Church discipline is not practiced enough. We need more church discipline. Right now you’re thinking, “What?!” I suspect that for the majority of us, the expression “church discipline” has been purely punitive. It is punishment and even retribution for sinning. You’ve probably seen it play out: a person sins, confesses his or her sin, the…

Many organizations, whether non-profits or for-profit businesses, have a mission statement. The mission statement is intended to drive that organization’s activities. For example, IBM’s mission statement begins, “To lead in the creation, development and manufacture of the industry’s most advanced information technologies, including computer systems…” IBM’s leadership determines products to develop and sell based on…

Today is October XXXI. Sorry. I should convert that from the Roman system: today is October 31. Today is Reformation Day. On October 31, 1517, a monk and scholar named Martin Luther published a series of debate points known as “the 95 Theses”. The issue was the sale of “indulgences”. These “indulgences” first appeared in…

You’ve seen the post. I don’t mean a particular post on social media; sadly they are all too common but the central thread is fairly consistent: if you’re a Christian, you must vote, and the candidate or party is almost always implied or even stated directly. In short, to be a Christian means to vote…

Often when we think of worship, particularly on a Sunday morning, what comes to mind is singing. Singing has long been part of worship. It is an important part of Christian worship, for the apostle instructs both the Ephesians and the Colossians to sing. Singing is part of the church’s teaching function. This is why…