The New Testament has one other general word for sin, which is hamartema, a word used a total of four times. The first is found in Mark 3:28, where Jesus says that all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, along with their blasphemies. He goes on to say that blasphemy against the Holy …
Cutting the Throat of Sin
“I do believe in my heart that there may be as much holiness in a laugh as in a cry; and that, sometimes, to laugh is the better thing of the two, for I may weep, and be murmuring, and repining, and thinking all sorts of bitter thoughts against God; while, at another time, I …
And That, To Use An Old-Fashioned Word, Is False
“The great fallacy of our time, Malcolm Muggeridge has written, is the one that says that we may pursue collective virtue apart from personal behavior” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 264).
Evangellyfish Cast of Characters
Chad Lester, pastor of Camel Creek Community, 38 years old, compulsive sexual predator, founder of TrueLife Ministries, popular author and conference speaker. He is an administrative control freak, with one area of his life not under control. Michelle Lester, estranged wife of Chad, has been separated from him for 2 years. Divorce is almost final. …
A Worksy Sounding Word
Lane has responded to my post on “jumping and obeying,” and confesses himself a bit puzzled. And I, speaking for myself, am puzzled also. Lane took me as objecting to grammatical and dogmatic parsing generally, when I was only objecting to it as a means of solving non-existent problems. Just for the record, I am …
Stacked Up to Heaven
Sin is mentioned by name (hamartia) three times in the book of Revelation. The first is in the first chapter, where we are told that Jesus Christ is the first begotten from the dead, and is the prince over all kings. He is the one who loved us, and washed us from our sins with …
Go, Therefore
“We are to go out into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, not to stop in our chapels waiting for every creature to come in to hear what we have to say. A sportsman, who should sit at his parlour window, with his gun loaded all ready for shooting partridgees, would …
Maybe This Applies to Us
“In a society in which idolatry runs rampant, a church that is not iconoclastic is a travesty. If it is not against the idols it is with them” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 254).
Popsicle Stick Limitations
One of the things I have been emphasizing in my responses to N.T. Wright on the Third World is the importance of recognizing the complexity of the problem — calls for jubilee mercy in struggling nations are all very well, but suppose it is not like helping a guy with some bruises to the nearest …
Not Rushing to Comfort/Amos 4
INTRODUCTION: We are coming now to a place in this book where Amos begins hitting his stride. His central condemnation here is directed at that corruption of worship which results in the idolatry of opulent violence. The prophet here takes his stand against monsters who sleep on satin sheets, apes dressed in purple. THE TEXT: …