The Bema Seat of Christ is the Judgment Seat of Christ. “Bema” is the transliteration of the Greek word and “Judgment” is the usual English translation of that word. Paul appeared at Gallio’s bema seat in Corinth (Acts 18:12), at Herod’s bema seat in Caesarea (Acts 23:35), and at Nero’s bema seat in Rome (Acts […]
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Tag: Culture / Worldview
Preaching the Word in a Pagan Age
This article appeared in The Baptist Preacher, December, 1998. William Wordsworth once said, “Language is the incarnation of thought,”1 which may tell us either why conversation is so scarce these days, or why it is such light fare. But it was Confucius who said, “When words lose their meaning, people lose their liberty.”2 That makes […]
Dancing and the Local Church
by Stephen R. Button This article is reprinted by permission from the October, 2003 issue of The Baptist Bulletin, the official organ of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, published by Regular Baptist Press. For subscription information, visit The Baptist Bulletin web site, or e-mail at bbsubs@garbc.org. What’s wrong with dancing? Why not use […]
The Church in Postmodern Times
This article appeared in the December, 1998 issue of The Baptist Bulletin. Has there ever been a time like ours, when the believer at one moment can be so encouraged about the prospects for the gospel and in the next moment be so disappointed? We rejoice to see the modernism of yesterday losing ground in […]
Postmodernism
This complete paper appeared in the Spring 1999 edition of The Journal of Ministry & Theology, Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA. When Charles Dickens wrote The Tale of Two Cities depicting the French Revolution, he began with the words, “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Now at […]
The Truth Behind the New Atheism
The book store shelves are filled with titles and authors we know little about. Adding to the confusion is the disappearance of familiar and trusted authors as well as the obvious change in the trustworthiness of publishers to offer orthodox material. Usually we have to choose a book by its title and take a chance […]
Pleasing God
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and […]
The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century
I am always happy to find a jewel in a used book store. This 1952 Beacon Press book was the best dollar spent yet this year! In its short 260 pages, Bainton gives excellent comparisons of Lutheran, Reformed, and Anabaptist histories as well as differences in their beliefs. The chapter on Anabaptism (“The Church Withdrawn: […]
Victorian London 1840-1870
This is one of those Borders books that I picked up as background for our Discovering Baptist History Tours. A quick look at the index showed that it included Spurgeon as the most noted London preacher of these years. Learning more about the city in which Spurgeon preached is always enjoyable and profitable for me.
Pilgrims and Strangers: A Christian Cul...
A few years ago, R.C. Sproul wrote, “Adjusting to the customs and worldview of one’s environment is one of the strongest pressures people experience. To be ‘out of it’ culturally is often considered the nadir of social achievement.”1 Unfortunately, this bothers most Christians and, because it does, they have spent over half a century defining […]