Applied Theology
Edward Mote walked to work one day in 1834 thinking of how blessed he was to be a Christian. He wanted to write a song that would praise God adequately. That day at work, he penned a line here and a line there, until he had the song mostly finished before the workday was over.... Continue Reading →
Ian Bayne, a GOP candidate running for election in Illinois’s 11th District, sent an email to his supporters recently claiming that Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson is taking a stand against religious persecution in the same way that Rosa Parks took a seat against racial persecution in December of 1955. I have been trying to... Continue Reading →
The lure of chronological snobbery is an almost invincible force which overwhelms us all. Each of us hopes to excel our own pasts and, thus, to excel the generations which gave us birth. So, it is understandable that we are tempted by chronological snobbery. As a term, chronological snobbery was first utilized by C. S.... Continue Reading →
Upon incurring trauma or injury, the human body unleashes a dizzying array of processes and chemical reactions for the purpose of sustaining life. Endowed with wisdom from God, our bodies are actually much smarter than we who inhabit them. When trauma strikes, our bodies unleash 1,500 chemical processes. In such trauma, our bodies produce Adrenaline... Continue Reading →
As noted in the first part of this article, Christ taught His original followers that persecution would continue on account of Him (Mat 5:10-12). We have seen that the presence of Christ provokes persecution now just as it did when Christ walked the streets of Jerusalem (and was eventually nailed to a cross). What we... Continue Reading →
I was very encouraged at the recent California Southern Baptist Convention to hear pastors address the reality of Christian persecution in their sermons. Both Kevin Hsu and Mike Nolen mentioned the reality of persecution for Americans who obey Jesus Christ. As I have noted many times before, persecution is a concern for American Christians as much as... Continue Reading →
My family and I are adjusting to living in the population-dense city of Corona, CA. While Corona is not as populated as its neighboring Orange County or Los Angeles County residences, it is substantially more peopled than our prior residence in Bullitt County, Kentucky. There, we could not hit our neighbor’s house by throwing a... Continue Reading →
You might remember the old western show Rawhide. Featuring the stalwart character of trail boss Gil Favor, this classic TV series launched the career of Clint Eastwood, who starred in the series as the upstart cowhand Rowdy Yates. In one episode, “Incident with an Executioner,” the crew is bedeviled by the presence of a black... Continue Reading →
Beyond the hollow bunnies and plastic grass, Easter is a celebration of victorious life in the resurrected Christ. Today is a holy day in the life of the Christian. This Friday which we too casually call “Good” is a day of remembering the atoning work of Christ on behalf of our sinful souls. It is... Continue Reading →
Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and He will exalt you at the proper time—so says the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:6). And time has proved the Scriptures true over and over again. One of the most recent cases is that of Bob Fu, founder of China Aid. The scope of China Aid... Continue Reading →
This Sunday, I will finish a 6 week series on the New Testament concept of the church. When Christ sought to establish the instrument through which He would sustain His redemptive work to its completion, He founded the church, called both His body and His bride. Christ's church must accomplish Christ's purposes and should honor... Continue Reading →
A brother in Christ recently asked, “Did God cause the Connecticut school shootings?” I am attempting to answer that question with this blog post because I imagine that question—or something similar to it—is on the minds of a lot of Christians. So, let me begin by clarifying some language. Clearly, God did not cause the... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, twenty kindergarten children were mercilessly murdered by an evil young man. Some have shouted, “Where is God?” in the face of this utterly unspeakable tragedy. A friend of mine posted a quick reply to the cynical inquisition: “Where is God? He was kicked out of schools in America years ago.” There is truth... Continue Reading →
A costly mistake by the goalie at the end of their game against El Salvador cost the U.S. men’s soccer team the opportunity to play in the London Olympics. Because the Olympic team is made up of men under the age of 23, most of those on the team will never have an opportunity to... Continue Reading →
When we began Project 13:3 as a ministry to the persecuted church, we ran the idea by some friends to get their input. Below is a video of a conversation I had with a very good friend of mine, Jeff Mooney. Dr. Mooney is a Professor of Old Testament at California Baptist University. The video... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 