“I always find I can preach best when I can manage to lie a-soak in my text. I like to get a text, and find out its meaning and bearings, and so on; and then, after I have bathed in it, I delight to lie down in it, and let it soak into me. It …
Cultures Are Always Loyal
“Culture always comes from religion . . . Culture always becomes a servant of the birthing religion, and its very raison d’etre is to protect, further explicate, and expand the influence and control of the mother religion . . . If you understand the relationship between religious belief and culture, you’ll understand clearly what’s happening …
Let’s Fry Them Up in Crisco
Many years ago, when I was in a band, I came home one evening after a practice or a gig or something. I say this because I remember this incident vividly, and I was carrying my guitar. The kids were in bed, and Nancy met me at the door very worried about something. Our duplex …
For He Is Small/Amos 8
INTRODUCTION: When we come to chapter seven of Amos, we shift from poetry to prose, from woe-oracles to narrative. The theme and the message are the same as throughout the rest of the book, but the form in which it comes is quite different. In the first six chapters, Yahweh has been the main speaker; …
Making the Spoon Taste Good
I have already noted that fussers over food are driven by father hunger. Other common motivations in this cluster of food confusions include guilt, fear, acceptance of manipulative doctrines, not to mention acceptance of slanders against the goodness of God. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the …
Omnivorous Christianity
“It is not a serious matter for a physician to advise abstaining from foods for medical reasons, based on human wisdom. It is, however a very serious thing when men advocate abstaining from foods for religious reasons” (James Jordan, Pig Out?, p. 8).
UK Rapid
One of the cool features of Google Analytics is that I get to look at what countries contribute visits and hits to this blog, and I have to say that I have been very pleased with the UK. Their June visits worked out to 1,635, just behind Canada. Anyhow, we have a lot of friends …
Slow and Steady
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 145 “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches” (Prov. 24:3-4). This admonition to build up wealth in wisdom is an admonition …
Law for Those Who Hate It
The word for manslayer (androphonos) is used once in the New Testament. That place is 1 Tim. 1:9, where the apostle Paul is describing one of the uses of the law. In this sense, the law is not for a righteous man, but rather to restrain the lawless and disobedient. Among a list of other …
Some Preachers Have Marvelous Skill in Missing
“We must preach as men to men, not as divines before the clergy and nobility. Preach straight at them. It is of no use to fire your rifle into the sky when your object is to pierce men’s hearts. To flourish your sabre finely is a thing which has been done so often that you …