Author: David Ellis

Don: Doctrine is derived primarily from Scripture. Jesus hinted at a potential danger with doctrine: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;…” (John 5:39) Mankind so easily embraces doctrine as being the key to eternal life, but true doctrine is the teaching…

Don: What is the role of doctrine in worship? The word for doctrine is mentioned more than 50 times in the Old and New Testaments. The dictionary definition is: A belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group. Synonyms include: Creed, dogma, belief, teaching, and ideology. In…

Don: The reunification and reconciliation of Man and God is at the core of the acts and processes of worship. To seek God is to acknowledge that there is a space where He exists—a “God space”—that Man seeks, if not to occupy then at least to find the entryway thereto. One might argue that Man…

Jay: The Bible has much to say on the topic of God seeking Man and Man seeking God, and on God knowing Man and Man knowing God. For example: 
“For affliction does not come from the dust,
 Nor does trouble sprout from the ground, 
For man is born for trouble,
 As sparks fly upward. But…

Don: Technology strengthens, enables, and empowers us in many ways. It turns us into something we are not, or were not. It is as if it is turning us into gods ourselves, at least in a physical sense. Is this the driving force behind our addiction with technology? After the Fall, Man initiated the use…

Don: Today’s younger generations were born into a technological way of life. How do they see technology interfacing between Man and God, augmenting or assisting in a more meaningful worship experience, and as a way of strengthening and of sharing faith? Is the overall effect positive or negative? For today’s discussion, we will limit our…

Don: Every aspect of out world is affected by technology, including faith, hope, grace, and our understanding of God. The anthropomorphic view of God is as a vastly bigger and stronger and smarter version of us. Isaiah told us God is immeasurably more than anything we could imagine, but we still tend to think that…

Don: What does technology bring to the interface between God and Man? It is argued that the printing press made the Reformation possible by taking away control of information from the priest, who hitherto not only controlled access to God but also stood in the role of God himself. The church was the gateway to…

Don: God told Adam to fill the earth and subdue it: God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish…