Recent content by Armchair Apologist

I'd rather not TBH! Don't want to be the one instigating a theological barfight here but such debates often digress to this does it not?:Laugh The "ordo salutis" will differ depending on whom you ask and even Calvinists differ on whether regeneration precedes faith. I would just say that both...

Welcome aboard! When I think of La Grange, I think of a little Texas town with a shack just outside of it!:Cool You know what I'm talking about.... (hm, hm, hm, hm...)

Sometimes you have no choice in the matter. I do not think that the pilot would've allowed asterisktom to step outside the plane in order to capture the photo!:Laugh Good thing is these days, there is a great abundance of software at out disposal which may be used to augment our talent or...

Perhaps you may want to think this through a little more. OUR faith does not merit salvation nor are we saved because we believe. Faith is evidence of salvation and we believe because we are saved! I am not trying to argue that regeneration precedes faith or anything like this - just saying that...

Our church constitution requires candidates for elder to have served as a deacon for at least a year. Such makes sense as an elder must also have a servant's heart and such would be observable in their service as a deacon. As I said in another reply, Jesus actually said that he came to "serve"...

It depends upon how you define the term. I believe that most theological dictionaries would define a sacrament as an "Outward sign of an inward grace" of which I do not see any scriptural objection to such a definition. This is the way that many of our Reformed friends see it and to be honest, I...

In a practical sense, this is what they are and we should not get away from the fact that "Elder" does mean "Older" meaning someone has achieved a level of maturity and life experience making yourself useful to those who are younger and still trying to figure out life, the universe, and...

My first experience with Baptists was with a senior pastor and a few deacons. There were some larger churches with a "pastoral staff" that reported to the Senior Pastor and I recall many often tried to make this sound as if it were a plurality of elders of which it was not. It was the Senior...

God makes it quite clear that he "Takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked..." (Ezk 33:11) and Jesus was obviously brokenhearted over Jerusalem's condition after his dressing down of the scribes and pharisees in Mt 23:37-39. Nevertheless, the scriptures are quite clear that God is sovereign...

As I said, the congregational rule IFB "Mega-Church" was far more "dictatorial" than the Eldership Rule church I later found myself in. There are a number of factors one must consider I guess. One of the things that makes it work is that the elders are quite approachable and down to earth - a...

In the church I attended in the early/mid 2000s, the congregation did not vote at all. The Elders made all of the administrative decisions by unanimous consent (every elder had to be in agreement). Believe it or not, it was also quite far from being "dictatorial" in nature! They respected the...

The actual role of a deacon is loosely defined in the scriptures and for good reason as the needs differ from one congregation to another. I believe that the deacons handle the practical aspects of the work of the ministry. The pastoral (elder) leadership decides they want to hold revival...

Absolutely! This is where we really need to examine our thinking! Far too many equate conservatism with Christianity and in many cases, it was the religious Jews and Zealots in Jesus's day who were the "MAGA" (MIGA) crowd! I love this country and am proud to have served in its military but my...

I would not discount your concerns and some are actually worthy of consideration. I would rather the Federal Government NOT formulate their foreign policy based upon what their perception is regarding end-time prophecy or whatever. I disagree with unconditional support of the modern nation of...

In the context of a congregational rule church, I agree 100%. You cannot have people coming in off the street attending a church business meeting and be able to vote on critical issues, bugeting, building projects, and so forth. I believe that such laws take into account the ecclesiastical...