Churchthink W.R. Harris
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- Religion & Spirituality
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Author W.R. Harris raises questions about and offers constructive criticism of evangelical church culture.
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The gospel of Jesus dying for people’s sins so they can go to heaven is an incomplete gospel
What most evangelicals mean by the word “gospel” is the following: Jesus lived a perfect life, died the death we deserve, and rose again so anyone who trusts in Him will go to heaven. That’s not wrong, but I think what Jesus meant was so much more.
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The problem with “That’s what the Bible says”
If you’ve been around evangelicalism for long, you’ve probably heard someone say, “That’s what the Bible says.” But is it really a good thing for us to be saying?
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Was Jesus’ Temple Cleansing about money? The importance of the Bible’s historical/cultural context
If you want to understand any work of literature, you need to understand its historical and cultural context. The Bible is no different. However, American evangelicals hardly discuss the Bible’s context. Put simply, if we did, we’d understand the Bible—and God—better.
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What is Churchthink?
Sometimes people in the church demand that others believe a certain way about non-essential issues—so much so that they cause more harm than good.
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The Case For Small Churches
For churches, building close-knit community should be a bigger priority than growth. Large churches have some benefits, but they are outweighed by the benefits of small churches.
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Rethinking Church: Growth-focused or Community-focused?
Many American churches focus on growth. While this doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t also have a vibrant community, it makes close-knit community harder. Churches should consider focusing instead on developing a close-knit community, because this will foster better discipleship (and also alleviate America’s loneliness problem).