Judging
Judge Not? People often believe politically correct, liberal view that we, as Christians, are not to judge anything or any one. It is the one Bible verse that most people love to quote. They are not sure where it is found, but they do know that those are the words of Jesus. It is, in reality, a false commandment and a common cliché among liberals whose theology comes from socialists instead of Scripture. Contrary to popular beliefs.. the Bible makes some very straight forward statements about ‘judging’
The Bible
Bible Controversies Several Articles dealing with Bible Codes, The Apocrypha, The King James Version, and modern paraphrases like The Living Bible, The Message and Good News Bible.
Women
Women in The Church Several articles on the role of women in the church... The Role of Women in the Bible, women in the heart of God, should women teach in church, women’s lib, headcovering and modesty.
Law Or Grace.. The Old Covenant or The New
The Law: The Misunderstood Covenant What is meant by law? Who was the Law given to? How long was the Law intended to remain in effect? What is the nature of the Law? What was its purpose? These and many other questions will be addressed in this introductory article.
Moses’ Law or Christ’s Law? Are the Ten Commandments (from the Old Testament) supposed to be the rules by which present-day Christians live? One might think so because the Ten Commandments have been placed on the walls of our courtrooms, school rooms, and churches. I suspect a huge preponderance of people, Christians and non-Christians believe that the Ten Commandments are basic rules by which all of us are to live. Is that true for Christians?
Cessationism
Have Prophecy, Direct Revelation and Miracles Ceased? Is God still speaking to His church through direct revelation? Is the office of prophet still operational in the body of Christ today? Are miracles still occurring in the church?
Tongues (Section)
Tongues and the Christian The book of Acts simply states that various groups spoke with tongues when receiving the Holy Spirit. The Pentecostalist then concludes that the same is true for believers centuries later. However While Paul makes it clear that he himself had spoken in tongues, in general he appears somewhat less than enthusiastic about this particular Gift. Additionally The tongues spoken within the charismatic movement today have been carefully examined by linguistic scholars and found not to be a real human language at all but rather unintelligible utterances. But is there any solid evidence in the Bible for the gift of tongues utilizing unintelligible speech?
Baptism
Baptism Is it necessary for salvation, or is it the act of an already present faith? If baptismal regeneration is right, then we should see people baptized first, then saved later, or saved and baptized simultaneously. We never see this. We do see many times people being saved first, then being baptized. What about the issue of “re-baptism”? Some say that “re-baptism” should never be practiced – no matter what the circumstances of one’s original baptism were. Infant baptism is the sprinkling or immersion of infants for the purpose of imparting to them spiritual blessing of some sort. Though the exact purpose of it differs from group to group, almost always it implies that the child thereby receives salvation in some sense. (Several Articles)
Baptism of The Holy Spirit
The Second Blessing We may have had a very real experience that we called a second blessing, or baptism with the Holy Spirit. God may have touched us but the baptism with the Holy Spirit was never about gifts, signs, and wonders. Never about an experience which HAPPENS TO US. The baptism with the Holy Spirit was always about Jesus Christ in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Believers are enjoined to be filled with the Spirit, walk by the Spirit, pray in the Spirit; but never once to be baptized in the Spirit. Yet Pentecostalism tells its followers to seek the baptism of The Holy Spirit and not to be content with "ordinary" salvation.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Tattoos
Can Christians Drink Alcohol? While there are a number of Scriptures in the New Testament which seem to imply that drinking wine is not necessarily sinful in itself, the Bible is very clear that drunkenness is a sin.
The Bible and Alcohol Some Christians have condemned others for wearing make-up, going to the opera, or even sending Christmas cards. Christians, it seems, have an incredible ability to invent rules and regulations. It’s endemic to human nature—but it’s also a modern, unvarnished form of Pharisaism.
Is Smoking A Sin? It's interesting that the culture of North American Christianity has made smoking an unacceptable, "unChristian" behavior or a sin, while in Europe, many Christians don't think twice about smoking, but consider American Christians' materialism and women's makeup unacceptable, "unChristian" behavior.
Christian Tattoos To some, a tattoo is a form of intricate artwork. Others may look at them as wild acts of rebellion. But the question remains ..Is it okay for a Christian to get a tattoo? Some would say "Absolutely!" while others would say "Not in the least!" Let's go the Word of God, the Bible
The Lord’s Supper
Feast Or Famine The Lord's Supper, sometimes called communion, the Table of the Lord, the agape or the Eucharist, is limited in most churches to a sip of wine and a piece of bread. Why then is it called a "supper" in the NT?
The Lord's Supper Is Not a Sacrament "Sacraments" do not fit the historical context of original Christianity; neither do they fit the theological context. Sacraments constitute about as "religious" a technique as can be devised; and original Christianity was religion-less.
Christmas and Easter Etc.
Christmas Is it necessary? Should we celebrate it? Does The Christmas Story Matter? Theology of Christmas Carols, Why Are Churches Closed For Christmas This Year? Includes..
Santa Claus.. Pretender To The Throne For the most part, the world will tolerate stars, angels, Christmas trees, or a baby sleeping in a manger. But there’s still "no room at the inn" for the King who invites us to walk His lowly path. Worse.. Jesus’ place has been usurped by a pleasant fat fellow boasting a red hat and team of reindeer. So how do we understand the Santa Claus phenomenon? What do we REALLY know about Santa? Is he just a harmless, friendly fellow? Or is there something or someone else hiding behind the façade?
Should Christians Celebrate Easter? Of course, we must celebrate our Lord’s triumph over sin and the grave. However, let us call it by a biblical designation.. Resurrection Sunday, instead of a derivative of the idolatrous goddess of spring. Let us also avoid the worldly and commercial baggage associated with these holidays
Should Christians Celebrate the Jewish Feasts? This question seems to be having a bit of a revival these days. Some in the Hebrew Roots movement have gone overboard, claiming that Christians who do not observe the Sabbath and Festivals of the Old Covenant are "lawless."
Halloween is much more than a harvest festival. Its origins are deeply rooted in the occult.
Pictures of Christ
Pictures of Christ It is futile to deny the influence exerted upon mind and heart by a picture of Christ therefore the question of the propriety of pictorial representations of the Saviour is one that merits examination.
Tithing
Tithing The Apostle Paul never once appealed to tithing even though he obviously often suffered financial difficulties. However, he wrote rather a lot about FREELY giving financial support where one is able. (In-depth Article)
Should The Church Teach Tithing? contrast the false teachings used to support tithing with what God’s Word actually says. (16 Facts From Scripture)
Creeds
The Problem With Creeds .. The word creed is from the Latin credo, meaning, "I believe." Of course, there is nothing wrong in itself with stating a belief. This is, in fact, necessary if we will take a stand for truth. One might even agree generally with the teaching of the material in a creed; but a "creed" goes beyond stating a belief. It is essentially an authoritative statement of a particular position (or positions) to which others are expected to assent.
Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual Warfare... Section Includes Can A Christian Be Demonized?, How Deliverance Ministries Lead People to Bondage, Binding and Loosing, Territorial Spirits and Spiritual Warfare and Generational Curses
Salvation
A Question of Salvation Original Sin, Predestination, Eternal Security, Inclusivism etc
Other Questions
Is It Ever Right To Lie? We find ourselves living in a society that actually conditions us to lie. Our employers ask us to lie for them on many occasions. For instance, the secretary who "covers" for the boss when he doesn't want to be disturbed and the salesman who makes claims for his product which are not true are both lying. Many times our "embellishments" on job recommendations for friends and acquaintances are nothing but lies. I suppose it is possible that the Christian might try to convince himself that these little lies are not really important enough to worry about. But God makes it clear that "all liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).
Does God Always Heal? Too many good Christians striving to “believe” their sickness away, and finally collapsing into self-condemnation and utter discouragement over their “lack of faith” or the “sin” in their lives.
Dispensationalism is a system of theology whose adherents strive for a consistently literal interpretation of the Bible. It makes careful distinctions between different periods of God's progressive dealings with mankind, and between His plans for national Israel and for the New Testament Church. Dispensationalism is currently the most common interpretive framework for lay-level evangelicals in the United States.
Ashes To Ashes Economic ease and apparent absence of theological conflicts, has enabled cremation to become established in Christian churches as an alternative to burial. The question must still be asked, however, Is it right for Christians to practice cremation?
The Prayer of Jabez In Gethsemane the holiest of all petitioners prayed three times that a certain cup might pass from Him. It did not. After that the idea that prayer is recommended to us as a sort of infallible gimmick may be dismissed." - C.S. Lewis.
The Masonic Lodge
Freemasonry The Masonic Lodge in America is a highly influential organization claiming some four million members. Masonic leaders argue the lodge is not a religion but merely a fraternal body that seeks to better society The relationship of Masonry to Christian faith has been controversial for at least 200 years, and over that period the different sides have attempted to defend their positions to the best of their abilities with a considerable amount of rhetoric on both sides.. Admittedly this is a highly charged, complicated issue.
Television and Books
These Articles Are In The New Age Section
Oprah Winfrey ... High Priestess of the New Age. Every aspect of Winfrey’s empire has the noble aim of helping women become inspired and improve themselves. Unfortunately, this mission has taken her — and by default, the nation — on a spiritual trek through the questionable theology of the New Age. Endorsing various nefarious New Age ideas, Oprah has promoted Touched by an Angel, The Secret, A New Earth, A Course in Miracles with devastating consequences.
Chicken Soup for the Soul So why are some Christians critical of these books? If there is something so un-Christian about them, why are so many Christians reading and enjoying them? These are good questions that deserve answers. As is the case with many books dealing with infusing spirituality into the workplace, the books of Jack Canfield contain a great deal of common-sense. Nonetheless, Christians should be aware that the books also are steeped in a spirituality that is opposed to biblical Christianity.
War
The Christian and War Is a Christian ever justified in going to war? The legitimacy of military service.. Can a Christian be a member of the armed forces? Five reasons for believing that the war with Iraq is justified. (Several Articles)
