When Zechariah was asked that question by the interpreting angel in the fourth chapter of his prophecy (Zech 4:10), the present temple project looked dreadfully small compared to the glory of the former temple. But the prophet as well as the people who worked on the walls were reminded that God’s work is Not by […]
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Author: Rick Shrader
The Historical Supremacy of Christianity
Christianity claims to be both exclusive and inclusive. It is exclusive in that it claims to be the only way to God, and it is inclusive in that it claims it is the only way to God for every individual in the world. Diogenes Allen wrote, “We cannot relinquish the claim that Christ is the […]
A Minister’s Evaluation
With a little time to reflect on my pastoral ministry of eighteen years, I find myself doing constant self-evaluation. I think I am pretty hard on myself, though I cannot accept the common evaluations of many pundits. Theirs seems to be a typical crying of “so many are struggling emotionally in the ministry. . . […]
When Disciples Are Above Their Master
“Paul’s word about being all things to all men and our Lord’s eating with publicans and sinners have been worked overtime to justify unwise sociability.”1 How true! Anyone who is concerned at all about worldliness in the church has had to listen to the proposition that Jesus was accepted and loved by sinners and they […]
Why Did I Write It?
In January and February I wrote a two-part article titled, “Generic Church: The New Formalism.” In it I listed a number of reasons why I am not an advocate of the “contemporary” or “progressive” church movement. I received as many positive responses to that article as I have ever received for an article. I am […]
Generic Church: The New Formalism (part ...
Note: The first half of this article is in the January 2003 issue of Aletheia. Although I give space to expand the introduction, the main points are a continuation of the first three points which appear in the first issue. I have proposed that the description “contemporary church” in the sense of “new,” “fresh” or […]
Generic Church: The New Formalism (part...
Note: I have been intending to write the following article for a few months. It will probably take two issues to finish. It describes my disagreement with the contemporary church movement and what I believe to be unbiblical trends among our conservative churches. I have no antipathy toward individual people or churches. I do have […]
We Beheld His Glory
John the Apostle always brings us close to heaven, especially as he reveals to us the glory that was in the Lord Jesus Christ. Both in his gospel and his first epistle he graphical portrays what it was like to behold the Son of God in the flesh. In two short parentheses, he lets us […]
Giving Thanks: For the Church of the Chr...
I look forward to my regular reading of Revelation 1-3 as much as any portion of Scripture. The description of The Lord Jesus Christ in chapter one ought to become familiar to any believer who is waiting for His return—for that is how He will appear when we see Him. And we ought to desire […]
Why Bad Things Happen In God’s World
September 11 will long be the signal date for remembering that tragedy can happen, even in America—one nation under God. The following has been my response, which I shared with my own church the Sunday before 9-11. I find the Christian’s response to the presence of evil a mirror response to the question of atheism: […]