allberry tackles difficult and important questions regarding the church and homosexuality.
You can see the full collection videos at ERLC’s website.
Below are a few samples.
Frequent Bible reading has some predictable effects on the reader. It increases opposition to abortion as well as homosexual marriage and unions. It boosts a belief that science helps reveal God’s glory. It diminishes hopes that science will eventually solve humanity’s problems. But unlike some other religious practices, reading the Bible more often has some liberalizing effects—or at least makes the reader more prone to agree with liberals on certain issues.
I’m not sure what you will make of this article. But I find it incredibly interesting and a little self-reassuring that I’m not crazy due to some of my own deviations from stereotypical conservative Christianity’s political views. If nothing else, it’s further evidence, alongside church history and the global church, that moving from Bible to political convictions is not as simple and straightforward as some would like to make it seem, that good, honest, well-intentioned, Bible-believing Christians throughout history have held differing views and various political matters.
“Perhaps the best thing that can come out of the gay marriage decision is for the church to make a final break between our faith and our nation.”
I just read/listened to this article by Scott Newling, “Devoted to the public reading of Scripture,” advocating a recovery of the actual practice of devoting ourselves to the public reading of scripture in our churches.
As 1 Timothy 4:13 says,
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture….
Scott Newling says,
Let me be blunt: when we reduce the Bible reading in order to privilege something else in our meetings we are shifting the congregation’s understanding of what church is. When we choose not to read some bits because we deem them inappropriate, we forget that God wrote them—and that in his wisdom he knew what he was doing when he did. When we choose not to read parts because they seem irrelevant or unclear, we teach our congregations and ourselves that God’s word isn’t eternal or understandable. When we choose to not read the Old Testament because it is ‘unfamiliar’—how else are we going to get familiar with it? The non-Christian world certainly isn’t going to help us. If we find Scripture to be boring, it’s not God’s fault, and the solution isn’t to silence God! If we find a part boring, we must ask God to give us interest in it, because we love him and want to know what he has to say. The Bible is well aware that some bits are harder to understand than others (2 Pet 3:16-17). But where did we get the idea that the solution to this is to stop reading?
When we choose to reduce Bible readings for something else, do we then in effect say that our means, our words, are better than God’s to grow people?
I loved this article. It reflects a lot of my own convictions on the matter and thoughts I’ve been having for a little over a year now.
You can check it out over at Matthias Media’s The Briefing. Click here.
Kirk E. Miller 