Dr Paul Allen

Rev. Jonathan Edwards, a leader of the Great Awakening, is still remembered for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Has anyone ever said something unkind to you or about you? I think we all have had that experience. Becoming victims of slander or malicious gossip can be difficult to bear. However, God calls us to exhibit a very specific kind of response in such circumstances. Years ago, I received a letter from a friend who is a pastor at a church in California . In it, the pastor included a copy of an article that had appeared in the Los Angeles Times . Although the article included a photo of him standing in his church and holding his Bible, it was basically a vicious personal attack against him. When I saw that picture and read that article, I felt a great deal of empathy for my friend because I had recently had a similar experience. A person I believed was my friend made some very unkind statements about me publicly, and word...

Author: David King. And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Rev. 21:5). Surely, if this language of the risen, glorified Lord Jesus presupposes anything, in the light of John’s vision in verses 1–4, he intimates the complete renovation of all creation as the preparatory act by which God will consummate His eternal purposes for His people and bring them to their final fruition. This imagery: the new creation, the new Jerusalem , God’s communion with His Bride adorned in wedding garments, His dwelling with men, the end of sorrow, pain, and death — points to future realities awaiting the people of God in the new heavens and new earth . In a word, His work will be to make all things new. But how are we to understand these realities, and what are we to make of them as believers? Moreover, where do we as the people of God fit into the picture of this divine revelation? Whe...

Alva J. McClain’s book The Greatness of the Kingdom , provides an exhaustive look at the concept of “the kingdom” throughout the entire Bible. When Jesus arrived in Matthew 2:2, he was called “King of the Jews” and in 3:2 his initial message was “repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”, but the people seemed to know what he was talking about. They thought that Jesus was the promised king who would establish a promised kingdom, and nobody stopped him and said “hang on a second! What in the world are you talking about? Kingdom? What kingdom?”. In the gospel of Matthew , the “gospel” that Jesus proclaimed was the “gospel of the kingdom” (Matt. 4:23, 9:35, 24:14). That was the “good news” that Jesus brought to his listeners. What was the kingdom promises in the OT? Do we treat the New Testament separately from the specific kingdom parables in the gospels? The “kingdom” in the Bible isn’t a comprehensive explanation of the concept, but rather simply the term “kingdom”. Thi...

Moral confusion  The Southern Baptist are dealing these days with a pastor in California who reversed his position on homosexuality. The pastor said that his shift coincided with his 15 year-old son’s announcement that he is gay . This is a situation every Christian should think through, now. At stake on the issue of a Christian sexual ethic is the gospel of Jesus Christ . But what if, sitting across from you, is your child or grandchild ? You will, without a doubt, have someone close to you in your family come out as gay or lesbian, if not already, then sometime in the future. How should a Christian parent or grandparent respond? One of the reasons this is such a crushing experience for many is because they assume that their alternatives are affirmation or alienation . I either give up my relationship with my child or I give up the Bible . The gospel never suggests this set of alternatives, and in fact demonstrates just the opposite. Every child, whether gay or straight, ...

Recently some Bible College students from a particular church, went to a cemetery, laid on the tombstone of Aimee Simple McPherson (pentecostal speaker from California ) to try to receive a transfer of her Holy Spirit anointing to themselves.  ON WHAT SCRIPTURAL BASIS CAN THIS BE JUSTIFIED? Their actions somehow appear to be linked to an event from 2 Kings 13:21.  During the spring, the usual season of beginning campaigns in ancient times. Predatory bands from Moab generally made incursions at that time on the lands of Israel . The bearers of a corpse, alarmed by the appearance of one of these bands, hastily deposited, as they passed that way, their load in Elisha ’s sepulchre, which might be easily done by removing the stone at the mouth of the cave.  According to the Jewish and Eastern custom, his body, as well as that of the man who was miraculously restored, was not laid in a coffin, but only swathed; so that the bodies could be brought into contact. The...

Image by youngmoigle via Flickr (Author: Phil Cooke)  According to radio preacher  Harold Camping , Jesus should be returning by 6pm California time last Saturday, and the whole thing should start with a big earthquake (not entirely new to LA people.)   All other mainstream, orthodox Christians disagree (including myself) with Mr. Camping’s prediction.  We believe that the Bible is right when it says that only the Father knows the day and time of His return.  By 6pm, we should all see that once again Harold Camping got it wrong.  But let me tell you what he got right: Getting the message out there. Over the last few months, a remarkably tiny group of people have done a brilliant job sharing their message with the world.  Inaccurate, wrong, or wacky – they have told their story far better than major Christian denominations, mega-churches, and supposed “media” ministries have done.   I travel more than most people, and I’ve seen thei...