Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.20.06 in Christmas, Theology
Tonight CNN presented a two-hour special called After Jesus: The First Christians. The program traces the beginnings of the Christian religion from its days as a sect within Judaism to its recognition as a favored religion by Emperor Constantine in AD 313. It attempts to grapple with a question that is both historical and t …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.19.06 in Churches, Current Events, Homosexuality, Theology
Until last week I had never paid any attention to Jay Bakker, the son of Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Messner. Then someone sent me a link to a CNN article called What the Hell Happened to Christianity? It turns out that Jay is the pastor/founder of a church called the Revolution, with branches in Atlanta, New York and Charlot …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.11.06 in Personal, Theology, Word of Life
Tonight I got a call from a man whose voice I did not recognize. The Caller ID said he was calling from somewhere in Ohio, but I didn’t recognize the number or the location. “Is this Saint Ray?” I hesitated for a moment and then said yes. “Do you know who this is?” Having no idea, I suggested that it was President Bus …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 11.27.06 in Preaching, Theology
Tim Keller explains how to preach hell in a tolerant age. If we are going to faithfully preach the gospel, we must preach about hell to people who don’t want to hear about it. The loss of the doctrine of hell and judgment and the holiness of God does irreparable damage to our deepest comforts—our understanding of God& …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 11.18.06 in Current Events, Theology
Marvin Olasky writes in the current issue of World magazine about apologizing in public (Click here to read comments on the World Magazine blog). Taking as his starting point that confession and repentance should accompany thanksgiving (a helpful fact to keep in mind five days before Thanksgiving), Olasky points out how har …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 11.10.06 in Current Events, Theology
It has been enlightening to read the many comments on the weblog this week. It’s clear that the Ted Haggard situation has touched a nerve inside the Christian community. Along that line, Eric Hogue asks, What is the appropriate “rehabilitation” for Ted Haggard? Marshall Shelley discusses the signs of a restorable spi …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 11.6.06 in Current Events, Theology
David Klinghoffer offers a wise perspective on Ted Haggard’s fall. The entire article deserves a close reading because he deals forthrightly with the question of whether or not homosexuality is inborn. In a sense, he answers yes, because all humans are born with a bias toward sin. Theologians call this the doctrine of …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 11.3.06 in Churches, Pastors, Theology
The email began very simply: “I am so discouraged.” The day before her pastor had resigned. Twelve years ago she had been brought back to the Lord by a pastor who seemed to be a godly man. Later he left his wife to enter the homosexual lifestyle. Then came a good pastor who was falsely accused of financial wrongdoing. Thoug …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 11.1.06 in Theology
This is All Saints Day, one of the finest, most joyful days of the Christian year. It’s the day when we remember and give thanks for all true believers around the world, especially those who have gone before us into heaven. Evangelicals often pay little attention to the Christian year (for various reasons), but this i …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 10.15.06 in Churches, Theology
Over the weekend a received a question from a friend in Atlanta asking me about the role of elders in the local church. That led me to revisit a series of sermons I first preached in 1992 called In Search of the Early Church when our congregation in Oak Park was considering a new constitution that would establish a board of …
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