In a day and age when Southern Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in America and Baptist churches are seemingly everywhere, it is easy to ask what Baptists are all about and even why are they so prevalent. There is no short answer but I think that a brief general account of their beginnings can […]
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Author: Matt Shrader
Church History: Where Do I Begin?
In the previous issue of Aletheia I gave my explanation for why church history is necessary. I also mentioned that once we can agree that church history needs to be considered then we need to start asking how we are going to do this. I have been asked this simple question several times: where do […]
The Necessity of Church History
Baptists have their roots in the English Reformation. Since their beginning, several beliefs have been at the center of their theology, including believer’s baptism, individual soul competency, congregational government, as well as fundamentally orthodox beliefs like the Trinity and the deity of Christ. Whether they are affirming the major beliefs of orthodoxy or their denominational […]
Questions of the Modern Mind
It has been a long while since young-earth creationists have made such an international appearance. On February 4, 2014 Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis debated with Bill Nye from Bill Nye the Science Guy. Many in the scientific community tuned in to see how the debate would go. Countless churches and schools organized viewings […]
What’s In A Name? Why We Should Retain
This article will appear in two parts. The first part was written by Rick Shrader, president of Aletheia Baptist Ministries. The second part is written by Matt Shrader, Educational Consultant at Aletheia Baptist Ministries. Part II Because this article carries on with the theme from the previous article, I […]
A Castle of Cards?
Are you ever discouraged because of your circumstances and have turned really pessimistic? I am not talking about having a “glass half-empty” but more of a “glass bone dry” kind of attitude. What do we do at that point? How do we wade through those difficult times? How do we get out of such pessimism? […]
Why Do We Need Church?
The question of why we need the church is an understandable question. It is also a helpful question. There are many of us who attend church multiple times every week and have done so for most, if not all, of our Christian lives. But why do we do so? What makes going to church and […]
Considering Christian Social Responsibil...
You do not have to go far to find discussions about Christian social responsibility. This term may not be used, but it is part of the same conversation: What is the Christian’s responsibility toward the evils around him? Quite often the discussion is framed in terms of the Christian’s responsibility of good works and its […]
The Gospel and Narrative
Long John Silver is a prominent name in the minds of those young (and older) boys who have read Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Throughout the entire story young Jim Hawkins struggles with who the real Long John Silver is and how to understand his actions. Is he the affable, generous sea cook, and friend […]
Does Love Win?
Recently, there has been an explosion of attention focused on Rob Bell and his new book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, which was released in March 2011 by HarperOne. The buzz surrounding this book began when Bell posted an introductory video to his book […]