Controlling the Gap (Part One)
by Bill OnisickIt is there for but a moment, a mere fraction of a second of time, and then it is gone, never to be seen again. It is how the training of our true character is tested, sometimes under the most severe circumstances. ...
21-Dec-12
A Christian's Information Filter
by Richard T. RitenbaughWe live in the Information Age. News hits us from the four corners of the earth, making the journey in mere minutes. Images flash before us on the screens of televisions, computers, and phones. The Internet hums and thrums ...
14-Dec-12
Consequences of a Wrong Focus (Part Two)
by Clyde FinkleaIn Part One, we saw that it is necessary to concentrate on what we are doing. If we let our minds wander or allow something to distract us, bad things are likely to happen. ...
07-Dec-12
Consequences of a Wrong Focus (Part One)
by Clyde FinkleaMost of us realize how important it is to concentrate on what we are doing. We have to focus on our work, our study, our conversations, our driving, and so forth ...
30-Nov-12
Do We Remember Who We Are?
by John O. ReidBack when many of us were called, it all seemed so simple. Our big tests were keeping the Sabbath and holy hays, attending church, and making sure that we tithed and gave offerings ...
23-Nov-12
Sending Thank-Yous
by Dan ElmoreDuring this past Christmas season a discussion on the radio station that we listen to during the drive to work each morning focused on sending thank-you cards for Christmas presents. ...
16-Nov-12
Every Slave and Free Man
by Charles WhitakerIn the essay two weeks ago, we considered the spiritual state of the people dwelling in caves in the apostle John’s vision recorded in Revelation 6:15-17: "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, ...
09-Nov-12
Past the Tipping Point
by Richard T. RitenbaughEvery four years here in the United States, we hold a national election that is billed by many as “the most important election in the history of this country.” It is often framed in black-and-white terms ...
02-Nov-12
End-Time Cavemen
by Charles WhitakerAmong the visions given to the apostle John on the isle of Patmos, he witnesses an assortment of people from “the kings of the earth” to “every slave and every free man” hiding themselves under the mountains, saying: “Fall on us and hide us ...
26-Oct-12
Recovering Civility
by Richard T. RitenbaughA session of the British Parliament, particularly the House of Commons, can be almost hilarious. Speakers there are frequently interrupted with hissing, booing, and other forms of caustic disagreement ...
12-Oct-12
What Is Truth?
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe goings-on in this world constantly remind me why a certain quotation from the late novelist Michael Crichton, author of The Andromeda Strain, Timeline, The Great Train Robbery, State of Fear, and many other bestselling books, resonates so much. ...
28-Sep-12
Sins in the Balance (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeEven though our sins are forgiven when we come under Christ’s blood, a stipulation of that forgiveness is that we also forgive others. ...
21-Sep-12
Sins in the Balance (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeUnder the Old Covenant, the Day of Atonement was the only day during the year when the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies. On that day, he sprinkled the blood of a sin offering ...
14-Sep-12
Interesting Times
by Richard T. RitenbaughA purported ancient Chinese curse says, “May you live in interesting times,” and so we do. Important events seem to occur about once a week these days ...
07-Sep-12
The False Morality of Compassion
by Richard T. RitenbaughFlipping channels on Wednesday night during a commercial break in the Giants-Cowboys football game, I landed on the local PBS station that was airing the speeches from the Democratic National Convention here in Charlotte. ...
31-Aug-12
Leaders With Character
by Richard T. Ritenbaugh“When little men cast long shadows,” said Walter Savage Landor, an English author of the turn of the nineteenth century, “it is a sign that the sun is setting." Mr. Landor was not speaking of short-statured men ...
24-Aug-12
A Warning from Jude (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeKorah and his ilk make common cause with their fellowman as a means to achieve their own ends. Theirs was a message of equality and populism, but all they were really concerned about was their own positions. ...
17-Aug-12
A Warning from Jude (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeJude wrote his epistle to urge his readers to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed . . . who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 3-4). ...
10-Aug-12
A Warning from Jude (Part One)
by David C. Grabbe...The book's purpose appears in verses 3-4, where Jude states that he is writing to exhort his readers to fight for "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints," because of "certain men," as the apostle calls them, who had slipped in among the brethren, and were using the grace of God as license for evil. ...
03-Aug-12
Benaiah
by John ReissThe Bible contains the story of a man whom history has not quite lost but does not remember too well. His name certainly must have been the “John” of his day ...
27-Jul-12
Facing Persecution
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs America continues to shed its Christian values and heritage, the incidence of persecution of Christians is bound to increase. ...
20-Jul-12
The Relationship Deficit (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeIn examining the letter to Laodicea, we can easily see to what extent a relationship deficit stands at its core. Beginning with the name, Laodicea means "the people judge." ...
13-Jul-12
The Relationship Deficit (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeThe letter to Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-21), the Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants (Luke 12:35-40), and the fifth chapter of the Song of Songs all picture Jesus Christ standing behind a door, waiting for His people to respond. ...
06-Jul-12
The Relationship Deficit (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeIn the unsettling letter to the church of Laodicea, Jesus Christ paints a picture of Himself in relation to the end-time church. Notice the figure He uses in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. ...
29-Jun-12
Peter, a Sketch
by Richard T. RitenbaughOf all the disciples of Jesus Christ, the one that we usually consider to have the most personality is Simon Peter. This opinion may merely be the result of the fact that no other disciple’s words and actions are so often recorded in Scripture ...
22-Jun-12
Recent Finds
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe insular world of biblical archaeology always seems to be waiting with the proverbial “bated breath” for the next big find that will stun the world. More than a hundred years ago, the great archaeologists of the day ...
15-Jun-12
The Overlooked Work (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeWaiting is a foundational aspect of faith, hope, and love, and is sometimes one of the hardest works of all. ...
08-Jun-12
The Overlooked Work (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeFor nearly all of us, waiting is uncomfortable. Because of life’s frantic pace, we get frustrated if it takes thirty seconds for a traffic light to turn green. Our stress levels rise just thinking about going to the DMV, because we know it will mean waiting in line for an interminable amount of time in a roomful of other irritated people. ...
01-Jun-12
Vain Repetitions
by Richard T. RitenbaughLast night, my family attended our nephew’s preschool graduation ceremony from a school sponsored by a local church. The five-year-olds were adorable in their blue or red graduation caps and gowns, ...
25-May-12
The Faith of Joseph (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeLast time, we saw that the pinnacle of Joseph’s faith, recorded in Hebrews 11:22, involved his confidence in the promises passed down from Abraham regarding the children of Israel’s return to the Promised Land. ...
18-May-12
The Faith of Joseph (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeIf we were to do character sketches of all the people in the Bible, it is doubtful that we would find any with such a record as Joseph—with the obvious exception of Jesus Christ, of whom Joseph is a type. ...
11-May-12
Christ as Redeemer
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs we count down the fifty days to the Feast of Pentecost, we have been considering the book of Ruth’s Boaz as a type of Christ, first as a provider and then as a righteous judge. ...
04-May-12
Christ as Righteous Judge
by Richard T. RitenbaughFor the past few weeks, we have been looking at the book of Ruth from the standpoint of the countdown to Pentecost, and in the last essay, from the standpoint of Boaz being a type of Christ. ...
27-Apr-12
Christ as Provider
by Richard T. RitenbaughLast week, we considered the period of the count to Pentecost as representing the years of our conversion as Christians, and we focused on the work that was required of the Israelites to grow and harvest the grain used in the offering of the wave loaves. ...
20-Apr-12
The Work of the Firstfruits
by Richard T. RitenbaughLeviticus 23:9-21 covers God’s instructions concerning making the wavesheaf offering, the counting of the seven weeks, and the observance of the Feast of Weeks, called Pentecost in the New Testament. ...
13-Apr-12
Count for Yourselves
by Pat HigginsDeuteronomy overflows with admonitions to be careful to observe God’s words. As an example, notice Deuteronomy 12:32: "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." ...
06-Apr-12
Christ, the Way
by Richard T. RitenbaughDuring the Passover service, we always read John 14 in its entirety. It is chock-full of insight and instruction that we, as Christ’s disciples, need to live fully as Christians ...
30-Mar-12
We Are the Enemy
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe trend has been noticeable over the past few years, particularly in popular books, television shows, and movies, but also in the culture at large. It runs something like this: ...
23-Mar-12
Rehearsing God's Plan
by Richard T. RitenbaughThis weekend marks the beginning of a new sacred year; in fact, this Sabbath is the first day of the year on the Hebrew calendar. God tells Moses in Exodus 12:2, “This month shall ...
16-Mar-12
Christianity's 'War on Women'?
by Richard T. RitenbaughKathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced on January 20, 2012, that, as part of preventive health services for women, all health plans must provide no-cost coverage—including deductibles and co-payments—for all contraceptives ...
09-Mar-12
The Specter of Transhumanism
by Richard T. Ritenbaugh"Maximum Ride" is a popular science-fiction/action-adventure series, ultimately to be eight books, written by novelist James Patterson. These books, aimed at teens, are loosely based ...
02-Mar-12
'Potential Persons' and 'After-birth Abortion'
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe latest abomination to come down the medical-ethics pike is the February 23, 2012, publication of “After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?” in the Journal of Medical Ethics. ...