Justin Taylor has a good summary in Q&A form showing that Christians and Mormons don’t believe the same thing. Because of the prominence of some Mormons in our culture, it is important for Christians to be clear on this. Please take the time to read this piece about the differences between Christians and Mormons.
Christians Don’t Believe What Mormons Believe
Posted in Apologetics, Culture, Current Events, Discipleship, Evangelism
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Do You Have To Take A Vow Of Poverty To Be A Christ-Follower?
Do you have to take a vow of poverty to be a Christian? Is money the root of all evil? Andrew Peterson says no, and I agree. You need to read all of this one, but here’s the conclusion:
“The point: being poor is not the only way to radically follow Christ. Some people are called to it. I have long felt a tension between all that I learned from the Kid Brothers and Rich Mullins about identifying with the poor and the weak, versus my holy responsibility to tend to my family’s spiritual and physical needs. Had Rich ever married, I’m certain his wife would have appreciated a nice dress every now and then, or a bouquet of flowers, or a decent kitchen, and she probably would have lovingly insisted that he not give all his money away, especially after she bore his children and needed to buy diapers, and school supplies, and shoes for goodness sake. And the other thing is, Rich Mullins had hit songs that are still making money. He gave a lot of his money away, but he also had a constant stream of it flowing in. Lots of it. And I’m sure the ministries he supported with the surplus were grateful that he channeled it to them for Kingdom work.
“Money isn’t the root of all evil. The Bible doesn’t say that. Here’s the verse: ‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.’ (1st Timothy 6:10) We’re called to keep watch so that we don’t fall in love with money. To be sure, wealth is a heavy burden and isn’t for everyone, just as poverty is a burden and isn’t for everyone. The people of the church are varied in strengths and weaknesses. Money itself isn’t evil. In fact, money can be a great tool for Kingdom work. It’s easy to tout ideals about how wrong it is to be wealthy until you’re on the receiving end of someone’s generosity.”
Posted in Christian, Poverty
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Is The Trend Of Targeted Worship On Its Way Out?
There is a rather interesting news story about Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale.
Senior Pastor Tullian Tchividjian, Billy Graham’s grandson, has announced they are eliminating the separate traditional and contemporary Sunday worship services. There will now be only one service, with an essentially blended worship. The news story said “that means no more separation based on age, likes and comfort.”
Senior Pastor Tchividjian said, “The best way a church can demonstrate (the) unifying power of the gospel before our very segregated world is to maintain a community that transcends cultural barriers. The church should be the one institution, the one community…in our world that breaks barriers down.” (Christian Post, 8.25)
That sounds down right Biblical to me!
The senior pastor noted that many churches around the country are following the lead of the advertising world by targeting specific age groups and using separate contemporary and traditional worship service models.
He also said, “That may be good business but it’s bad worship; it’s bad church.” I will follow this development prayerfully and hopefully.
Posted in Church, Community, Unity, Worship
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