Where do you draw the line?
Monday, 10 January 2005
Good people have made the point that those who argue against drawing lines in the sand with regard to Christian associations have lines themselves and they are really just arguing about where the line goes. Not so. Lines in the sand provide security and a comfort zone. On that basis, it may scare some of
- Published in Commentary, Unity
Watered down Christianity
Wednesday, 22 December 2004
God forbid that we ever water down our faith. Unfortunately, though, sometimes we have an inverted idea of what it means to do that. You see, when you water a mixture down, you decrease its strength. You add things to the mix that make it less effective at doing what the full-strength solution was intended
- Published in Commentary, Unity
Things are different now
Saturday, 18 December 2004
The problem with unity is that there are too many opinions that didn’t exist in the formative days of the church, we say. Things are different now. The church in its earliest state didn’t have denominations vying against each other, we are quick to point out. Factions didn’t battle each other for supremacy, and a
- Published in Commentary, Unity
Factories for men: an allegory
Friday, 17 December 2004
A church is a local gathering of the citizens of Heaven intended to work together as a factory for godly men and women. It is not so much a factory for creating saints, per se, but for them to have some value-added work done on them. They are to be taught and encouraged to live
- Published in Church, Commentary, Unity
The almost-ancient order of things
Tuesday, 14 December 2004
Sometimes I think those of us who find ourselves wanting to restore the “ancient order” of the New Testament church don’t really want to bring the church back to its most primitive state. It is much more comfortable for us to bring the church back to the almost-ancient order of things–perhaps the end of the
- Published in Church, Commentary, Unity
Good Alexander Campbell quote
Friday, 10 December 2004
Here’s another Campbell quote that I will probably put in the sidebar. And just a reminder…no human contrived words are authoritative, but we are to encourage and edify one another. That is the only purpose in quoting voices from the past. “But men cannot give up their opinions, and therefore, they can never unite, says
- Published in Alexander Campbell, Commentary
The slippery slope of the slippery slope
Thursday, 09 December 2004
Is accepting brothers as brothers without dividing into sects a slippery slope? Some of the most clarifying thoughts are the simplest ones–like the fact that the slippery slope argument itself can be seen as a slippery slope fraught with danger. “Where will it lead?” is the question most often asked. “Look at the slope you
- Published in Alexander Campbell, Commentary, Unity
Should I post the whole interview?
Wednesday, 08 December 2004
Here’s another excerpt from an interview of Carl Ketcherside recorded in his book called “In the Beginning.” Q: It would probably take too long to enumerate all ten of these [areas that need further investigation to effectuate the restoration], but I wonder if you might mention a few of them which you consider to be
- Published in Commentary, W. Carl Ketcherside
Another gem
Wednesday, 08 December 2004
Here is another gem from the interview of Carl Ketcherside as recorded in his book. Q: What has been the end of all previous reformation and restoration attempts? A: Every such attempt has invariably ended by producing another sect, generally more narrow, intolerant and uncharitable than those which have preceded it. As men concentrate on
- Published in Church, Commentary, Unity
Playing it safe