What was the favorite intellectual pastime of Christians? We all know the answer because we've engaged in it ourselves probably more times than we can count--arguing over doctrine.

It has been customary in recent years to equate what we call "discernment" with the spiritual gift mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:10. But discernment exists in a much broader and more life-encompassing context than what might be evidenced in a worship setting as a singular "gift."

Three kinds of shallow beliefts are constant internal battles for the serious Christian. If we are not alert, they will infiltrate at every opportunity, and turn rigorous, practical, dynamic, growing faith into shallow, dogmatic, formularistic religion.

It is customary to think of religious "legalisms" as superficial rites, rituals, and observances such as those Jesus identified in Mark 7.

There is an enormous difference between loving truth, loving doctrine, and loving opinion. It is fearfully easy, however, to confuse the three.

Theological interpretations, doctrinal precepts, and individual spiritualizations abound to explain what it means to "build on a foundation" of Jesus Christ.

What is knowledge of God?

Speaking personally from the depth of my heart, I consider this among the most imperative of all the commands for our time.

Few commands give such a wide berth to a diversity of interpretations as this. How do we define "spiritual warfare?" The question is complex and raises a multitude of scripturally entangling conundrums that are not simple to resolve.

If one were to formulate a perspective of What Christianity is from the preaching and teaching of modern evangelicalism, many might conclude it is a religion whose foundation is a Genie in a bottle ready and able to do man's bidding if we just rub the right place, while repeating the correct doctrinal incantations.