If you are like most Christians, you struggle with trouble. What do I mean? I mean someone tells you they just got diagnosed with cancer, or they lost their job, or any other significant unpleasantness. What do we so often turn to? Some Christian-sounding half-true bromide, like, “trust in Jesus and everything will work out.”…
It is not uncommon to hear the complaint by non-Christians that the Bible is offensive. We who believe shouldn’t dismiss this. There are places in the Bible (mostly, but not exclusively in the Old Testament) where what appears to be held up as good offends modern sensibilities. Everything from sexism to slavery to genocide appears…
Jesus famously said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). That’s a tall order! But it doesn’t mean “perfect” in the way we think of the word, to be without imperfections. It has more to do with fulfilling our purpose. And by looking at the wider context of this statement, it’s…
What is Juneteenth, and Why Should Christians Care? “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” -Jesus (John 10:10). President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on 1 January, 1863, which declared all slaves in Confederate States “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” It took two more years of fighting before…
Epworth Affiliated Epworth Chapel has officially affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. What does that mean? I’m glad you asked! First, a little history lesson. As originally conceived, Epworth was going to be a Nazarene church, but the District Superintendent at the time wasn’t interested in having a liturgical Nazarene church (now College Church, a…
I have often asked myself, where does my biblical worldview end and my culture begin? Am I guilty of reading into the biblical text ideas that are actually based in American culture or conservative politics? These questions are important to wrestle with for a few reasons. First, all who claim to follow Christ want to…
Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, stems from two distinct Christian doctrines that developed their own ways of celebrating this day. For some, Holy Saturday is the day on which Jesus “rested” from His redemptive work. As Jesus died on the cross, his cry of “It is finished”, signified the completion…
Lament is not a popular topic in the US, even among most Christians. It feels like when we are to proclaim the good news that Jesus has freed us from sin and death, there shouldn’t be any room for bad news. However, that is an overly simplistic theology. While we are living in the time…
As we celebrate the transfiguration of Christ that took place as He prepared to die on the cross, this event raises a lot of questions. What are the implications of Jesus being joined by Moses and Elijah for our understanding of what happens when we die? How does this fit with the doctrine of “the…
The following article appears on the website for the Diocese of the Carolinas of the Anglican Church in North America (https://adoc.church/the-allure-of-liturgy-for-a-new-generation-winfield-befins/). This article was written by Dr. Winfield Bevins, the new Director of Church Planting at Asbury Theological Seminary, and Canon for Church Planting for the Diocese of the Carolinas. The material below is from…