Free Will Baptists and Communion: Open but Cautious
by Cory Thompson When the church observes the Lord’s Supper, who is invited? All believers? Only properly baptized believers? Only members of that particular Baptist church? Baptists have debated the question of who may come to the Lord’s Table since their beginning. Defining Open and Closed Communion Baptists have answered this question in two ways: closed communion and open communion. Closed communion is the position that only...
Unity and Diversity: Reaching the Hispanic Population in the U.S.
By Zuri and Rebekah Zuniga Introduction In the 1990s, two Spanish-speaking Free Will Baptist churches (Iglesias Bautistas Libre[1]) were formed that have had tremendous, positive impact on our lives. Our experiences in these churches taught us about service, humility, and Hispanic culture. Our time working with these churches also allowed us to see the shortcomings of a Spanish-language-only[2] model for our Free Will Baptist churches...
What Concord Hath Christ with Marx: Can Socialism and Marxism be Christianized?
Socialism has become a dominant topic of discussion in American culture recently. Since the 2016 presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders (b. 1941), many Democrats across America have made public their affinity for socialism and socialist policies. No one who has spent time on a state or liberal private university campus in recent years should be surprised by this development. Democrats are simply playing to a significant portion of...
Modern Technology and the Human Future: A Christian Appraisal
(Note: An earlier version of this book review appeared on the Center for the Study of Ethics and Technology website) The world is changing quickly. The nature of the change varies from region to region, but behind these economic, social, and political “accelerations,” to use Thomas Friedman’s term, lays one unified force: modern technology. “Modern automatic machine technologies,” as author and professor Craig Gay states it, are...
Phillis Wheatley: A Culturally Confident Believer (Part I/II)
by Frank Thornsbury The early-American poetess Phillis Wheatley lived over two hundred years ago, from 1753 to 1784, yet her life and literature speak to some of the most difficult questions of Christian cultural engagement today. How could this be? C.S. Lewis once wrote that through literature we can gain a window into someone else’s view of the world.[1] My aim is to help you see the world as Wheatley saw it and as she portrayed it...
Recommended Books (Spring 2019)
Whew! The school year is over, and everyone is ready to unwind. However, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to become complacent during down times. Our less constrained schedules allow us to focus on other areas of our lives. Students and teachers especially should take this opportunity to develop their minds and spirits at a more even pace. But regardless of your vocation, we have a few reading recommendations for you. We have found these...
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