Congregational authority is derived from the Word of God and is limited to those areas where the Bible gives his people instructions. According to Baptist polity, the regenerated church, assembled in particular localities and autonomously governed, under the principles and commands of Scripture, has authority to admit into membership born again and baptized believers; to expel and remove from fellowship…
Category: <span>church</span>
Congregational Polity Congregationalism run amok has become a calling card for critics to decry baptistic polity. Sure, it is true that if only sheep lead the sheep, then the entire flock could be in grave danger. While it is true that some churches have an unhealthy practice of congregational polity, one that is more “Americanized” in its application than Biblical; this…
In 1925, a young Martyn Lloyd-Jones was filled with massive internal debate concerning his future. A rising star within the medical community, a brilliant thinker, and a recent convert to Christ, Martyn was overcome with a new passion, a passion to teach God’s truth at every possible moment. While not yet a pastor, he was invited to lecture at Charing…
What do you do when you are so distraught and overwhelmed in your soul that you literally are holding on the wall to keep from falling to the floor into a heap of discouragement? How do you steady yourself when you are so stressed your whole body is shaking? How to keep from screaming at the top of your longs…
My grandfather (and later father) used to ask me “Are you helping out or part of the problem?” on a continual basis. I could not help but infer from his question that I probably wasn’t “helping out” so much because I assumed (rightly I am sure) that the question came because indeed I was “part of the problem.” This really…
It has been a very emotional couple of days; heights of joy in reuniting with my sister’s family (missionaries in Poland) after several years to solemn contemplation as I touring the Auschwitz 1 labor and death camp, to sheer wonder at the largest Medieval town square in Europe in “Old Town” Krakow. I am enjoying my first European travels in…
Evangelical Christians understand that the Gospel is of first importance in how we frame our views of the world, both the world to come as well as the world we live in now. Yet we seem to have the tendency at times to emphasize how the gospel affects living in one world at the expense of living in the other.…
I recently wrote an article bemoaning the persistent and pervasive forcing of our nation to live in a fantasy world. One where marriage does not mean marriage, but basically means “an expression of love.” And this is the heart of the gay marriage debate. The argument has been framed in such a way that it makes opponents opposed to love…
On December 20, 2013 a U.S. District Judge ordered Utah’s defense of marriage legislation unconstitutional, in effect overturning a legally approved ban on same sex marriage that was passed by Utah voters in 2004. Many states across this nation seem to be dropping like flies through both judicial and legislative processes as of late regarding the issue of same sex…
The next several articles will focus on these two verses written by the Apostle Paul to the Colossians applied to the various venues of communication that take place in our current culture. This first installment will provide the overview of the contextual meaning of the verses. “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech…