Unity in (Spite of) Diversity

Visits: 28[Note: This MS is available in larger font on our Longer Articles page.] Introduction Was a renewed and intensified “unity” initiative with the Independent Christian Church (ICC) underway? Abilene Christian University had an ICC preacher on its lectureship a few years earlier. The Tulsa…

Sowing and Reaping

Visits: 18[Note: This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 2 page.] A bountiful, but bitter harvest of dishonor, immorality, profanity, drug and drink addiction and uncaring secularism have become commonplace in our beautiful America. They extend from the powerless and poor…

On Penknives and the Bible—No. 2

Visits: 22[Note:  This MS is available in  larger font on our Brief Articles 1  page.]             Jehoiakim, the ungodly sixth-century BC king of Judah, unceremoniously took his penknife to the pages of Holy Writ as they were read to him, casting them into the…

A Strong Church

Visits: 3[Note:  This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 1  page.] “Be strong in the Lord” (Eph. 6:10) applies to individuals and churches alike. Assuming that we all want the church to be strong, what are (and are not) these sources…

Calvinism and Neo-Calvinism

Visits: 20[Note: This MS is available in larger font on our Manuscripts page.] Introduction “Calvinism” is not a single doctrine or even a few scattered, unrelated doctrines. It is a system of theology embracing several significant doctrines. These dogmas are all tightly woven together in…

Will God Change His Mind?

Visits: 37[Note:  This MS is available in larger font on our Longer Articles  page.] God has “changed His mind” on occasion (e.g., Exo. 32:7–14; Num. 14:11–20). If God never “changes His mind” about anything Deism is justified, and many of our prayers are vain. Often…

Shall We Surrender the Scriptural Purpose of Baptism?

Visits: 27[Note:  This MS is available in larger font on our Longer Articles  page.] The subject of the one age-lasting baptism (Eph. 4:5; Mat. 28:19–20) has stirred discussion and controversy for centuries. Men have hotly contested various facets of the subject in countless conversations and…

Politics and Religion—Liberals Will be Liberals

Visits: 19[Note:  This MS is available in larger font on our Longer Articles  page.] Introduction Railroad tracks run parallel to each other, as do numerous other things (e.g., lines on a music staff, window blinds, prison bars, et al.). Such items are not only aligned;…

Baptism—What Does the Bible Teach?

Visits: 23[Note:  This MS is available in larger font on our Manuscripts  page.] Introduction In Mark 16:16 Jesus made one of the most explicit statements in the New Testament concerning baptism: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall…

The “Purpose-Driven” Church Paradigm

Visits: 58[Note:  This MS is available in larger font on our Longer Articles  page.] Introduction Churches should have goals and aims. In this sense every congregation of the Lord’s people should be driven by purpose rather than stumbling along haphazardly. However, purpose-driven has taken on…