Charlottesville is on everyone's mind. And rightly so. Words have meanings, ideas have consequences, and people should stand up and fight the good fight wherever they see it. Plenty has been written and said about racism, the "alt-right," Christian responsibility, and...
Christian Criticism and Bill Nye A recent "article" was released on the Christian comedy site The Babylonian Bee calling into question Bill Nye's credibility as a scientist. This is the second such article from The Bee, the first playing on a Halloween theme. While...
Children. Fewer topics can stir up more emotion than that of children. How do you raise them? How do you educate them? How do you discipline them? And nothing, I mean nothing, gets people more fired up than if someone tells what they should or shouldn't do with their...
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23) Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of...
I love the story of Alice in Wonderland. Animals that speak. Food and drink that make you grow and shrink. Playing cards, odd courtroom drama, and a pig-baby. What's not to love?! The thing I love most about the story is the larger moral it teaches: eventually you...
Getting Started In this post, I want to provide a quick and concise reference guide to the major "end-times" views. There won't be any criticisms given of any of these views at this time. This list will consist of brief definitions with some helpful links for further...
After a significant time of development, the Sylvania U "Monster Course" - Bible Survey is ready for launch. How It Works This course is designed to be done in conjunction with the "Chapter-A-Day" Bible Reading Plan. If you follow the plan and the course lectures, you...
I had some folks recently who wanted a link to the Bible reading plan for the upcoming (still in development) Sylvania U courses that will carry them through the entire Bible. I am including the link to that original post here, which should contain the reading plan....
Is there any sin, however despicable, that cannot be cleansed and washed away by the blood of Christ? No, there is not one. Is there any sin, however trivial in the eyes of the world, that will not damn a man to Hell if he makes his peace with it? No, not one. The...
Sanctification may be defined as that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Spirit by which He purifies the sinner, renews his whole nature in the image of God, and enables him to perform good works...While it is very decidedly a supernatural work of God, the...
"The Cross of Christ is the supreme demonstration of the love of God (cf. Rom 5:8; 1Jo 4:9-10). But would it be a supreme demonstration of love if the end secured by it could have been achieved without it? Would it be love to secure the end by such expenditure as the...
"Worship is declaring—with our lips and lives—that God is more important than anything else to us, that He is our deepest desire, that His inherent worth is beyond everything else we hold dear." - Ligon Duncan, Perspectives on Christian Worship
"A local church is a group of Christians who regularly gather in Christ's name to officially affirm and oversee one another's membership in Jesus Christ and his kingdom through gospel preaching and gospel ordinances." - Jonathan Leeman, Church Membership
"I think the Bible clearly teaches that local congregations should be led by a plurality of elders. This is the consistent pattern of churches in the New Testament. For instance, Paul told Timothy to appoint them at the churches in every town (in Titus 1:5; cf. Acts...
"The doctrine of justification by faith--a biblical truth, and a blessed relief from sterile legalism and unavailing self-effort--has in our time fallen into evil company and been interpreted by many in such a manner as actually to bar men from the knowledge of God....
"The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of...
I've really enjoyed Phillip's walk through the pastoral epistles and especially the focus on what kind of community the Gospel calls us to be. I think I can speak for the other elders when I say that one element we would love to see flourishing more at Sylvania is...
"Better, though difficult, the right way to go, Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.” (The Pilgrim's Progress)
“On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it,...
Women and children all over the world suffer daily from poverty, abuse and sexual exploitation; yet several organizations and ministries work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering and have partnered with Sylvania Church to present "Fair Trade Market” on May 2, 2015...
The "Why Do We Recite the Apostles' Creed" course is up, running, and off to a strong start. You can still register for that course here. What is next at Sylvania U? It will take a little time, and it might be rolled out in phases, but the next big addition to...