Loving Your Pastor and His Family
This month marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. As doctrinal truths about the nature of salvation were rediscovered, so to speak, so were doctrines about the church and its governance. As the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers became more clearly understood, clergy roles were redefined. Some churches were now led not by “Fathers” but instead by Christian brothers who were given the task of shepherding...
What’s All the Fuss About “The Benedict Option”?
by Christa Hill with Matthew Steven Bracey For several years now, Rod Dreher, prominent conservative thinker and journalist, has been talking about the Benedict Option. For nearly as long, several of Dreher’s critics and allies have not had a clear understanding of what exactly he is proposing. Finally, Dreher published The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation in 2017. In this 262-page volume, Dreher...
Art and Christian Excellence
As I was browsing home décor items recently, I encountered some interesting (to use a kind word) pieces. One was a reprint of DaVinci’s Last Supper, which is all well and good, but this was not the only image in the picture. Superimposed over the famous painting in a 1990s holographic nightmare was an atrocious rendering of Jesus on the cross. I don’t think this particular piece nor two other similar works were intended to mock the...
The Legacy of Mary Ann Welch
In 2012, Free Will Baptist Bible College (FWBBC) was renamed Welch College in honor of Rev. John L Welch and his wife Mary Ann. A pastor of Cofer’s Chapel in Nashville, Tennessee, Bro. Welch played a key role in the formation of the National Association of Free Will Baptists as well as in the founding of FWBBC. His contributions to our denomination are indeed profound. Long before the college received a new name, though, the FWBBC...
Longing for Auld Lang Syne: America’s Cultural Nostalgia
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9, ESV). American pop culture is certainly proving the preacher of Ecclesiastes right, though I realize it may be a bit of a stretch to apply the verse in this way. It seems that we can go nowhere without seeing advertisements for another reboot, remake, or reunion of beloved shows and movies. Whether through...
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