Prooftexting is the act of taking a verse out of context to prove a doctrine or practice. We are all guilty of prooftexting from Scripture on occasion. We are also all guilty of accusing others of this splinter while we have a beam in our own eye. Consider snake handling churches as a possible example of prooftexting.…
The Importance of Neighbors In contemporary culture, neighbors come and go, not only on a daily basis from behind closed doors, but from year to year as addresses change with each job relocation. We may never get to really know neighbors that come and go but Scripture verses have been tied to their neighbors for…
Anyone who more than glances at Sanctuary Functional Medicine’s website will notice something peculiar: the blatant Christian nature of what we profess. This bluntness has provoked both explicit comments to my face and rumors that I only hear second hand. More than 9 out of 10 express either compliments or gratitude for having a clinic…
(Summary of Chapter 12, “Spiritual Depression, Its Causes and Cures” by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Granted Ministries Press) This passage is one of the most magnificent statements in Scripture. In Romans 8:15-17, Paul wants to save the readers from a spirit of discouragement. He practices his usually form of writing practical truth through pastoral care. Here he…
Shame is such a debilitating malady that many of its sufferers often are ashamed of their shame. In friends and patients I have seen how it binds hearts and hands to pain but also shields from relief. I recognize it because like all others it has touch my life at various points producing despair and…
Introduction by me Martyn Lloyd-Jones (MLJ) lived 82 years from 1899 to 1981 and served as minister of Westminster Chapel in London for almost 30 of those years. He was first a physician but over time devoted more and more time to the ministry. He was known for his preaching ability which was replete with…
My chapter summaries of Biblical Healing for Modern Medicine, Franklin E. Payne, Jr. M.D. Covenant Books Scripture and Biblical Wisdom II Chronicles 16:12-13 recounts how King Asa did not find healing from the physicians of his time and died. This could quickly turn into a proof text for Christians to avoid doctors altogether. Biblical wisdom…
(My summary of first chapter of book by Franklin Ed. Payne, MD, titled “Biblical Healing for Modern Medicine”) Considering James 5:14-16, first century Christians had minimal healthcare except the anointing of oil by their elders. This might cause us to pity their plight. We could then finish reading the Bible and consider that not once…
(the opening paragraphs of my recent seminary paper on Food Theology) The Church is mostly silent while its members suffer not only the same lifestyle related physical consequences of the world, but also succumb to the legalistic false teachings of today’s diet prophets. Some estimate that 350000 people die every year from obesity related disease…
Pudgy, one of our three little pigs, is caught again rooting around for midnight snacks in the garden. His brothers have been working with him at mealtimes to keep his portions under control, but Pudgy, his nickname, kept growing more rotund until they realized where his extra calories were coming from. He has long known…