Like many men in America, I am interested in the outcome of this weekend’s NFL playoffs. Which teams will win the battles of strategic prowess and player power? At the end of this weekend, there will be only 4 victors remaining in the quest for the Lombardi Trophy. Eventually, there will be but 1 winner... Continue Reading →
Homesick Children
I’m not sure what one ought to tell his homesick child, but I do know what Jonathan Edwards said to his daughter Esther after she had moved away and then fallen ill. Edwards (as we all have come to expect) offers profound wisdom to his daughter which is, at the same time, a soft correction... Continue Reading →
Restraining Wrath
The Apostle Paul was once part of a shipwreck that didn’t have to happen. In Acts 27, Paul advises the Roman centurion and the crew of the ship to stay in port through the winter. The ship was bound to wreck, according to Paul, if it set sail before the winter was over. The ship’s... Continue Reading →
A Biblical View of Election
I am known as a Calvinist, and the church where I pastor is known as a Calvinist church. This phenomenon is interesting to me because I don’t use the term Calvinist in my preaching, and the church I pastor is Cedar Grove Baptist Church, not Cedar Grove Calvinist church. I think the reason folks want... Continue Reading →
Justice and Vengeance
Folks often confuse the concepts of justice and vengeance, but God is not confused. He makes a clear distinction. Justice concerns dealing with someone according to a fixed law or standard—particularly a standard by which all are governed equally. Vengeance, on the other hand, concerns an individual or group who perceive a wrong against them... Continue Reading →
Sensible Response
Sarah Palin has a sensible response to the book burning down in Gainesville. Koran Burning Is Insensitive, Unnecessary; Pastor Jones, Please Stand Down Book burning is antithetical to American ideals. People have a constitutional right to burn a Koran if they want to, but doing so is insensitive and an unnecessary provocation – much like... Continue Reading →
Burning Fears
According to this article, Pastor Jones is still planning to burn the bible of Islam at a service commemorating the 9th Anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. I have a couple of simple observations. Pastor Jones has a right to burn the Quran. He lives in a nation which prides itself on freedom of speech. ... Continue Reading →
For Your Own Good
So, did your parents ever tell you to do something you didn’t want to do, using the rationale, “This is for your own good”? Yeah, mine did, too. We had to go apologize when the rest of our friends did not. We had to work while they got to play. We got the spankings… all... Continue Reading →
Spine Severing
Is it OK to sever a man's spine if his crime caused another man to become paralyzed? I will be honest, I'm not sure. The government has been given the right to punish evil doers. The biblical injunction is "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth." Such an injunction--though it has been given... Continue Reading →
Sovereign Suffering
In a couple of weeks, we begin our new Kerusso Corner program on Wednesday nights. We will be holding conversations about the places in life where God's Word meets the world. We are beginning those conversations at the heart of the gospel with a series of discussions on the sovereignty of God. I know that... Continue Reading →
Christ in China
If you are interested in Christianity in China, then you will want to read this report concerning a survey of Christianity recently completed in China. I would offer a couple of caveats to this report, however. They do not make much of the unregistered house churches. House churches are mentioned at the end of the... Continue Reading →
Hellfire to Homosexuality, Pt. 3
So, to the heart of the issue, I turn my attention now to the question of how God can judge people for doing what is natural to them. As I have already pointed out, the question itself is a little flawed in that “natural” or “by nature” is not easily defined. Typically, we call natural... Continue Reading →
Hellfire to Homosexuality, Pt. 2
So, to the more weighty matters of the conversation, I would reiterate my own belief that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16). The issue for Christians is the salvation of souls, not the success of political parties. Like many Americans, we have opinions on political matters,... Continue Reading →
Hellfire to Homosexuality?
I recently had a conversation with a friend in which he expressed his disdain for “Christian coercion.” He didn’t exactly call it that, but I think that is an accurate description of what he meant. His concern was that Christians under the threat of eternal damnation pressure others to go against their natural desires. Specifically,... Continue Reading →
Thorns Against the Green
In a single morning, all of my environmental convictions were reaffirmed. I am not an environmentalist. I have a lot of reasons why this is the case. My green beans were eaten by the rabbits I saved from destruction this past spring. My wife has been weeding around the remainder of the green bean stems... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 