Does the church bring freedom or coercion?

Posted on February 27, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

The church is sometimes charged with using coercion to bring people into conformity with the Bible. Is this true? How should we respond?

Dr. Luke Investigates

Our pastor is preaching through the Gospel of Luke on Sunday Mornings. During the sermon yesterday a thought struck me. Luke was a physician which is why he sometimes gives very detailed descriptions of the infirmities of those who came to Jesus for healing. The “aha” moment for me yesterday was when I realized that […]

More than you can handle

On the surface, it seems correct to say that “God will not give you more than you can handle.” Paul does tell us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to escape the situation. But it is a huge jump to infer from this that God will not allow you to encounter situations that you cannot handle.

Stumbling blocks: how we live matters more than our words

Parents and church leaders, the best thing we can do for the next generation is to renounce our selfishness and come to meet Jesus at the Cross in humility and submission. We need to confess where we have compromised and seek to recover the ground that was lost. We want to hear the words of Matthew 25:21, “well done good and faithful slave.” We need to live lives that point to the reality of the Gospel.

What CSI Tells Us About Our Desire for Truth

I recently read a post by Jill Carattini of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. In the post she discusses the reason for the popularity of forensic criminal science dramas on television such as CSI, NCIS and Bones. The shows center around the desire to find out what really happened to the victim and to bring the […]

On wineskins, graves, garlic, leeks and onions

When a new work is started, the newness brings with it a level of discomfort. We often refer to the old system as tried-and-true, even if the results were less than optimal. The danger is that the new work will be hobbled by those who are determined to force the new work into the old pattern. I have seen this tendency in industry and I’ve seen it in the church.

Does the church bring freedom or coercion?

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