I don’t know what it is, but preachers of every stripe, myself included, are prone to lay a guilt trip on people from time to time. It is almost as though we were your mother. …
Christian Origins #49 - Romans
Imagine for a moment that you are a highly successful cat burglar. Then one rainy night, you discover that you are not as good a driver as you are a cat burglar, and you are …
Christian Origins #48 - Romans
I am surprised at how often Christian people are conflicted on ethical and moral principles. I am not surprised that we struggle over some of the choices we have to make, but that people don’t …
Christian Origins #47 - Romans
Do you think you would ever be willing to die in someone else’s place? Can you imagine a really good person whose life and lifestyle was so worthy, that you would say “No, let them …
History & Prophecy #5
In the process of relating the events of history to prophecies, let’s ask if we can come to deeper understanding of prophecy and prophets. We need to understand more clearly the historical situation in which …
On Predestination
What did the First Christians believe about predestination? Did the First Christians believe that a persons life is completely mapped out before they are born? Did they believe that one person is born destined to …
Christian Origins #46 - Romans
Why on earth would anyone be happy about being in trouble? Why would you take satisfaction, even pride, in severe affliction? You read people in the Bible who talk this way a lot, but does …
Christian Origins #45 - Romans
The Christian faith is constantly at war with itself over questions of grace versus obedience. There is nothing new in this, because the discussion was going on right from the start. I think the problem …
Christian Origins #44 - Romans
I would have to conclude that there was a lot of tension between some of the Jews and Gentiles in the early Christian church. Paul is at such pains to chastise both Jew and Gentile …
Christian Origins #43 - Romans
There’s a lot of fatuous nonsense out there today masquerading as serious theology. It happens because of the doctrinal and theological disputes going on between sects and churches. In the discussion of proof texts and …
History & Prophecy #4
There have been many interpretations regarding the time of Christ’s return. How could there be so many different opinions? Could it be that all too often people make their assumptions by looking at the future …
The Problem with Sin
I used to be a teenager and, although it was a long time ago, I still remember some of the questions about the Bible that troubled me back then. Young people ask a lot of …
Christian Origins #42 - Romans
Is there any English-speaking person in the world who hasn’t heard of the Garden of Eden? That’s the garden that God planted, and the presumption is that the garden was fabulously beautiful and rich in …
Christian Origins #41 - Romans
When you are reading someone else’s mail, it’s really easy to get confused. You don’t know the players, the history of the arguments, the attitudes, or the story behind the punch lines. When we read …
Christian Origins #40 - Corinthians
The Apostle Paul was steamed. He may have been a minister—gentle and kind—but don’t kid yourself, Paul got steamed. You can only take so much nitpicking, so much scratching around in your past, so much …
Christian Origins #39 - Corinthians
Looking back through 2,000 years at the apostle Paul, the man looks like a giant. He’s certainly a legend, but there’s no evidence from the New Testament that Paul was looked at that way by …
The New Calvinism
Let me tell you an obvious fact you may never have thought of: You hold a set of ideas, some of which are contrary to what your church actually believes. And you are probably unaware …
History & Prophecy #3
As we progress in this study of History and Prophecy, we’re beginning to see a difference in the conduct of the kings in the Northern Ten Tribes of Israel compared with the kings of Judah. …
Christian Origins #38 - Corinthians
When the time comes to give, how much is enough? When someone is taking up a collection to help poor refugees, and they have shown you heart-rending pictures of starving children, how much should you …
Christian Origins #37 - Corinthians
How does it feel to walk up to someone, put out your hand and say, Hi, my name is Bob, only to have the other person simply turn his shoulder and walk away? It is …
Second and Third Tithes
View PostA Funeral Service for Anyone
When we are young, we are a little unsure about funerals. We don’t like to think about death and we are uncomfortable being around people who are grieving. We don’t know how to feel, and …
A Second Chance?
“There are two kinds of people in the world,” intoned the preacher, “the saved and the lost. There is no middle ground with God.” Now there is a sobering thought. If indeed there are only …
Why Did Abraham Tithe?
When God gave Abraham his great victory over the King of Elam, he was met on his return by an enigmatic figure, a priest, by the name of Melchizedek. What is of special interest about …
The Grace to Die Well
(This article was written by Ronald L. Dart in the 1980’s) When it comes my turn to die—and it will come—I hope that God will give me the grace to die well. I know I …
A Christian Harvest Festival
One of the great losses to the nominal Christian faith was the abandonment of the holy days of the Bible—their dismissal as merely Jewish institutions. And surely, one of the greatest of the Christian holy …
Keeping the Sabbath Holy
Just what does it mean to keep the Sabbath? What should a person do on that day? Or, as some prefer to ask, what should a person not do? Can you work at your normal …
Is There Really a Hell Fire?
Is there really an ever–burning hell where sinners are tormented with fire and brimstone throughout all eternity? Is it only for the very wicked? What about the “unsaved”? The Bible tells us there is only …
Law or Grace?: Serving God Acceptably
It had been a hard three days. David and the handful of young men with him had left in a hurry and had taken no food. By the time they got to a place called …
Which Old Testament Laws Apply for Today?
If Jesus told you not to think something, would you believe Him? Or would you continue to suppose that something were true when Jesus told you plainly it was not? For example, if Jesus said, …
What You Need to Know About Spiritual Gifts
What actually happens at the moment you receive a spiritual gift? Do you get a little buzz when it comes? Perhaps a rush? On the day of Pentecost, there was a sound like a rushing …
Charitable Giving
From the beginning, Christian Educational Ministries established helping others as a cornerstone of our foundational philosophy. Chances are, helping others is important to you as well. You probably already share your blessings with others by …
Would You Join a Cult?
“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from you own steadfastness.” In the aftermath of the tragedy in Waco—so …
Would God Harden Your Heart?
Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? When I taught Old Testament Survey class, we could never get through this section of Exodus without a lively discussion on this question. Did Pharaoh have a choice in …
Nine Things to Consider Before Giving to a Ministry or Church
Dear Friend, Any religious organization, be it a television ministry or a local church, depends on donations to survive. And so they all engage in some kind of fund raising effort to make ends meet. …
Why Do We Sell (Some of) Our Materials?
It is not a frequent question, but sometimes people ask, Why do you charge for some of your CDs? The answer is simple enough. We charge for them so we can make them available. But …
Truth, Doctrine, and Policy
Along with the marvelous teachings of Jesus, we often pick up some very bad ideas from our churches and organizations. One of the worst of these ideas, all too common in churches, is that our …
Who Rules the Church?
Was it Jesus’ intent to create a hierarchy of human government over the individual Christian? Does the Christian ministry sit in Moses’ seat for the church? This article explains what you always wanted to know …
Speaker’s Corner
Introduction Welcome. Over the years I have often been asked the equivalent of What’s your secret for public speaking? And I have been badgered to hold seminars or workshops in public speaking and sermons. The …
Knock Three Times
I’m not much into numerology, and I think E. W. Bullinger’s list of the significance of numbers is somewhat fanciful. That said, there is something I’ve wondered about for rather a long time. It has …
Christian Origins #49 - Romans
Imagine for a moment that you are a highly successful cat burglar. Then one rainy night, you discover that you are not as good a driver as you are a cat burglar, and you are …
Christian Origins #48 - Romans
I am surprised at how often Christian people are conflicted on ethical and moral principles. I am not surprised that we struggle over some of the choices we have to make, but that people don’t …
Christian Origins #47 - Romans
Do you think you would ever be willing to die in someone else’s place? Can you imagine a really good person whose life and lifestyle was so worthy, that you would say “No, let them …
History & Prophecy #5
In the process of relating the events of history to prophecies, let’s ask if we can come to deeper understanding of prophecy and prophets. We need to understand more clearly the historical situation in which …
On Predestination
What did the First Christians believe about predestination? Did the First Christians believe that a persons life is completely mapped out before they are born? Did they believe that one person is born destined to …
Christian Origins #46 - Romans
Why on earth would anyone be happy about being in trouble? Why would you take satisfaction, even pride, in severe affliction? You read people in the Bible who talk this way a lot, but does …
Christian Origins #45 - Romans
The Christian faith is constantly at war with itself over questions of grace versus obedience. There is nothing new in this, because the discussion was going on right from the start. I think the problem …
Christian Origins #44 - Romans
I would have to conclude that there was a lot of tension between some of the Jews and Gentiles in the early Christian church. Paul is at such pains to chastise both Jew and Gentile …
Christian Origins #43 - Romans
There’s a lot of fatuous nonsense out there today masquerading as serious theology. It happens because of the doctrinal and theological disputes going on between sects and churches. In the discussion of proof texts and …
History & Prophecy #4
There have been many interpretations regarding the time of Christ’s return. How could there be so many different opinions? Could it be that all too often people make their assumptions by looking at the future …
The Problem with Sin
I used to be a teenager and, although it was a long time ago, I still remember some of the questions about the Bible that troubled me back then. Young people ask a lot of …
Christian Origins #42 - Romans
Is there any English-speaking person in the world who hasn’t heard of the Garden of Eden? That’s the garden that God planted, and the presumption is that the garden was fabulously beautiful and rich in …
Christian Origins #41 - Romans
When you are reading someone else’s mail, it’s really easy to get confused. You don’t know the players, the history of the arguments, the attitudes, or the story behind the punch lines. When we read …
Christian Origins #40 - Corinthians
The Apostle Paul was steamed. He may have been a minister—gentle and kind—but don’t kid yourself, Paul got steamed. You can only take so much nitpicking, so much scratching around in your past, so much …
Christian Origins #39 - Corinthians
Looking back through 2,000 years at the apostle Paul, the man looks like a giant. He’s certainly a legend, but there’s no evidence from the New Testament that Paul was looked at that way by …
The New Calvinism
Let me tell you an obvious fact you may never have thought of: You hold a set of ideas, some of which are contrary to what your church actually believes. And you are probably unaware …
History & Prophecy #3
As we progress in this study of History and Prophecy, we’re beginning to see a difference in the conduct of the kings in the Northern Ten Tribes of Israel compared with the kings of Judah. …
Christian Origins #38 - Corinthians
When the time comes to give, how much is enough? When someone is taking up a collection to help poor refugees, and they have shown you heart-rending pictures of starving children, how much should you …
Christian Origins #37 - Corinthians
How does it feel to walk up to someone, put out your hand and say, Hi, my name is Bob, only to have the other person simply turn his shoulder and walk away? It is …
Christian Origins #36 - Corinthians
Surely, no one would ever manipulate the Bible to his own ends, would he? Well, yes, I am afraid some do. I have heard some egregious manipulation of the scriptures by preachers who were trying …