Pastor's Blog

“If the 1619 Project were a term paper, any knowledgeable, fair-minded teacher would give it an F and be done with it.  It demonstrates not only incompetence in handling basic facts, but also a total disregard for the importance of using reliable sources.” [1] This is the conclusion of Peter W. Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, after an examination of the central claims of The New York Times’ widely celebrated initiative to reframe American history around slavery.  The initiative is the brainchild of Nikole Hannah-Jones, a staff writer for the Times .  The project was launched in the August 18, 2019 special issue of The New York Times Magazine. [2]   Its basic premise is that the true founding of America was not 1776 with the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence, [3] but 1619 with the arrival of the first African slaves brought to Virginia.  It was this event, Hannah-Jones argues, that expressed the real founding ideals o...

I have long been thankful for the many good—and I mean really good —friends my wife and I have.   We regard each one as a gift and blessing from God, “the giver of every good and perfect gift” (Jas. 1:17).   And surely, friendship is one of his greatest gifts.   Solomon says, “A friend loves at all times” (Prov. 17:17).   Even in adversity.   Some stick closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24).     The Lord has given us many friends like this.    Since we first received the diagnosis (August 5) that Melinda’s cancer had returned, and were given a none too hopeful prognosis, we have been overwhelmed by an outpouring of love from our friends.     We have shed plenty of tears along the way, but not all of them have been sorrowful.   Early on, during a trip home from the oncologist, I heard Melinda’s phone go off.   As she read the text, she began to cry.   I asked her if everything was okay.   She handed me her pho...

I n Philippians 4:8, Paul begins to drawn his letter to a close with one final exhortation, and it’s a very important one. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. It is impossible to overstate the importance of this to our spiritual growth because the battle for the mind is waged in the soul.  What do you do with your mind?  What do you choose to think about? What kinds of things do you allow your mind to feed on? The music you listen to, the movies you watch, the books you read?  That’s all input into the mind, and it affects the soul for good or ill.  What do you think about when you lay awake at night waiting to fall asleep?  Again, what do you choose to do with your mind?   This is where the battle is fought in our striving to be holy.  Paul writes in Roman...

Introduction I have seen a good deal of pushback on social media concerning the lawsuit filed by two Kansas churches late last week against Governor Kelly’s executive order limiting public and private gatherings to no more than ten people.  The pushback has come from some dear Christian friends, good and godly people whom I love and respect in the Lord.  They have raised several points I would like to address.  But first some background. Background In order to combat the spread of COVID-19, Governor Laura Kelly issued executive order 20-18 on April 7, prohibiting “all public or private mass gatherings.”  The order defines a “mass gathering” as “more than ten people.”  With the help of the Alliance Defending Freedom, two Kansas churches filed suit against the governor in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas to challenge the order as it applies to churches.  The plaintiffs are First Baptist Church in Dodge City (pastored by Steph...

Here are a few observations from Scripture to keep in mind as we seek to respond appropriately, that is, faithfully , to the Coronavirus pandemic. First, biblical law empowers governing authorities to impose quarantines to protect public health.   In ancient Israel, if someone developed a suspicious spot on the skin, he was to be brought before the priest to be examined.   If the spot met certain criteria, he was pronounced “clean” and allowed to go his way.   If it met certain other criteria—we need not go into the details here—he was “shut up” (quarantined) for seven days and examined again.   Depending on his condition, he might be quarantined for another seven days (if there were no changes in the spot), pronounced clean (if the spot was improving), or pronounced unclean (if the spot was growing).   In the last case, he was to make his dwelling “outside the camp” for a prolonged, perhaps permanent, quarantine (see Lev. 13:1-46). [1]   The po...

Thirty years ago, Ted Turner, founder of CNN and the Turner Broadcasting System, declared the Ten Commandments to be outdated.   As a substitute he offered the “ Ten Voluntary Initiatives ” (voluntary initiatives, being less offensive to modern ears.) During an interview at the time, he cited the second commandment as evidence of the Decalogue’s obsolescence.   “No one worships idols anymore,” he said, apparently unaware of the more than a billion Hindus on the planet.   Not being the keenest of Bible students, he was equally unaware of the fact that idolatry comes in many forms besides its most obvious varieties.   One needn’t literally bow down before an image carved in wood or stone to be guilty of this primeval sin.   The essence of idolatry is to give the first place in our thoughts, affections, and decision-making process to anyone (or anything) other than God.   Not many of us are tempted to worship the gods once revered in ancie...