Monthly Archives: October 2002

A GOOD WORD FOR THE CREEDS. Although it is often said we are “noncreedal,” the truth that Brethren emphatically affirm the New Testament as our creed. We are also not anticreedal (contrary to some of the hysterics heard a few … Continue reading →

J. GRESHAM MACHEN IS ONE OF MY HEROES. His fine work, Christianity and Liberalism, is available on the web here. It has never been adequately answered.

ANOTHER ISSUE WITHIN THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IS, do we believe in objective and absolute truth? As I read the writings on VOS and COB-L, I am struck by the near-total lack of regard for anything that is solid, … Continue reading →

MY COMMENTS BELOW, are meant not as scolding my evangelical Brethren, but as serious questions that should be contemplated. The same comments could be directed toward our friends who are of the Brethren Church or the Fellowship of Grace Brethren … Continue reading →

THE BRETHREN CARD (1923) should serve as a touchstone for evangelical Brethren–alongside the NAE Statement of Faith. NAE member denominations (most of them, I’d imagine) set out their specific doctrinal emphases, and also affirm the NAE statement.

SOMETIMES I WONDER, –and please take this in a positive way–what makes Brethren evangelicals specifically Brethren? What is characteristically Brethren about adhering to the Apostles Creed or to the NAE Statement of Faith? I would like to encourage a greater … Continue reading →

HERE IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF SPEECHES on licensing/ordination of practicing homosexuals from the 2002 Annual Conference. A depressing collection, indeed.

THERE IS ANOTHER VOS, TOO! Here is a useful site if looking for an orthopedic physician in Virginia.

BAILING FROM THE VOS DISCUSSION LIST. A number of folks are leaving the Voices for an Open Spirit discussion list, some with the complaint that the list is too active. One says, “The dialogue has been interesting.” I’d characterize it … Continue reading →

POLITICAL PARTY CAPTURED BY IDEOLOGICAL MINORITY. No, it isn’t the Republicans.

REVIVAL WILL NOT COME TO THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN unless and until the “Bible-believing” evangelical folks decide that the Lord and the Church are more important than the other silly details of their lives. Some think if the church … Continue reading →

LAMBERT DOLPHIN’S LIBRARY is an interesting site for essays on the Bible, science, sexuality, and so on. I won’t tell you that I agree with everything there, but you will find some thoughtful work. He has an essay on “Jesus … Continue reading →

ONE MAY DETECT WHAT THEOLOGICAL PERSUASION SOMEONE HAS without necessarily having a long conversation. For example, a conservative will generally address God as “Heavenly Father.” Evangelicals will use “Lord.” And liberals, usually without fail, will simply use “God.” Also, the … Continue reading →

THOSE THREE WORDS, “is not acceptable,” make the 1983 paper more internally consistent than not. It is not contrary to having “open, forthright conversations” while upholding the traditional, Biblical view of homosexuality. Practicing homosexuals–whether promiscuous or in “covenants”–need to be … Continue reading →

SOME CLAIM THE ARGUMENT IN THE COB IS OVER THREE WORDS in the 1983 Statement on Human Sexuality. However, they conveniently ignore these particular paragraphs, which the BRF Position on Homosexual Practice affirms: …It is in union with a sexual … Continue reading →

IF ISLAMIC AND CHRISTIAN “FUNDAMENTALISM” ARE EQUALLY DANGEROUS, why haven’t the Amish blown up any buildings? Anabaptists renounced violence after the debacle at M�nster–nearly 500 years ago. George Neumayr has an interesting piece called “Falwell Was Right.”

HERE’S SOME BIBLICAL SCHOLARLY TREATMENT ON THE HOMOSEXUAL MOVEMENT by Robert Gagnon, associate professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Scroll down for the articles (they are in both HTML and PDF format). Of course, Gagnon is not alone, … Continue reading →

DIALOGUE IS A ONE-WAY STREET. After reviewing the recent days’ postings on VOS, I am as convinced as ever that, in their eyes, dialogue has only one acceptable end. That is, the unqualified acceptance and approval of the homosexual lifestyle. … Continue reading →

I’ve not been posting this week as I am preaching revival at Briery Branch COB in the Shenandoah District. Hope to be back doing some more regular commenting as soon as I get back home later this week.

UH, OH. My little commentary has been discovered! If you’re new here, this is–as far as I know–the first Brethren weblog (or “blog” for short). Take a look through the archives (link in the left column). It is gratifying, though, … Continue reading →

THOSE WHO ARGUE FOR MORE DIALOGUE on the homosexual issue, and think that people “just don’t understand,” or “need more education”—their arrogance causes them to fail to grasp that conservatives and evangelicals could in fact understand them, and are plenty … Continue reading →

GOP CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR IN MICHIGAN IS BRETHREN. Dick Posthumus is a member of the Hope Church of the Brethren in Freeport, Michigan. He is pro-life. If elected, would he be the first Brethren governor since M.G. Brumbaugh (governor of … Continue reading →

JUST RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM A COMPANY involved with fund-raising (selling greeting cards) for churches. I get these calls occasionally. Is commercial fund-raising so prevalent in our churches anymore? Are Christians so stingy that necessary ministries can’t be supported … Continue reading →

JONAH GOLDBERG ON EVANGELICAL SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL. Not an entirely accurate picture of dispensational theology, but as Goldberg says, he’s no expert on Christian theology.

MANY CONGREGATIONS OBSERVE LOVE FEAST IN OCTOBER. We had a few more attend, and a number of our college students were home just to participate in it. The death of the Love Feast in many–if not most–of Churches of the … Continue reading →

APPARENTLY, A NERVE HAS BEEN STRUCK, and we see just how open “Voices for An Open Spirit” really are. Folks, this really is not about dialogue; liberals only want dialogue when they appear to be losing and want more time … Continue reading →

NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF THE MICHIGAN COB CONGREGATIONS HAVE CHOSEN TO WITHHOLD CONTRIBUTIONS to the District. Michigan District, already in difficult circumstances, has 22 congregations. The “power of the purse” often has a sobering effect on those who would take the … Continue reading →

A “BRETHREN EVANGELICAL NETWORK OF MICHIGAN” has been organized. At a recent meeting, representatives of several churches met, developed a statement of faith and goals statement, and chose interim leadership. It is fairly informal right now. Anyone from the Michigan … Continue reading →

THE GOSPEL IS ADVANCING IN CHINA. (via Instapundit).

I’VE DISCOVERED ANOTHER BRF! This one, though, reflects the hyper-Calvinism of the Protestant Reformed Church here in the United States.