Category Archives: Church

RISEN AGAIN: CHINA’S UNDERGROUND CHURCHES

Church, Optimism December 31, 2014 1 Comment

China preacherPMT 2014-157 by Emily Rauhala (Time magazine)

[Note: This article is published on Time magazine’s website. I am posting only the first three paragraphs but am urging your to follow the link and read the full article. As America is in full-scale spiritual, moral, social, political, and economic decline, postmillennialists need to recognize that God does not need America, and that he is moving elsewhere in the world in remarkable ways. Unless God pours out his Spirit on churches in America, it may be that he will promote the progress of the gospel in surprising places in the world.]

The pastor places a palm on the man’s head. As he closes his eyes, gentle hands tilt the man backward, below the surface, then guide him up. He emerges cleansed of sin and spiritually committed to Jesus Christ.

It’s a scene that plays out every Sunday, somewhere. This time the rite took place below a makeshift altar, in an unmarked building, on the outskirts of Beijing. When the man rose from the makeshift baptismal tub he joined a community tens of millions strong and growing by the year: Chinese Christians. Continue reading →

PILGRIM MOTIF V. POSTMILLENNIALISM?

Church, Objections, Optimism, Pessimism December 5, 2014 Leave a comment

WandererPMT 2014-146 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

I have an occasional practice of asking Facebook friends and PostmillennialismToday readers for some questions about eschatology that they might have. Be aware: I usually upload blog articles several weeks in advance. So your question might come slowly, rather than what you might expect: “the time is near.” Send your questions to me at: KennethGentry@cs.com

Chris Comis asks: “What is your response to the ‘pilgrim/sojourner’ motif in the Scriptures, especially as it is often presented by amills and premills from 1 Peter? Just curious.” Continue reading →

PROTESTANTS ARE CONVERTING CATHOLICS

Church, Optimism November 19, 2014 Leave a comment

Catholics Latin AmericaBy Morgan Lee (Christianity Today)

Enthusiasm for the first pope picked from Latin America has prompted predictions of a “Francis effect” revival among the region’s Roman Catholics. Time will tell, but a new report shows exactly what the former Archbishop Bergoglio of Buenos Aires is up against in his own backyard: Protestants are remarkably ascendent across 18 nations and one US territory.

For most of the last century, more than 90 percent of Latin Americans identified as Catholics. But now that number has hit a new low: 69 percent, according to a thorough report on this “widespread change” released today by the Pew Research Center. Regionally, 84 percent of Latin American adults were raised as Catholics. But nearly 1 in 5 adults (19 percent) now identify as Protestants, while only 1 in 10 (9 percent) were raised as Protestants. (Similarly, the religiously unaffiliated have doubled from 4 percent as children to 8 percent as adults.) Continue reading →

CHRISTIANITY FASTEST GROWING RELIGION

Church, News November 17, 2014 Leave a comment

Christian growth rateAs a postmillennialist I would not point to some current trend as proof of the postmillennial hope. And this historical trend certainly does not report the numbers only of true Christianity. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see that Christianity is growing fast. And within this growth rate we certainly do have: (1) numerous true Christians as well as (2) opportunities to educate these large numbers of nominal Christians in the truth, as seed for true revival.

Unlike the Qumran movement in first-century Judaism, Christianity did not fail and vanish away from history. And this is surely an expectation of postmillennialism. Continue reading →

CRITIQUE OF DISPENSATIONALISM

Church, Dispensationalism, Israel October 20, 2014 Leave a comment

Hoekema futurePMT 2014-127 written by OPC pastor Shane Lems

Excerpts from Anthony Hoekema’s book, The Bible and the Future

The Bible does not teach a millennial restoration of the Jews to their land. …To understand these prophecies (about returning to the land) only in terms of a literal fulfillment for Israel in Palestine during the thousand years is to revert back to Jewish nationalism and to fail to see God’s purpose for all his redeemed people. To understand these prophecies, however, as pointing to the new earth and its glorified inhabitants drawn from all tribes, peoples, and tongues ties in these prophecies with the ongoing sweep of New Testament revelation, and makes them richly meaningful to all believers today.

Anthony Hoekema (d. 1988) wrote a helpful critique of dispensational premillennialism in his excellent book, The Bible and the Future. Because I think they are helpful, I’m going to summarize and edit them below. I strongly recommend reading the entire 20 page chapter for the full discussion – along with exegesis and detailed explanation. Continue reading →

Finding a Truly Biblical Church (6)

Church, Non-eschatology Studies January 8, 2014 Leave a comment

PMT 2013-004b by Jeffrey K. Boer
Note: This is our final installment offering biblical directives for finding a biblical church. Continue reading →

Finding a Truly Biblical Church (5)

Church, Non-eschatology Studies January 6, 2014 Leave a comment

PMT 2014-003b Jeffrey K. Boer

Note: This is our fifth installment on the subject of finding a biblical church. We will pick up where we left off in our preceding article. Continue reading →