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James Harding on (Re)Baptism
We celebrate Independence Day this week, a time to reflect on the beliefs and actions of our Founding Fathers. In a similar way, I think it is profitable to occasionally consider the views of our fathers in the faith. James Harding was a preacher, writer, and educator in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; Harding University is named for him. This is from the July, 1900 edition of his publication “The Way” in response to a letter from a…
You Never Mentioned Him to Me
So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. (Ezekiel 33:7-8) James Rowe is one…
A Father’s Choice
On a Sunday in 1910 in Spokane, Washington, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in church and decided that fathers needed a day of their own. Eventually, this day was set aside nationally to honor fathers in the same manner that Mother’s Day is set aside for mothers – at least theoretically, anyway. Fathers often seem to be an afterthought compared to mothers in terms of the respect they get for their role…
A Fountain Filled With Blood
You can buy just about anything on Amazon. That is a bit of a double-edged sword, because it means that people have a platform for selling just about anything. This week, I saw a listing for a book written by a fellow who styles himself anonymously as “Ex Preacher” to avoid “personal attacks” and “pointless debates and arguments.” The book is entitled Obsessed With Blood, intended to be the first volume in “The Crazy Things Christians Believe” series. The teaser…
Father, Forgive Them
I want you to try to imagine what it might have been like in the city of Jerusalem on a fateful spring Friday. Picture yourself being brought under the spell and excitement of that hour. There were three prisoners about to be executed for their crimes. Two were revolutionaries convicted of plotting to overthrow the Roman government. The other was a young prophet who was viewed as a threat in his own right. The crowd on hand for all of…
An Encouraging Word
Two cowboys were riding across the open plains at some point during the late 1800s. They crested a hill and, down in the valley below, they saw a herd of buffalo, a rare sight by then. One of the cowboys turned to the other and said, “You know, those are about the mangiest, ugliest looking critters I have ever seen”. His companion agreed, and they turned and rode away. As they left, one of the buffalo remarked to another, “I…
The Model Church
We have been studying the book of Acts on Wednesday nights, and, for several weeks now, we have considered the events of Pentecost recorded at the beginning of the book: the Holy Spirit is poured out, empowering the disciples to speak in languages they had never learned; a questioning crowd gathers in response; Peter preaches the first gospel sermon, that Jesus has been raised from the dead and declared to be Lord and Christ by God; and forgiveness of sins…
Do Not Grow Weary
Baseball season is now underway, and the World Champion Houston Astros unveiled their banner at the home opener this past Monday. Even if you were not watching the game, you probably saw it on the news – things did not go smoothly. But, to be fair, they had no prior experience in unveiling a World Championship banner. I am new to this area, but not to Astros fandom. One of my earliest memories in sports is attending a game at…