Applied Theology
Books abound on church growth strategy. There are books to grow your church from the inside out. Other books teach church growth from the outside in. One book wants you to grow your church by learning from unchurched Americans. Another book says Christians just need to become contagious (in a good way, of course). Each... Continue Reading →
Recently, I watched an interview Marvin Olasky conducted with Bob Fu, the founder of China Aid. There were many good points to take away from the interview. The most immediate impact for me, however, was Fu’s use of the term Prison Theology. Have you heard of that? I first heard about prison theology when I... Continue Reading →
Tryon Edwards, great grandson of Jonathan Edwards, once said, “Most controversies would soon be ended, if those engaged in them would first accurately define their terms, and then adhere to their definitions.” Edwards was perhaps too optimistic about the end of controversy, but he was right to note the power of definitions to bring clarity... Continue Reading →
Basically, there are 2 kinds of persecution: Institutional and Incidental. In biblical terms, an institutional example of persecution can be found in the execution of James, the brother of John, in Acts 12. There, Herod used the power of the sword, which is rightly possessed by the government, in a manner that demonstrated how wrongly... 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 →
A Devastating Question Rod Dreier asks a devastating question to Christians: Why don’t you care about fellow Christians suffering in Syria? “If you are a Christian, why don’t you care? And if you do care, have you spoken to your pastor, your friends, and most importantly, your Congressman and Senators, about it?” Historic Persecution? In... Continue Reading →
One of the most enjoyable aspects of earning a Ph.D. is sitting through courses known as “colloquium.” Basically, a colloquium is a gathering of Ph.D.’s (and Ph.D. wanna-be’s) for the purpose of debating ideas and pushing one another to think more thoroughly on a given subject, whether the subject is a theological perspective on art... 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 →
Back in November, I wrote a blog post about German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in which it was noted that Merkel was taking a great deal of heat for claiming that Christians are the most persecuted group in the world. That is not a headline that sells in America, as many folks still love to decry... Continue Reading →
The Christian Post has a fascinating interview with Brother Andrew, the famous "Bible Smuggler." I encourage you to read the entire article, some of which is quite entertaining. Brother Andrew is now in his 80's, and his work for the persecuted church is immense, primarily accomplished through Open Doors, a ministry he founded in 1955.... Continue Reading →
No, this post is not about the once #1 (but now #12) Louisville Cardinals basketball team. Though the Cards are the local favorites, they are led by a coach I don’t particularly support. So, chances are, I won’t ever have much to say about those Cards. This post is about Cardinals, but not the ones... Continue Reading →
I own a coffee roaster and a small coffee roasting business. The secret to roasting great coffee is controlling the flame. The roaster uses real fire to heat a turning and churning stainless steel drum. As the drum turns and churns the coffee beans, the heat from the flames begins to warm the beans; then... Continue Reading →
Another incident has erupted in Lahore, Pakistan, as Muslims have raided a Christian school complex and threatened Christians there with violence. The incident occurred after a local Muslim leader announced over the loudspeaker that Christians at the school were guilty of tearing pages from the Quran. Within minutes, a mob had attacked the school... 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 →
As the founder of a ministry to the persecuted church, I am well aware of the serious degree to which Christians are suffering from North Korea around the globe and back to Malaysia. In Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, Christians are routinely beaten, imprisoned, or killed because their faith in Jesus Christ cannot stay... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 