Articles from G3

At the heart of our philosophy of the church’s responsibility toward culture is a proper understanding of how God rules sovereignly over all things, how he specifically rules his redeemed people—particularly now the NT church, and how his rule will culminate in the future. Another way of saying this is that central to a biblical philosophy of cultural engagement is how Scripture uses language like “rule,” “reign,” and “kingdom” to describe God’s plan in history, and essential to this understanding is recognition that Scripture uses these kinds of “kingdom” terms to describe a couple different concepts in God’s working out of his sovereign plan.

You can read this post here: https://g3min.org/gods-two-kingdoms

Scott Aniol has two new books coming out next month. You can read this post at https://g3min.org/two-new-books-on-worship

When it comes to the local church, a confession of faith serves as a transparent advertisement as to where the church stands on important theological matters and can be extremely helpful for potential new members in the community. When people are looking for a church home, it’s important to define the church’s position on key issues of the faith and a robust theological confession can do this with a great deal of precision. A confession communicates to the community: “Here is where we stand!”

God has revealed himself, and he has done so both through his Natural Revelation—what he has made—and through his Special Revelation—what he has said.

Perhaps one of the most succinct and, indeed, beautiful articulations of these two forms of God’s revelation is found in Psalm 19. This psalm describes both God’s natural and special revelation in a strikingly vivid poem. In fact, C. S. Lewis wrote, “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”

Listen as Scott Aniol explores these two forms of God's revelation in Psalm 19. You can read this article at https://g3min.org/the-law-of-the-lord.

One of the great joys of my life has been serving as the pastor of three different churches who have been affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. I currently serve the church where my wife and I grew up as children on the west side of Atlanta—Pray’s Mill Baptist Church. Although our church is 180 years old and predates the SBC, our congregation has maintained a longtime affiliation within the SBC. However, in recent days we came to the conclusion that there was no profitable path forward for us within the SBC and we made the decision to officially separate. 

To read the article you can visit the link: https://g3min.org/why-we-are-no-longer-sbc-a-statement-by-josh-buice/

In most ways, Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney—their philosophies, theologies, and practices—are polar opposites.

But as I read both of them, I can’t help but notice what appear to be similarities in what they said. And the deeper you read, the more apparent it becomes that unless someone really understands the underlying differences between what they were saying, it may be quite possible to actually follow Finney’s example while trying to emulate Edwards.

Listen as Scott Aniol explains.

This is a recording of a blog article posted at https://g3min.org/why-trying-to-emulate-edwards-may-actually-be-emulating-finney.

Christmas—a very mention of the word produces delight and expectation in the hearts of people everywhere. Or does it?

For some Christians, Christmas is a much-anticipated season to celebrate the birth of Christ. For others, it is also a time to encourage family closeness and tradition. But still others refuse to celebrate at all, insisting that the season is rooted in pagan ritual and should be avoided.

Added to this controversy is the growing concern of many Christians to “put Christ back in Christmas” while the expanding secular culture of commercialism is forgetting the babe in the manger altogether. For instance, a national survey indicated that “just over a tenth of Americans today believe Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the focus of  Christmas, with almost nine out of ten people saying the holiday has become less religious.” ((WorldNetDaily, Dec., 2002.))

Much of the controversy for Christians, however, is largely due to ignorance and speculation. Add to this varying misinterpretations of Scripture, and this creates a recipe for confusion. For believers on any side of the issue—whether a synthesis of celebrating Christ’s birth and family tradition, an insistence upon focusing on Christ alone, or a rejection of the season altogether—a clear understanding of history and the Bible, plus reasonable common sense, must rule any discussion of Christ and Christmas.

Read this post at https://g3min.org/is-christmas-a-pagan-holiday.

Chip Thornton | William Tyndale, in God’s sovereign providence, was strangled to death and burned at the stake through a coordinated and orchestrated effort of the Roman Catholic Church and the civil authorities.

All for something simple: An English translation of the New Testament.

Four simple words . . . but four words that changed the world forever.

Read here.

Scott Aniol | A problem emerges out of adding the extra-biblical title of "worship leader," particularly for a person so prominent in a church’s worship service: who may serve in this role? Read here.