“Jesus is on the cross. You will sit quietly for the next three hours and respect that.” Can you imagine telling that to your children and expecting them to sit quietly from noon to three p.m. on Good Friday? And … Continue reading Jesus Is On The Cross–Sit Still and Think About It.
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: I grew up in an “evangelical—fundamental” Christian home. My recollection is that this meant a high regard for scripture and belief in the basic tenets of the Christian faith. During this political cycle, the term “evangelical” is … Continue reading Ask the Thoughtful Pastor: Is Mainline the Opposite of Evangelical?
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: The Bible tells us that as Christians Jesus forgives us for our sins (our sins are erased), but then it also says we will answer for them when we get to heaven. There is comfort in knowing … Continue reading Ask the Thoughtful Pastor: The Final Judgment and Church Demands
I’m lucky enough to live in a house that has a pool in the backyard. In Texas, this pool serves ever so many advantages. The hot tub provides relaxation on cooler winter nights, the rest of the pool a great … Continue reading The Promiscuity of Nature Versus the Pristine Swimming Pool
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: Why is the Catholic Lord’s Prayer different from the Protestant Lord’s Prayer? What Protestants call the Lord’s Prayer and Catholics call the Our Father is found in both Matthew 6 and Luke 11. The way most Protestants … Continue reading Ask the Thoughtful Pastor: Lords Prayer and Wading Pool Theology
[Note: because of the complexity of these questions, I’ve posted an expanded version below of what is slated to appear in the religion section of the Denton Record-Chronicle on Feb. 26, 2016.] Dear Readers, last week, The Thoughtful Pastor promised … Continue reading Ask the Thoughtful Pastor: Finding a Church and Ted Cruz as Messiah
OK, the headline is a bit of a stretch. However, apparently the Pope did make a reference to problem of the Zika virus and the many babies being born with significant neurological defects. Here’s the quote from the CNN news … Continue reading Pope Says OK to Birth Control
Two questions today over similar issues: Dear Thoughtful Pastor: I read your article about neo Calvinism and the Acts 29 network. I have attended a few Acts 29 churches. I am frustrated with how things are, and I am … Continue reading Ask the Thoughtful Pastor: Is Acts 29 a cult? Why do they marry so young?
One of the latest “you must copy and paste this NOW” memes to make the Facebook rounds says something to the effect that the person posting is going to trim his/her friendship list to the “real” friends, i.e., those who … Continue reading On Facebook, Defining Christians and Friendship Bullying
In Exodus, God hands down the Ten Commandments. The second commandment forbids any graven images. Later in the same book, God tells Moses how the tabernacle is to be built and decorated — and all those chapters seem to instruct … Continue reading Ask the Thoughtful Pastor: Idolatry and Contrasting Points of View
