Wednesday's Catch: "Revitalizing Church Through an Outward Focus" and More

Revitalizing Church Through an Outward Focus

Church revitalization is a very real and important topic to many today because statistics indicate that the majority of churches are plateaued or declining. So, since the majority of churches are not growing, if you’re a church leader, pastor, or Christian leader reading this you’re probably in a church that needs revitalization. Read More

9 Ways to Get Out of the Christian Bubble

I’m convinced that many Christians don’t do much evangelism because they don’t really know many non-believers in the first place. They live inside the Christian bubble and wait for lost persons to come their way. The gospel, though, is about a God who came to a non-believing world; He initiated the conversation. Here are some ways we can be more Christlike and get outside the bubble.... Read More

Republican Tax Law Hits Churches

Republicans have quietly imposed a new tax on churches, synagogues and other nonprofits, a little-noticed and surprising change that could cost some groups tens of thousands of dollars. Their recent tax-code rewrite requires churches, hospitals, colleges, orchestras and other historically tax-exempt organizations to begin paying a 21 percent tax on some types of fringe benefits they provide their employees. Read More

As I come across more articles on this change to the tax code affecting churches and other non-profits, I will post links to them.

How the Catholic Church Became Roman

Looking back, we sometimes wonder how the accumulation of Roman tradition developed from the Galilean’s fishing boat to Luther’s day; that is, from the day of Pentecost to the sixteenth century. While the story is protracted and complex, the following overview will attempt to offer some perspective, giving particular attention to the development of ecclesial authority in the papal office. Read More

God Told Me...

Some consider inner words from God or revelations as certain, even authoritative. Do they put it on par with Scripture? Perhaps they would not make that claim but when they give any authority to personal revelations there’s the dangerous tendency to lean away from sola Scriptura toward mysticism, and maybe worse. That practice has been around for a long time. But longevity doesn’t equate to validity. Read More

Historically Anglicanism has rejected belief in special personal revelation both at the time of the English Reformation and in more recent times.