On the Importance of Church Buildings

Church buildings testify that, while this life is brief for each of us, the Church remains forever, as she is united to her ever-reigning King Jesus. All dominion belongs to Him, and He rules on earth, even as He rules in heaven. To then allow a pagan culture to force us into our homes to worship, out of sight where we may not convict the consciences of others by our devotion to Christ, is to implicitly affirm the pagan lie that Jesus isn't Lord. True religion is not private and individual, but is public and corporate. It is said that the person you really are is what you are when no one is looking. But it is equally true that if you will not be devoted to Christ for all the world to see, then you will never be devoted to Him when no one is around.

Christian Sports Celebrities, or Heroes of the Faith?

First Tim Tebow, then Jeremy Lin, and now Bubba Watson. We are apparently saving the world one sport at a time - and said saving is strangely most celebrated by those who believe this world can't be saved, but is getting worse all the time. Yet as I look back through church history, I see little mention of sports figures being the ones most significant in advancing the cause of the church. So here's a challenge: tell me the sports the above three figures are associated with. Now, can you tell me who Martin Luther was, what the major ideas were that he advanced, and what movement he was associated with - and do it without looking it up? My suspicion is that many who have been in the church for a long time, maybe even all their lives, can do the former, but not the latter. And I would suggest that this shows that our priorities are a bit off balance.