I grew up with that gospel chorus (by James M. Gray, president of Moody Bible Institute) and I think I know where he was coming from. But let’s carefully unpack its repeated motif: I am [present tense] only [no more than] a sinner saved by grace. I suggest we are doing God a grave disservice... Continue Reading →
John Calvin and Prayer
It is a myth, and false gossip really, that the Reformed faith turns a cold eye toward prayer. “Calvinism cannot account for the Bible’s portrayal of prayer as a cause of God’s answers to prayer,” says this group. They even supply a meme! (I have been Reformed for decades and do not recognize this parody... Continue Reading →
The Public Reading of Scripture in the Early Church in the Church of Today
A presentation given at an ESEPA conference in April 2021. The original Spanish version is found on my other blog under the title “La Lectura Oral de las Escrituras en la Iglesia Primitiva y en la Actualidad.” And you may download it as a pdf file: oral-reading-of-scripture-in-the-early-church-and-todayDownload Summary: In the early church, extensive oral scripture... Continue Reading →
Answering my mail IS ministry
Every week I spend perhaps an hour, responding to spiritual or theological questions that people send me by Messenger or email or through my blogs. Some weeks there are many questions. And believe me, I am pleased that people would ask. I am guided in this by my three "Patron Saints of Answering Questions." Bruce... Continue Reading →
My 2020 Reading List – some of my favorites!
Every year I join the Goodreads Reading Challenge (take a look at the wonderful site, http://www.goodreads.com, where you can log your reading). This year, as in the past few years, I have set the goal of reading 104 books, an average of two per week. In addition, my commentary on 1 Corinthians (Spanish version) just... Continue Reading →
William Tyndale: My Hero!
I have a limited number of people whom I would call my heroes. In fact, one time in an interview I was asked to name a hero of mine: "Uh...Abraham Lincoln" was all I could come up with. In fact, it was President's Day, and the picture of Lincoln hanging on the wall of the... Continue Reading →
“Hey you, there, reading the Bible! You left your blinkers on!”
Sermon given to Sovereign Grace Fellowship, Boscawen, NH, on June 7, 2020 Our text is 1 Cor 13:8-13 NLT; Paul emphasizes what we have now and what we will have them - Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and... Continue Reading →
What if Jesus were in your small group Bible study?
When I was in Israel, we got on the bus and went west from Jerusalem, and in a short while the guide said, “By the way, there is the location of Emmaus.” Today it’s just a stop on the highway outside our bus window. In fact, one of my favorite Bible passages is from Luke... Continue Reading →
Coronavirus! Do we offer the Lord’s Supper, even when 2 or 3 are NOT gathered? Oh, yes!
I will share my conclusion up front: of course we do! And if we are able to settle that, the main issue now becomes one of logistics, not of theology. First some background. Churches are offering online worship services: Bible studies; small groups. A Mennonite church in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is offering drive-through prayer: the... Continue Reading →
ME?? Stay at home because of a VIRUS!?
As someone who does an average of 50%+ of his work from his own office, being obligated to stay at home or work full-time from home is not a chore. However, I do appreciate that many will find it boring and bewildering, and for some, it will lead to emotional turmoil or even depression or... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 