Tag: believers

What Does Christian Disagreement Look Like?

I'm the sort of person who apologizes even without having done anything wrong, just to smooth over an argument; I hesitate before taking a stance that might cause conflict. And yet the more I study, the more I realize that Christian disagreement both with believers and nonbelievers can be a beautiful, productive thing: we just have to learn the skill and then hone it over time. [Click title to read more.]

Cliff Notes: The Lost Art of Bible Study In The Church (Part 3)

In the first post in this series I spent some time discussing the dangers of Bible-lite, that phenomenon when Christians substitute secondhand study of God's word for actual Bible study. In the second, I talked about some of the consequences of Bible-lite. Today, however, I'll be putting on my professor hat to offer some solutions to the problem. If you struggle with studying the Bible (or even with wanting to study the Bible!), there is both help and hope. [Click title to read more].

Cultivating Careful Speech

If we aren't careful, we can reduce the revolutionary concept of cultivating careful, loving speech - words that are like "fresh water" (James 3:11) - to anodyne truisms like "don't use profanity" or "don't gossip" and sometimes "don't say mean things about people" and pretend that's enough. In reality, mastering godly speech is a far more difficult and complex endeavor. [Click title to read more.]

Please Don’t Make Me Shake Hands: A Christian’s Plea

If we're not careful, the exhortation to "welcome each other" on Sunday mornings results in a slew of awkward hugs and handshakes, a few cheerful "good morning"s, and conversations between people who already know each other and want to catch up on the weekend. [Click title to read more.]

Don’t Say “I’ll Pray For You” (Unless You’re Willing To Follow Up)

Prayer can't become a believer's band-aid. It can't become that thing we do so that we don't have to do anything else. In the times that it's possible to do more than shoot a wish skyward, we are obligated to do so - for those to whom much is given, much is required. Follow up. Give. Care. Our role in grace-giving does not end the moment the words leave our lips. Love does not stop at the foot of the throne. [Click title to read more.]

The Duggar Dilemma: When Christians Do Awful Things

If, as believers, we are unable to extend the same grace to non-believers who disagree with us as we are to Josh Duggar, then we have failed. If we are so concerned about the church looking bad, or people having a bad impression of Christians, that we are unable to step back from an awful thing and say with the rest of the world, "This is terrible," then we have failed. Our job is not to protect our own. [Click title to read more.]