The Dangers of Church Discipline

One of my readers, commenting on a post I wrote about grace and nonjudmentalism, wrote, “How about writing a little about the difference between forgiveness and indulgence. What does biblical discipline, rebuke and reproof look like for believers in the church?” It’s a legitimate issue. I’ve said many times...

The Only Thing That Matters

1st in the series, “ChurchWorks.” Delivered May 22, 2016, First Baptist Church of Frederick, Maryland  A Wedding Homily I’m going to let you in on a little trade secret: very few pastors write new messages for every wedding they do. They just reuse basically the same one over and over again. You’ve probably...

Discipleship and Religious Bullies

Note: This is a repost (with slight revisions) of a blog from January 2014 that has proven to be one of my most popular articles. It is the second in a series of blogs on discipleship in the church.  Click here for part 1. So many of the discipleship programs I have been through have focused on teaching me...

Discipleship and Religious Bullies

Second in a series on discipleship in the church.  Click here for part 1. So many of the discipleship programs I have been through have focused on teaching me to do religious things like prayer, Bible study, and tithing. These are all good things to do. But here’s the thing that stands out to me as I read...