Two points: First, accurate Christian theology agrees with Vitsmun that God does not damn people for not knowing who Jesus “is.” Her statement lacks understanding of prevenient grace. This is God’s grace that goes before awareness of Jesus. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died […]
jesus
Posted inNews
‘Ex-gay’ ministry
Left, Sam Storm, Pastor of Bridgeway Church, and Stephen Black, executive director of First Stone Ministries, stand in the auditorium at Bridgeway Church. On the Board of Reference there also is Sam Storms, lead pastor of Bridgeway Church, the website shows. Restored Hope Network began with a leadership meeting in Orlando, Fla., in 2011. According […]
Posted inMusic
Kanye West — Yeezus
Ego alone isn’t what makes Mr. West such a fascinating figure; any other schmo with a head his size would be scoffed and discarded as parody. There’s actually a certain degree of legitimacy that keeps his maniacal sense of self-importance from devolving into full-scale megalomania: that Kanye’s vision and production chops are currently unmatched in […]
Posted inMusic
God bless metal
On Saturday, the Becoming the Archetype that steps onto The Conservatory stage on Saturday won’t resemble the one that first did so back in 1999. The last founding member left in 2011, making songwriter/guitarist/singer Seth Hecox the most tenured member, having joined in 2004. The Atlanta act looks to have eternal life, regardless. “Perseverance is […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Marriage ‘Pains’
According to the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, 32 percent of marriages in the state have ended in divorce — one of the highest divorce rates nationwide. As many Sooner couples find themselves saying “I don’t” more often than “I do,” one unlikely man has taken it upon himself to save these remaining marriages: former teen heartthrob-turned-evangelist […]
Posted inNews
God’s presence amid horror
Don’t infuse this tragedy with a religious rigor and commentaries about our lost world and its lost souls. This is a moment for grace to resonate. This is a moment to demonstrate patience with those who are confused, angry, bitter and utterly despairing. Let the world play out its emotions. And you who walk with […]
Posted inNews
Messianic nickname
Instead, the panel decided that churches preferring a new name to the one associated with the SBC’s founding as a pro-slavery church (for which they promptly apologized in 1995) could opt for a nickname. The committee said that the nickname “Great Commission Baptists” could be added as a descriptor. The “great commission” is the name […]
Posted inMusic
Craig Finn — Clear Heart Full Eyes
“Clear Heart Full Eyes” (yes, the title’s a play on the catchphrase from “Friday Night Lights,” of which Finn is admittedly an enormous fan) really seems to follow the groping, narcotized and promiscuous teenagers that characterize The Hold Steady’s discography, as it moves away, discovers integrity, grows up, and/or finds Jesus. It follows pretty logically […]
Posted inMusic
Holy Warr
Faith and a mutual love of music are the glue that holds together the Oklahoma City-based Warr Acres. This nontraditional Christian rock band is trying to move religious music from a classic gospel stage to something Top 40 fans would enjoy, too. “We are not as much rock as we are pop, which is pretty […]
Posted inNews
Welfare recipients denied work ‘blessing’
Christians are to care for the poor, but Jesus here is condemning indifference toward his disciples, not indifference toward the poor. Jesus promises his followers that they will be hated, persecuted and killed (Matthew 24:9). Then in the full parable Wertz cites (Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus tells the heaven-bound “sheep on his right” that “whatever you […]