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The essays on this Web site fall
into three categories: (1) apologetics, (2) doctrinal,
and (3) sermonettes/Bible studies. Let's describe each
in turn:
1.
"Apologetics" concerns
the defense of Christianity as a worldview through rational
and other means. I maintain that a fundamentalist
approach to Scripture, which maintains that the Bible
has no contradictions or historical and scientific errors,
is a perfectly reasonable belief system. It does
require faith, but the faith required is not blind.
God has given reasonable evidence for belief in
the Bible and in His Son Jesus as mankind's atoning
sacrifice, but not enough to overwhelm all skeptical
counter-objections at this point in time.
Click
here to access apologetical essays
2.
The "doctrinal" essays
concern certain controversial doctrinal subjects,
such as: Is Jesus Christ God? Is the
seventh-day Sabbath binding on Christians? For
that matter, is the Old Testament law binding on new
covenant Christians? If it is, what parts are
still binding and which ones aren't? Are Christians
required to tithe? Is the Passover on Nisan 14th
or Nisan 15th according to the Jewish calendar? What
is the correct form of church government? Should
Christians vote? Will the United States, Britain,
and certain other nations of the Commonwealth be punished
by God for their sins in the years ahead? Do Christians
have to use the name "Yahweh" or "Jehovah"
to refer to God?
There is no pretense here of
making a collection of articles for a systematic theology
of all doctrinal subjects relevant to the Christian
religion as a whole. Rather, the subjects covered
in my essays concern controversies that have arisen
in my church and those with similar teachings. However,
many of these issues are of general concern to every
thinking Christian.
Click
here to access the doctrinal essays
3.
The sermonettes/Bible studies
are the notes I used for giving various sermonettes,
Bible studies, and/or split sermons over the years in
the church. Often, because I over-prepared, there
is decidedly more material in the notes than was spoken
when I gave the material to a church. I also inevitably
ad-libbed to some degree, so what was actually spoken
also would go beyond what was written down on paper. Most
of these messages were given in the
Ann Arbor, Michigan congregations of the United Church
of God, AIA.. I am not an ordained man but a laymember,
it should be noted for the record, nor can these messages
be cited as stating the official doctrinal messages
of the UCG-IA. I do believe, however, that they
are almost always within its general doctrinal
parameters.
Click
here to access sermonettes
"Therefore take up the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand
in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
(Ephesians 6:13, NKJV).
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Essays
