Editor's Note: What follows is from an early issue of Christianity Magazine (Volume 3, #4, for April 1986). It was prepared and edited by Ed himself, and includes more about his younger days on the farm – and his own reflections on his old age and death.

So, from more than a third of a century ago, listen and profit! “Through his faith, though he died, he still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4b, ESV). -- GCK

In recent years, the most bone-chilling, foreboding thought tightly caged in the back of my mind has had to do not with nuclear war or heart attacks,…

View Full Content Source:

View Full Content Source:

After a few weeks study at St. John's University and Abbey, I am impressed by the perceptive Roman Catholic analysis of the weaknesses of Protestantism. They insist that Protestants are pressed between two unacceptable extremes. One extreme grows out of the assumption that man has an individual obligation…

When the twelve spies returned from scouting the Promised Land, they were (unevenly) divided in their outlook. Ten saw the strength of Canaan’s people and said, “We are not able to go up…” Two had faith in God’s promise and said, “We should by all means go up…” (Numbers 13). To put it simply, Joshua and Caleb were winners; the other spies were whiners. And sadly, because Israel paid more attention to the whiners, a whole generation missed out on the promise.

The following list is adapted from a piece that appeared…

As Israel prepared to enter Canaan, some of the tribes decided they wanted to settle in the territory east of the Jordan. God permitted this only if they helped the other tribes in the conquest of the entire land. If they did not keep that commitment, Moses warned them, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).

“Be sure your sin will find you out.” That’s a warning we should all take seriously.

Your sin will find you out…in spite of time. “Because the sentence against an…

What is the purpose of the Lord's church? Is it to eradicate poverty, disease, social injustice, illiteracy from among men? Is it to bring about a cessation of war and conflict? Is it to campaign for a temptation-free society for Christians to live in?

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock…But everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (Matthew 7:24-26, NKJV).

You’ll notice in this familiar illustration that the wise man is not one who “hears these words and understands them,” or even one who “hears these words and believes.” As vital as those things are, it is the person…

Mission creep. It’s a term you may have encountered in columns about politics, business, even education. Mission creep is when an organization established with a particular purpose (i.e., its mission) gradually drifts away from that purpose, taking on new and different functions and responsibilities. Eventually the group’s original mission may be minimized or even abandoned in favor of new goals.

Mission creep happens all the time in business. A company starts out producing one thing, then steadily expands into other areas, perhaps even leaving behind its original business model altogether. Sony Corporation,…

View Full Content Source:

The fingers on our hands can help us remember for whom to pray.

View Full Content Source:

View Full Content Source: