The Remnant Blog
Edited by Dawson JarrellSeven Yellow Flags of a Toxic Leader (Part Two)
In the previous post we looked at the first three yellow flags. Flags that point in the direction of someone being a toxic leader. Here are the last four flags. 4. Fake Faith A toxic person can learn to talk the talk. They typically have been in christian circles long...
Seven Yellow flags of a Toxic Leader
Yellow Flags and Fake Flowers Today more than every, the American church needs a smell test for fake leaders. Some way to identify the phoniness. They're fake like the flowers on my friends table (see previous post). They look the part but they can’t pass the smell...
The Sign of a Toxic Leader
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." Some initial observations of Jesus’ words. Everyone knows Jesus’ description of bad leaders (false prophets). They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. The...
Identifying Toxic Church Cultures (Part Three)
In the book “A Church called Tov” by Scot McKnight, he gives eight false narratives that toxic churches often tell to protect themselves. In Part one we looked at the first four false narratives. In part two we looks at three more false narratives and in this post we...
Identifying Toxic Church Cultures (Part Two)
Scot McKnight gives Eight false narratives that toxic churches often tell to protect themselves. In Part one we looked at the first four false narratives. In this post, we will look at three more false narratives, leaving the last false narrative for the third post....
Poison in the Pound-cake: Identifying Toxic church cultures
Scot McKnight in his book “A Church called Tov” gives Eight false narratives that toxic churches often tell to protect themselves. The narratives are something like institutional defense mechanisms. When criticisms or crisis arise look for these false narratives. They...
Hidden Faithlessness
In Jeremiah chapters 37 though 39, it records the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon. In chapters 37-38, just prior to the fall, Jeremiah is imprisoned for speaking about the coming judgment and claiming God's way to avoid such destruction was to surrender to Babylon....
Modern Martyr: Poet, Nun, Rebel
Did you know the Eastern Orthodox Church has its own list of saints? Until recently, I did not. For me and maybe you, these men and women of faith are new. People who are mostly unknown in our little corner of Christianity. I would hate for their stories to pass by us...
God’s Self-identification and Gender
The church today needs to recover a simple priority. In theology, it is called the priority of the Father–Son relation over the Creator–creature relation [1]. Simply put, it is the proposition that before God was creator he was Father. It’s one of those starting...
John Wesley, the Continuationist?
During the month of August 1739 in Bristol England, John Wesley had three separate interviews with Bishop Joseph Butler. Butler a towering intellect and presiding bishop. Wesley an upstart preacher of a burgeoning movement. The first interview lasted about 15...
Wesley on Authentic Experience of the Spirit.
Throughout his life, John Wesley held to an orthodox view of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Godhead. It was his trinitarian understanding of the God that informed his view of the Spirit's role in the Christian life. So adamant was Wesley’s conviction of...
Soften Your Heart to use your Head
A minister, about to write an article criticizing a fellow minister for his lack of orthodoxy, wrote to John Newton of his intention. Newton replied in a letter that has now become famous, called Letter 19 - on controversy. The letter is one Calvinist writing to...
Five insights on Church and Life from Francis Schaeffer
1. “Some well-organized business enterprise?” “We tend to think of Christ building his invisible church, and our building the visible church. We tend to think in this kind of dichotomy. So our building of the visible church becomes much like any natural business...
Abortion Arguments Old and New
I recently over-heard a coffee house patron clam that ancient people could not practice ‘abortion’ like we do today. Ancient people did not even understand the female biology. Likely this ignorance was a case of chronological snobbery. The speaker assumed people in...
Why Is the New Testament Silent about Abortion?
Christians in the coming years will be asked questions like, why is the New Testament is silent about abortion? if abortion is so important, Why did Jesus not speak about the subject? If Paul loved the unborn - Why is there no clear prohibition in Paul’s writings?...
Lack of Openness to Divine Healing (part three)
This is the third blog in a three part series on the modern attitude towards healing. Many people today may say that God “can” heal but those same people often have a negative attitude towards miraculous healing. Such a negative attitude is expressed in suspicious...
Lack of Openness to Divine Healing (part two)
In a previous blog we looked at Kelsey’s four historical arguments about divine healing to answer the question; "why people lack an openness to Divine Healing?" He observed that many Christians today react emotionally when talking about divine healing and don't even...
Need for Christ-like Compassion in a ‘Six feet apart’ world.
Writing in the 90’s, Garland’s word choice is oddly poignant for today. Commenting on chapter one of Mark He notes the particular way Jesus healed a leper. He touched him then heal him. Jesus was willing to touch the leper as a show of his compassion before he...
David Garland on Discipleship in Mark
In preparation to write the Mark study I found a commentary that quickly became my favorite. It is part of the NIV Application Commentary series published by Zondervan. The Mark commentary was written by New Testament scholar David E. Garland. It was published back in...
Lack of Openness to Divine Healing
I recently had a conversation with an old friend in which we discussed the idea of divine healing. I was surprised at how immediate and negative his response. I asked myself if next time, I need to give a trigger warning before I talk about healing. My experience...
What is Repentance? by J.I.Packer
One of the best explanations of Repentance I have ever read was by J.I. Packer. I have quoted it in full below. The excerpt is from Rediscovering Holiness by J.I. Packer, published by Regal Books, 2009. The except comes from chapter five. What is repentance? What does...
Towards a Definition of Repentance
Today definitions are assumed rather than investigated. Yet we live and "define" our lives by them. A definition in need of investigation is repentance. A good way to get at defining such important and common terms is by first explaining what it is not. So let us...
Mark the Man: Biographical construction
The story of John Mark scattered through a handful of verses in the New Testament is actually a beautiful picture of failure and restoration. In this brief biographical sketch I outline his story using five pictures, drawn from the New Testament evidence. Mark story...
Garland on Jesus’ Authority and Church Leadership
We are back looking at some of the more provocative thoughts from David Garland's commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Garland in discussing Jesus’ authority contrasts Jesus' response to his authoritative teaching and the obsession with spiritual authority in church...
Marks supposed errors in geography
In Academic discussion about the gospel of Mark much ink is spilt over Mark’s supposed geographical ignorance. While many scarf a case can be made for the reliability of mark and explanation given mark’s geographic descriptions. Among scholars the most frequently...
Radical Discipleship in Mark (Part 2)
Jesus’ Approach to Discipleship The theme of discipleship is all over Mark. Mark teaches his readers about discipleship in three ways. 1.) recounting Jesus’s teaching on the subject, 2.) narrating different accounts in which Jesus invites various individuals to follow...
Cost of Discipleship
To get at the Cost of Discipleship in Mark we will look at a few texts in Mark. First Mark 1:16-20 and we will key in on verse 17 and Second Mark 8:34-38. Mark 1:16-20 has much to teach us about discipleship. Jesus gives a command, and a promise that inform what is...
Radical Discipleship in Mark
Mark teaches his readers about discipleship in two ways. First way is by recounting Jesus's general teaching on the subject. Including Mark’s choice of examples that illustrate discipleship for his readers. He retells different accounts in which Jesus invites various...
The Worst Secret in Mark
Mark 1:41-44aJesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and...
The Genre of the Gospels
The short answer: Gospels are written in genre of Roman biographies. A Few Academic Voice on the Issue Craig Keener: “Most Gospels scholars today view the Gospels as belonging to the genre of ancient biography. Both supporters and detractors now recognize this general...