Posted by Ray Pritchard on 1.13.09 in Interviews, Theology
Recently George Barna released some new research showing that Christianity is no longer Americans’ default faith. For a long time most people assumed that being born in America meant that you were raised with a Christian background. That is, even if you didn’t go to church, you were raised in and around the Christian faith. That was you…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 1.11.09 in Second Coming, Theology
This morning in Sunday School Mike Ferris led a discussion regarding the Second Coming of Christ from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. He pointed out that our focus ought to be on the fact of Christ’s return, not on the timing because no one knows when he will come back. The lesson dovetailed nicely with the pastor’s sermon on the same topic, t…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.21.08 in Church Trends, Theology
A recent USA Today article told of new research regarding who goes to heaven. Most American religious believers, including most Christians, say eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Christ as their savior, a new survey finds. Of the 65% of people who held this open view of heaven’s gates, 80% named at least one non-Christian g…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.18.08 in Christmas, Theology
I ran across this quote from Tim Keller in Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, a compilation of Christmas writings by various authors. Christmas is the end of thinking you are better than someone else, because Christmas is telling you that you could never get to heaven on your own. God had to come to you. It is telling you that people who are sav…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.18.08 in Theology
No doctrine in the Bible is more counterintuitive that the doctrine of grace. We fight against it because it runs against the grain of everything we instinctively believe. Graces forces us to confront two very difficult truths:1) There is nothing at all we can do to contribute to our own salvation.2) If God doesn…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.16.08 in Evangelism, Theology
Last Friday Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the Pontifical household, delivered a sermon in the Vatican in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI entitled Called by God to Communicate With Son Jesus Christ. It is a simple and profound development of Philippians 3:7-12. The whole sermon is well worth reading for its emphasis on Jesus Christ as t…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 11.14.08 in Current Events, Homosexuality, Theology
Last Sunday a group of radical gay activists disrupted a church service in Lansing, Michigan. One group of protesters demonstrated outside the church while another group actually disrupted the worship service, shouting, throwing fliers, and even pulling the fire alarm so the sanctuary would be evacuated.In California gay-rights activists have picke…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 10.31.08 in Devotional, Theology
On October 31, 1517 an obscure monk named Martin Luther, desiring to spark theological discussion over the medieval practice of selling indulgences, nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The spark he set off ignited a flame that spread across Europe and launched the Protestant Reformation. By challenging the …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 10.30.08 in Abortion, Current Events, Theology
You know it must be a momentous occasion when James Dobson and the New York Times agree on anything. On moral and political issues, they disagree almost completely, but on one major point they are united. This is a turning point election in American history. In its endorsement of Barack Obama, the New York Times says that “this year the natio…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 9.7.08 in Devotional, Theology
I ran across a quote from Robert Murray M’Cheyne that stuck in my mind because I have received several emails lately from people who feel that their sin somehow disqualifies them for forgiveness. Having felt that way many times myself, I can sympathize with them. But the truth is very nearly the opposite. If grace means anything, it must mean…
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