When I think about what it means to “think biblically,” I usually think, “How do I look at situations with the Bible as my guide?” And that’s fine! Most of the content on this website takes that approach: “How do we think biblically about entertainment? About dating? About current events?”
But sometimes we also have to think biblically about something much more basic, like the definition of words. This might seem too simple, but you would be surprised by how many contentions spring from people not even agreeing on how words are defined.
“Come on, Mr. Sandor,” you might think, “we know what dictionaries are. They give the same words and definitions to all of us.” Well, you have a point—to a degree. While dictionaries give us the opportunity to uniformly define words, it’s still not uncommon for people to just ignore dictionaries and use whatever definitions they have in their heads.
But there’s a bigger problem: Dictionaries don’t use the Bible to define words. The Bible provides definitions for sin (1 John 3:4), righteousness, (Psalm 119:172), faith (Hebrews 11:1, 6), and a host of other words—and these definitions are different from what you’ll find when you google a word (or dig out a hardcopy dictionary).
For this post, let’s briefly consider the word love. How should we define that? Well, if you’re still reading, you’re about to get some answers.
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Tomorrow’s World
Podcast: How Do We REALLY Prevent Mass Shootings?
/in Podcast/by Wallace Smith & John RobinsonThe tragic event in Uvalde, Texas—and the political back-and-forth about it—had us thinking this week, and it seemed an appropriate topic for the podcast. In this episode, we try to think about the issue biblically, focusing on the solutions Christ surely longs to implement. We hope you find it helpful.
(In other news, many of you have requested that the podcast be made available in other formats, and we think the time has come to do just that! We hope to have more news on that front next week. Thanks for your patience with us as we’ve learned and the podcast has grown! Your feedback has been very helpful.)
P.S. After we posted this, we forgot that we had mentioned Mr. Weston’s telecast “Will God Forget Your Children?” We’ve added a link to it below. Also, we mentioned Mr. Mark Sandor’s upcoming article on false freedom & liberty, but it has not yet been published, so we can’t link to it. But look for it in the next Living Church News, due out in July!
Podcast: What can Living Education do for you?
/in Podcast/by Wallace Smith & John RobinsonToday (Friday), the Class of 2022 graduated from the on-campus Living Education–Charlotte program, and yesterday, we had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Jonathan McNair and pick his brain about both the program and his own long history of working with youth in the Church. Whether you are a teen or young adult with questions about Living Ed, a parent trying to decide how to guide your kiddos into their futures, or just someone wanting to know more about the program, this podcast answers all the questions. it was a real pleasure to sit down with Mr. McNair—who informed us, by the way, that there are still openings for the 2022–2023 year here in Charlotte! If you are interested in checking it out, listen to the podcast, and click on this link to apply.
Thinking Biblically: Definitions
/in Uncategorized/by Mark SandorWhen I think about what it means to “think biblically,” I usually think, “How do I look at situations with the Bible as my guide?” And that’s fine! Most of the content on this website takes that approach: “How do we think biblically about entertainment? About dating? About current events?”
But sometimes we also have to think biblically about something much more basic, like the definition of words. This might seem too simple, but you would be surprised by how many contentions spring from people not even agreeing on how words are defined.
“Come on, Mr. Sandor,” you might think, “we know what dictionaries are. They give the same words and definitions to all of us.” Well, you have a point—to a degree. While dictionaries give us the opportunity to uniformly define words, it’s still not uncommon for people to just ignore dictionaries and use whatever definitions they have in their heads.
But there’s a bigger problem: Dictionaries don’t use the Bible to define words. The Bible provides definitions for sin (1 John 3:4), righteousness, (Psalm 119:172), faith (Hebrews 11:1, 6), and a host of other words—and these definitions are different from what you’ll find when you google a word (or dig out a hardcopy dictionary).
For this post, let’s briefly consider the word love. How should we define that? Well, if you’re still reading, you’re about to get some answers.
Read morePodcast: Dating and “Good People” in the World
/in Podcast/by Wallace Smith & John RobinsonThis week’s podcast focuses on another question we’ve received: What’s so wrong with dating “good people” in the world? It’s a great question! And both the Bible and, when you really think about it, common sense provide important answers. We hope it helps, and we hope our sound quality continues to improve! Again, your feedback is so helpful. Please let us know what you think.
Also, we don’t mention an article or booklet in this episode, but an old classic by Mr. Gerald Weston came to mind—an old 2006 Tomorrow’s World article written for the “Tomorrow’s Youth” feature, in which he included six of his “Unshakable Unbreakables.” Great advice worth reviewing—or reading for the first time for most of you, given it was published almost 16 years ago!
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Interesting in applying to Living Education–Charlotte?
/in Uncategorized/by Your Friendly Neighborhood EditorsLiving Education is still taking applications to join the on-site educational program for the 2022–2023 academic year, where students spend a year in Charlotte at the Church’s Headquarters, getting grounded in the faith and working part-time at the office. If you are interested in applying or have questions, you can start by clicking right here!
Are you checking out Tomorrow’s World Viewpoint?
/in Uncategorized/by Your Friendly Neighborhood EditorsMany teens and young adults have mentioned how much they like the Tomorrow’s World Viewpoint videos produced out of the Church’s Canadian office. If you haven’t checked out the YouTube channel, click here to take a look at what’s been added recently. Here, below, is a recent upload.
Podcast: What Gives Us the Right to Be Dogmatic?
/in Podcast/by Wallace Smith & John RobinsonThis week’s podcast answers a question emailed to us from a Church family. The father—who grew up as a teen in the Church, himself—pointed out that, when he was younger, he would sometimes wonder what gives the Church the right to speak so dogmatically. After all, we speak pretty strongly! We draw clear lines about right and wrong and make no bones about it—and those lines differ greatly from the lines being drawn by many in the world around us. So what does give us the right to speak so dogmatically? It was a great question, and we hope you’ll find the answer helpful!
As usual, we refer to some additional items in the podcast—one LCN article by Mr. Mark Sandor about “doubtful things” and one of our foundational booklets, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy. Below the embedded video, you’ll find links to both.
(By the way: We hope you enjoy the improved sound quality! We’re still learning, but our Disclaimer Guy (Chris Leonard) is also our wonderful IT guy, and he has helped us put together a better audio set up. Let us know what you think, and thanks for your patience as we continue to learn what in the world we’re doing.)