When your church becomes cultish

Posted on July 3, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 17 Comments

If the leader or leadership of your church speaks ill of people after they leave, then that church is becoming cultish no matter how orthodox the teaching and worship might be.

Hugging Porcupines and Other Ostensibly Stupid Behaviors

The Porcupines Among Us Every church has one or more porcupines in attendance. The porcupine is the person who feels entitled to stand in judgment of the church and often acts in a way that is disruptive to body life through their sense of superiority and entitlement. They are not in open hostility, nor are […]

Thoughts on death prompted by my dog

I understand that the decline and death of a dog is not a major event in the larger scheme of things. But, our 10 year old golden retriever is having health issues and it is difficult to watch. Compared to the loss of a spouse, parent, sibling or child, this is a very small hurt, but a real one none-the-less.

Where the wild things are . . . worshipping

I noticed a reference to wild beasts in Mark 1:13: And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. (NKJV) While in the wilderness, Jesus was with the wild animals. Do you suppose that the animals recognized Jesus as their […]

Who is the Redeemer of God’s Elect?

In the last few months, I have been reading about the first Ecumenical Councils of the church in the 4th and 5th Centuries. It was at these councils that the nature of Jesus was clearly defined for all of Christendom. Many of the misunderstandings about Jesus that survive today were addressed by these councils.

More righteous than the Pharisees?

Jesus states we must be more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. How is this possible? Why would Jesus say this?

On Selective Denouncement

The author of Hebrews says this about Jesus: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” Hebrews 1:9, ESV One thing we should keep in mind as church leaders is our tendency to be selective in the things we denounce. I […]