Part of me hates to bandwagon onto this topic, as so much has already been said. It is a bit strange that as our economy sputters, the Middle East burns, and our communities descend into violence, we choose to obsess over the personal decisions of someone who a few years ago would have been considered a D-list celebrity. However I’m going to do it; not because I feel compelled to support or attack Jenner, but because the transgendered movement—and our society’s response to that movement—is illustrative of a broader, more important trend.

There is a shift going on in our culture to deny objective reality and to substitute in its place subjective feelings. While we should respect and value the human rights of each individual, we do not have the “right” to determine our own reality, nor do we have the right to then force everyone else to go along with…

       My last post dealt with a passage that is often used to advocate the Christian’s right to defend oneself to the point of taking another’s life. The point of that post, as well as this one, was not to try and “convert” anyone to a position that denies the right of a Christian to defend their self of others in a way that willingly takes human life, but rather to evaluate the text in it’s context and see if it does or does not say anything about Christians and self-defense. My conclusion was that it says nothing either way about the issue. This post is in the same vein, in that it will focus on a particular verse (I Timothy 5:8) that is often used in the discussion of defending one’s self or loved ones through taking the life of someone trying to do you harm.

But if anyone…

The current final version of the Plan of Salvation taught in most Churches of Christ and Christian Churches looks like this:

1. HEAR – Romans 10:17,
2. BELIEVE – John 1:11-12, Acts 8:36-37, Romans 10:9
3. REPENT – Luke 13:3, 5, Acts 2:38, 17:30, 2 Peter 3:9
4. CONFESS – Matt 10:32-33, Romans 10:9-10; Acts 8:37
5. Be BAPTIZED – 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3-5
6. (GROW – 2 Peter3:18 and/or ENDURE to theEnd – Mark 13:13)

For more explanation of these steps see this post.

Although these Steps have been taught as Gospel for many years, I have a few concerns with them.  I also have some issues with this approach to Bible study.  However, I DO BELIEVE that each of these “Steps” is crucial to our relationship with God. We cannot have meaningful relationship with God while rejecting any of these commands.  The Bible clearly connects each of these…