love

/Tag: love
31 May

New Atheism and smashing babies against the rocks

By |2019-06-11T09:13:17-06:00May 31st, 2019|Uncategorized|34 Comments

The Bible says "happy is he who dashes your little ones against the rocks," so God must be evil. So says the New Atheist Movement, led by authors Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens. These Four Horsemen, and others with them, have made significant inroads against Christianity in the pop culture. This is not good from my perspective, but it is reality. And it's not surprising. After all, parents have outsourced their parental job to government schools, social media, and Netflix, and eagerly let pop culture icons like Katy and Miley raise their kids. Sects like Stanton teach a distorted view of God as well, and contribute to the problem. I've seen so many people escape Stanton and turn to atheism in [...]

9 October

Do you believe in love?

By |2019-04-11T06:33:29-06:00October 9th, 2016|Uncategorized|10 Comments

Do you believe in love? Before you dismiss this as a trite 80's song, think about it from a Biblical perspective. One of the really interesting things about God's love is that we have to believe it: 1 John 4:16 - So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. This makes so much sense, when you think about it. Consider a father who loves his child deeply, and wants only the best for her. He raises her in love, corrects her when she's wrong, and teaches her how to be a good adult. But during those teen years, isn't it true that a parent's love is sometimes not felt? It's there. It's being displayed. But it's not [...]

17 February

Loving those still in Stanton

By |2019-04-11T02:09:44-06:00February 17th, 2015|Uncategorized|14 Comments

I get a lot of questions from people about how best to have a relationship with those still in the Stanton churches. Many feel castigated and judged after leaving, whether they left for Biblically principled reasons, or because they were running from the mistaken view of God they had been told about by Stanton, and wanted nothing to do with him. What a shame, either way. The dysfunction that has arisen in so many families as a result of Stanton has been written about extensively in these pages and in readers' comments. It's truly an awful legacy, considering that the family unit was designed by God to be a beautiful thing, something that protects and nurtures children's and spouses' faith in God. Nevertheless, many find [...]

12 October

Love and marriage, love and marriage

By |2019-04-11T02:09:18-06:00October 12th, 2013|Uncategorized|2 Comments

Note: The "a-ha" moment I describe in Turning the Tables on Legalism about what it would feel like to receive legalistic love from my kids first clicked in my mind regarding marriage. This article is the true story of when I first made that connection. I'm thankful for the love of my wife, in part because she exhibits her love for me in ways I neither deserve nor ask for. That makes me feel privileged and honored to be her husband. I know without a doubt that I have her loyalty and affections. I could argue that most everything good in my life flows from the fact that I feel such security in our relationship. That's because love is inherently inspiring, motivating, and empowering, whether it's [...]

9 October

Love is the Greatest

By |2019-04-11T02:09:17-06:00October 9th, 2013|Uncategorized|4 Comments

Awhile back an anonymous commenter on this blog mentioned that they had prepared a one year study on the subject of love for their congregation after leaving the Stanton sect. I want to thank them publicly and provide the download for others to enjoy as well. I wasn't sure whether I had permission to post it, but was assured in the comments that I did. So to the author: thank you so much for your efforts in writing this, and thank you for your kind words in the handwritten note that was attached. I know nothing about the writer, other than the love that flows from the pages of this study. I received the study in hard copy format after providing my mailing address by [...]

23 September

Reclaiming the doctrine of Christ

By |2019-09-27T14:18:36-06:00September 23rd, 2013|Uncategorized|10 Comments

I've realized over the course of writing this blog that the phrase "Doctrine of Christ" has been redefined by Stanton with meanings and connotations that the Bible never gives it. A church member at some point even felt compelled to write an anonymous blog entitled "What Is The Doctrine of Christ?," taking it down after I linked to it. Perhaps you'll find the true meaning of the term rather shocking in its simplicity, as I once did a number of years ago. So let's explore what John was really was saying in this passage: 2 John 9 - Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and [...]

18 September

Love: More than a feeling

By |2019-09-27T09:58:44-06:00September 18th, 2013|Uncategorized|17 Comments

One of the more enlightening moments in the recent Labor Day talk, which I've good-naturedly entitled Not Ready To Give An Answer, was when we were told that those of us who preach incessantly about love have succumbed to a feel-good religion involving no real sacrifice or cost; a cheap gospel that is all about making you "prosperous and healthy and wealthy and wise." "And so as I hear about so many people who were raised in the church, people who are no longer wanting anything to do with the church they were once a part of, seem to have bought into a type of gospel that says "Jesus wants you to be happy" and "Jesus wants you to be joyful" and "Jesus wants you to have [...]

6 September

Turning the tables on legalism

By |2019-04-11T02:08:58-06:00September 6th, 2013|Uncategorized|109 Comments

The underlying assumption made by a legalistic theology (approach to understanding God), or more accurately, hermeneutic (approach to interpreting the Bible), is that God wants his children to be law-keepers, and the Bible is his law book. Neither can be further from the truth. That is not to say I am antinomian (against law) or lawless, nor am I afraid of absolutes. I have not fallen prey to the shifting sands of moral relativism in the slightest. I will confess that I am very much afraid of imposing an absolute that God hasn't, however, because that is adding to the Word, and speaking where it is silent. My understanding of the Bible soared and it became a joy to read when I came to realize [...]

23 August

The paradigm shift from law to love

By |2019-04-11T02:08:42-06:00August 23rd, 2013|Uncategorized|72 Comments

I almost corrected her when she said "God never fails" but then I realized that since "God is love" she's actually right on. Out of the mouth of babes! This could be a book-length article, but it won't be. It's just an appetizer; something to whet your appetite before a life-long meal at God's table discovering his love for yourself. I've found the understanding of God's love to be the keystone in the arch spanning God and man, his creation. It's what makes the Bible, God's inspired history of mankind's time on Earth, make sense. Without an understanding of God's love, the Bible--yes, even the Word of God itself--becomes merely a "sounding brass, and a tinkling cymbal." It is a chaotic compilation of laws, commands, [...]

8 August

Speaking the truth in love

By |2019-09-27T14:39:09-06:00August 8th, 2013|Uncategorized|0 Comments

The challenge in any situation where brothers disagree with one another is to be able to speak the truth boldly, but in a loving manner so that the other party can actually hear your words. I'm not going to say I've been entirely successful at that here, but that's been my sincere goal. Some posts may have accomplished that more successfully than others. So how do we do this in real life? How do we discuss disagreements about weighty matters in a way that both sides can still feel the love? Obviously, it's much easier said than done. A tip that has helped me--although I still fail at it--is to assume good motives. Part of the reason why debates are frequently ineffective at changing hearts [...]