Gospel.com Blog

Let’s say a person became a Christian some time ago and just never got around to finding a church. They read still read their Bible and pray, but they’re not a member or even an active “visitor” of any organized body of Christ. Are they still a Christian?

Is Church attendance required to call yourself a Christian?

Here’s an answer from the ministry of Faith Facts:

Yes, at least in a very technical sense. Salvation is not dependent on actions. God judges one’s heart.

But let’s be honest. The Bible says that we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). If you say you are a Christian yet do not attend church regularly, how can you say that you really love God sufficiently?

Jesus emphasized the importance of his church. The Bible further emphasizes that regular worship, Bible study, fellowship with other believers, and service to one another are important. Likewise, the Bible warns against willful and persistent rejection of God (Hebrews 10:26).

Read the rest of the article at I’m not into organized religion. Can’t I be a Christian without going to church regularly?.

What do you think?

The hubbub surrounding Carrie Prejean has me thinking about beauty pageants and contests like Miss America and Miss World. They’re clearly part of the fabric of our culture, one of the towns I lived in even had a small town rendition put on by 4-H.

Should Christians support beauty contests?

What do you think?

There’s been some recent internet buzz about a new diet called the 400 Calorie Diet. It’s being heralded by Prevention Magazine. The basic concept behind it is that you only eat four 400-calorie meals a day. Nothing more, nothing less.

The diet teaches you basic portion control and how to count calories, two skills that many people struggle with.

Whenever dieting comes up, I think about the diet that Daniel and his friends subsisted on when they were in captivity. They were offered the fine meats and wines of King Nebuchadnezzar, but instead chose to eat vegetables and water. They reasoned that if they were performing poorly in 10 day’s time, they’d switch to the King’s diet. Of course, at the end of the ten days they were healthier than everyone else there. You can read the whole story in Daniel 1.

What I find interesting about diets—400 Calorie and Daniel included—is how they usually just ask us to do one thing: pay attention to what we’re putting in our mouths. Most people, when they’re dieting, find themselves thinking about food on a much different level. It’s no longer, “What looks appetizing?”, but “What should I eat?”

After all, the sin of gluttony is primarily one of self-control. And a good way to have no control over your actions is to say yes to everything.

How does your faith affect how you eat?

(If you’re interested, Prevention also has a slideshow of what constitutes 400 calories.)

The English language’s collection of four letter words are extraordinarily popular. They’re peppered throughout our media and can be overheard just about anywhere you have someone upset or angry.

But is it alright for Christians to cuss or swear?

I’ve heard passionate appeals from Christians on either side of the issue (and heard from others who think we’re wasting our time making it an issue). What about you? Do you think that swearing is sinning?

Here’s a perspective on cussing/swearing from GotQuestions.org:

Question: “Is it a sin to cuss / swear / curse?”

It is definitely a sin to swear (curse, cuss, etc.). The Bible makes this abundantly clear. Ephesians 4:29 tells us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” First Peter 3:10 declares, “For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” James 3:9-12 summarizes the issue: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

James makes it clear that the lives of Christians—the “brothers”—should not be characterized by evil speech. By making the analogy of both salt water and fresh water coming from the same spring (which is uncharacteristic of springs), he makes the point that it is uncharacteristic for a believer to have both praise and cursing come from his/her mouth. Nor is it characteristic for us to praise God on one hand and curse our brothers on the other. This, too, is uncharacteristic of a true believer.

Jesus explained that what comes out of our mouths is that which fills our hearts. Sooner or later, the evil in the heart comes out through the mouth in curses and swearing. But when our hearts are filled with the goodness of God, praise for Him and love for others will pour forth. Our speech will always indicate what is in our hearts. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

Why is it a sin to cuss / swear / curse? Sin is a condition of the heart, the mind, and “the inner man” (Romans 7:22), which is manifested in our thoughts, actions and words. When we swear and curse, we are giving evidence of the polluting sin in our hearts that must be confessed and repented of. Thankfully, our great God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). When this happens, we receive a new nature from God (2 Corinthians 5:17), our hearts are transformed, and our speech reflects the new nature God has created within us.

Read the article at Question: “Is it a sin to cuss / swear / curse?”.

Share your thoughts!

There’s been a lot of online chatter lately about bumper stickers connecting Psalm 109:8 to President Barrack Obama. Psalm 109:8 reads:

Let his days be few; and let another take his office. (Psalm 109:8, KJV)

As a post over on examiner.com points out, what’s more alarming than calling for President Obama’s swift removal from office is what follows in Psalm 109:9:

Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. (Psalm 109:9, KJV)

Perhaps the makers of these bumper stickers are attempting to coyly express dislike of the President’s policies and leadership by taking a verse from the Bible out of its original context. Presumably they’re just looking forward to the psychological relief they imagine will accompany President Obama’s eventual replacement. However, if those that slap this on their bumpers include not only verse 8, but 9-20 as well, this starts to fall into imprecatory prayer territory.

An imprecatory prayer is a plea for God to come and take care of an enemy. They’re rare in the Bible and almost always defer to God’s wisdom and judgment in the matter. The destruction of an enemy is a very serious thing for which to pray. Outright hatred in the name of Christ should give us pause—after all, Jesus rather famously told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

While Psalm 108 happens to be an excellent example of an imprecatory prayer, it’s also a vivid picture of a man at the end of his rope with no other options before him. As bad as you might think the United States has become, it’s nowhere near the situation that David speaks of in Psalm 109.

Thankfully, from what I’ve seen googling around, it seems that few people are vociferously defending the bumper sticker’s statement; and let’s be honest—the bumper sticker by itself isn’t going to change anyone’s mind. At best it might spark a thoughtful exchange between two people (although I have my doubts).

Whenever topics like this come up, we have an excellent opportunity to evaluate why and for whom we pray. When we pray for those who persecute us, we pray that they might also find the grace and mercy we’ve received through Christ. The hope that God gives us is not that all who oppose us would be laid to waste, but that all who oppose us would also find forgiveness and life.

On December 12, photographers across the nation will be taking pictures of people for free as part of the Help Portrait movement. Help Portrait is an attempt to mobilize the amateur, hobbyist and professional photographers of the world to bring some good to those in need.

The goal of the project is to provide family and personal portraits to people in need. For some, this will be the first and only portrait they ever have taken. Aside from taking the picture, printing it and delivering it, Help Portrait urges the photographers to take time to get to know the people they’re photographing: cook them a meal, talk to them, serve them.

The below video has more information:

So why is this important? After all, there’s a lot of money and time going into this movement that could be spent on other things. And more to the point, why is this important for Christians?

Personally, I feel that as children of God we’re called to celebrate the beauty in Creation. Yes, we live in a world tainted by sin, but art gives us an amazing outlet through which we can explore aspects of this world that still reflect, however dimly, the perfection of Eden.

Portraits in particular are a way to highlight hidden and often-overlooked characteristics of their subject. When a photographer—or any artist for that matter—lovingly crafts an image of a person, that image can show a side of the person you barely knew existed: the beautiful, the cool, the composed, the handsome, the joyful.

For the Christian photographer, showcasing the good and interesting in people also showcases the good and interesting in God. Art gives us a distant but compelling glimpse of God’s original Creation.

Do you know anyone who is involved with Help Portrait? Do you think you might volunteer to help out? How can photography and other art forms point the way to God?

Editor’s note: While Help Portrait is not explicitly Christian, it’s interesting to note that Help Portrait was partially inspired by Advent Conspiracy.

One fascinating facet of humanity is how many different religions we have. And for every religion there are people who are sincerely convinced that it’s the truth.

While I doubt anyone would argue that Christians should remain wholly ignorant of the beliefs of other religions, I do wonder what your approach is to learning about other religions.

How much should we learn about other religions?

Share your thoughts!

When I was younger I remember going to the Tomb of the Unknown solider. I was too young to appreciate what it meant and spent much of the time profoundly bored, wondering how many more days it would be before we could go home and I could play Nintendo. Everyone was so quiet in front of the tomb, especially considering there wasn’t actually anyone buried there.

The monuments we build in the aftermath of battle reflect what a culture finds important. For all of its foibles, the United States is a nation built of and for its people, and nowhere is that shown more perfectly than in the way we memorialize those people who’ve died for it. The Tomb of the Unknown Solider is our country’s way of saying the unidentified will not be forgotten; that we appreciate each drop of blood and sweat spent in service to us.

The Tomb is important to Americans because it represents our remembrance of those who gave their lives for our freedom. Yet the tomb can be important to Christians too. It also stands as a sobering reminder that our service on this earth rarely ends in accolades and medals. Sometimes it ends in obscurity, and it’s only the truly humble that will take walk that path.

Jesus talked a lot about serving one another. He stated that:

 ¹³Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13, King James Version)

And

 ⁴⁵For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45, King James Version).

It is this picture of service that we should strive for: laying down our lives expecting nothing except to be counted last and among Christ’s chosen. And while not every solider goes into service with a selfless attitude, far more do than we give them credit most of the time.

Earlier this year my family laid my grandfather to rest in an Army cemetery. They gave him a 21-gun salute with all the pomp and circumstance he deserved. He served in World War II and lived a long and generally happy life full of love of his family and country.

Unless you’re cognizant of it, Veteran’s Day could just be yet another of those annoying days during which the post office is closed, and the Tomb one of those things you just have to be quiet around—which is a shame, because spending a day and giving a place to honor our servicemen and women is ultimately a small matter. Today is the one time we stop to say thanks for doing the unenviable job of serving us. Even the one’s who might never be known by name.

What veterans are in your life? What are you doing to celebrate them?

XXXChurch recently shared some statistics from a study about how iPhones and Blackberries are used. It seems that as people flock to mobile devices, they’re starting to use them for pornography and for managing parts of their relationships that probably shouldn’t be managed electronically:

The “study” involved polling 445 iPhone and Blackberry users about their relationships with other people and their kit, and discovered that iPhone users consider themselves to be extrovert intellectuals who know a lot about the media but find a lack of high-tech gadgets to be a turn off.

35 per cent of iPhone owners said they would find a partner with out-of-date electronics a turn off, though a quarter have dumped someone who was spending too much time playing with their phone.

33 per cent of those with an iPhone have used a text message or e-mail to break up with a partner – which is harsh, though nothing beats fax for that sharing-the-pain experience. When it comes to good news electronics are, apparently, out: none of those polled would propose marriage by text or e-mail.

When not dating, 20 per cent of iPhone users admitted to frequently watching adult material on their 3.5-inch screen, and more than 60 per cent consider themselves to be extrovert.

Porn use on these devices doesn’t surprise me; the adult industry always finds a way to exploit new technologies, and unfortunately far too many people succumb to the temptations they offer. (For what it’s worth, XXXChurch has submitted a version of their XXXChurch software to Apple’s app store and are currently awaiting approval, which should hopefully help those who want accountability find it wherever they connect to the internet.)

However, I was surprised by the statistics about ending relationships via text messages or email. It seems to me that you owe it to the person you’re dating to have that conversation in person.

Do you think that the advent of these technologies is making it too easy to pursue shallow relationships? How have you seen smart device usage affect your relationships? Have you seen positive change come about in any of your relationships because of technologies like the iPhone or Blackberry?

Like many children growing up in the past forty years, Sesame Street is lodged in my mind as a mythical place where creativity and friendliness flow freely. While I used to love it for its songs, animations and puppets, it wasn’t until later that I realized how wonderful a picture of community it presented.

Sesame Street is a place where everyone belonged, regardless of skin color, their physical size (Big Bird anyone?), or their age: everyone has something to share with everyone else.

The Gospel Coalition posted a thoroughly excellent reflection on what the Church could learn from Sesame Street’s contextualized message.

Here’s an excerpt from the article, but you really should jump over and read the entire thing:

As the New York Times puts it, this was a “messianic show,” with a “mission” to remake the way children envisioned the world.

Yes, Big Bird and Bert and Ernie and Grover and Oscar the Grouch and their human co-stars would teach you about letters and numbers and safety tips. But, more than that, they would show you, by the characters they featured and the plotlines they put forward, a new way of seeing things on issues ranging from racial equality to obesity prevention to the global fight against AIDS.

I know that some immediately will conclude that I’m saying simply that churches should contextualize in their teaching and mission.

Yes, Sesame Street did contextualize. The writers and producers picked up on familiar themes such as advertising commercials (”This broadcast is brought to you by the letter ‘C.’”). They built their segments around a typical child’s attention span. They featured songs that were easy-to-sing and memorable (pop quiz: can you hum the tune of Ernie’s “Rubber Ducky” song? Of course you can).

And, yes, of course, churches should contextualize the gospel, addressing people in a language that can be heard and understood. But contextualization itself is not enough. Some of the most self-consciously contextualized churches are faddish and hyper-consumerist. They’re more like the mass-marketed latter years of Sesame Street, and less like the early, innovative, culture-shaping times. And we’ve got all the “Tickle Me Elmo” kinds of Christian ministries we can stand.

Sesame Street was effective because the program didn’t just contextualize to the present; it contextualized to the future.

Do you have any favorite Sesame Street memories? What do you think about the notion that the Church should adopt this idea of contextualizing for the future?

Editor’s note: You can relive some classic Seasame Street moments on Hulu, including one of my favorites.