Posts by Liberty Church of Christ (Page 4)
Living Until We Die
On Friday evening, a memorial service was held for Ronnie Rubit in this building. I never had the pleasure of meeting Ronnie. But I know that many of you were close to him, and, not only in the church but out in the community, numerous people have told me what an inspirational figure he was. It reminds me again that we have experienced a great deal of loss recently in this church. It’s difficult sometimes in such situations to know…
The Tragedy of Racism
This article, by Wayne Jackson, was shared with me this week. I thank God that this congregation has members from diverseethnic backgrounds. But this continues to be a pervasive problem in society, and I found his direct confrontation of it timely and touching, so I wanted to share it with you. It originally appeared in Christian Courier right here. BP No one with a modicum of awareness will deny that racism—the inclination to judge a person solely on the basis of…
What Must I Know?
Baptism is a tremendously significant event. In baptism, God promises to extend his grace to the penitent believer, and we appropriate all the blessings associated with the saving work of Jesus Christ. We have had 3 baptisms in recent weeks. We rejoice that these young people made the commitment to follow Jesus, had their sins washed away, and were added to his church. Now, baptism is more than just experiencing any sort of rite involving water. For one thing, the…
Refresher Course
In AD 64, a great fire engulfed the city of Rome. It burned unchecked for nearly a week, driving innumerable people from their homes and devastating a vast swath of the city. Of the 14 districts of Rome, 3 were virtually destroyed, and a further 7 were reduced to a handful of scorched ruins. Only 4 completely escaped damage. In the aftermath, a rumor started that Nero, the emperor, had started the fire to clear land for his massive new…
Merry Christmas
This article was originally written by Reuel Lemmons and published in Firm Foundation. I encountered if for the first time online with no issue reference, and though I have several decades worth of the paper in my possession, I cannot seem to track it down. In any case, considering the mixed feelings some of us have about the Christmas season, I wanted to commend this editorial to your attention. BP We are again at that time on the calendar when the…
Practical Atheism
A news story caught my eye last week. The United Church of Canada, the largest Protestant denomination in the country, reached a settlement in the pending heresy trial of one of their clergy, Gretta Vosper. The General Council of the church released a statement announcing that they had settled all issues with Vosper, and she was allowed to keep her pulpit. Ordinarily, this sort of thing would hardly be worth noticing. In fact, you are probably wondering right now what…
Christians and Civil Government
For years, I have been keenly interested in the relationship between Christians and the civil government. I am clearly not alone in that. Any ordinary election season intensifies that existing concern. And regardless of your political leanings, I think we can agree that, between the last Presidential election and this midterm election, we are not in an ordinary season. Many Christians feel that they face a dilemma: we must vote for one major party or the other, and both options…
Undenominational Christianity
I think it is profitable for us to be familiar with what our forefathers in the faith taught. This helps to refine our own thinking on particular issues and to understand how we got here. To be ignorant of our own history is to be unaware of how it continues to shape us. So, from time to time, I like to publish articles written in days gone by for our edification. This comes from F. D. Srygley, the front page…
A Wall of Separation
This week, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop, in which a baker refused to craft a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage due to his religious beliefs. There were a number of issues in play, but the Court hinged their decision on the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s overt hostility to the baker’s faith. This is a very narrow holding that does not really address the larger questions the case raised, leaving many on both sides of…