Pastor’s Article 6/15/2022
Assuming my records are complete, I began writing a weekly article in August, 2011.
I don’t recall what prompted me to begin this practice, but since then, I’ve written in excess of 500 articles for your reading pleasure (or displeasure).
On Doctrine
Many of the articles were doctrinal in nature. In other words, I viewed the articles as an opportunity to teach on some doctrinal or theological issue. Where there exists different “schools of thought” on a matter, I always tried to mention the different “schools” even as I explained the one I ascribe to.
Just yesterday, I was getting a haircut from a new barber. When I asked her to tell me about herself, one of the things she mentioned was that she’s a Christian. As I probed further, it quickly became clear that she belongs to the Charismatic branch of Christianity. Having written on a series of articles on the Charismatic beliefs and practices, I was able to have a wonderful conversation with her.
Current Events
However, the biggest category of articles was on current events. What I typically did was take something in the news, offer a brief summary, and then comment on it from a Christian or biblical perspective.
If you enjoy this kind of thing, I recommend The Briefing.
The Briefing is a daily, 25-minute podcast by Dr. Albert Mohler, who is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I’m a daily listener and I highly recommend the podcast.
I believe three things about current events. First, virtually every current event has a religious or theological component to it. Nothing happens in a vacuum, so we need to train ourselves to look at current events through a biblical lens.
Second, current events illustrate and mark our moral decline as a nation. For example, June is Pride Month. Thus, all month long we are celebrating a lifestyle that the Bible deems sinful & abhorrent.
Third, our position on current events allows us to stand out from the crowd and proclaim Christ. Current events are good discussion starters. Ask people want they think about a current event and they’ll often reciprocate by asking what you think. This can be an open door to talking about Christ.
Signing Off
Thank you for taking the time to read my articles. And a special thanks for those who offered feedback, even if you found the article lacking in some way.
Pastor Dan