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With the rise of modern technology and social media platforms in the past decade or so we have seen a vast increase certain ideological groups seeking to cancel, ban, and silence those with different, offensive, or annoying opinions. Most of this has been done in the name of seeking to preserve a "safe environment" for people to engage the internet with less of a risk of being "triggered" by a differing opinion. Though on a historical level the ability to limit certain free speech that incites physical violence or destructive behavior has been pretty much agreed upon by most people. It seems clear that the idea that those who say things which are wrong, offensive, or annoying should be canceled, silenced and sidelined is entirely un-American and ultimately not Christian.  Cancel culture is demonic and oppressive. It's the same tactic used by the enemy to oppose the gospel around the world. The message of the cross is offensive to those who don't

On March 22nd of 2020 an unprecedented event occurred. This wasn't the first time that a widespread disease afflicted human-kind, nor was it the first time that health measures were taken by a human government in order to mitigate the risk of an epidemic. The unprecedented event that occurred on Sunday, March 22nd of 2020 was the physical absence of worshippers gathering as the visible Church of Jesus Christ in the United States as well as other places around the world. The 10 person gathering limit issued by the Centers for Disease Control led to the widespread closure of house's of worship across the country. Up to that point in Church History there had never been an example of this magnitude in which faithful Christians avoided the physical gathering together to worship Jesus Christ and study His Word in a community of fellowship. The typical reason offered by many Christian leaders in an attempt to justify the temporary closure of churches was something like this, "Chr

Just five years after the American Civil War in the year 1870 two emancipated slaves in Centerville Louisiana named Simon Seymour and Phyllis Salabarr had a son named William. These Catholic African Americans could never have imagined that their son would become the founder of one of the largest Christian movements in the history of the world, affecting every part of the globe and every sphere of society. Simon Seymour served in the Union Army during the civil war and returned afterward to the South where his family experienced poverty and racially volatile circumstances alongside of many other blacks during the reconstruction period . Although the war had ended, and slaves were now emancipated, the Seymour family like many others faced economic conditions that crushed the hopes and dreams of many African Americans in the South. Nevertheless, God had his eyes on Simon Seymour's son William, and the world was never going to be the same. Not much is known about William Seymour's

For the video version of this article go here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un9hp6_FsEM Yesterday I made a video that touches in the realm of prophetic dreams and the varied response brought to my attention how there is a large ignorance gap in the church as it relates to the function, nature, and approach we should be taking when seeking to interpret dreams that appear to come from the Lord. Firstly, if you are a Cessationist (believing most spiritual gifts have ceased) then you have started from a place that fully excludes the possibility of God speaking through dreams in modern times because you ultimately believe it may undermine the authority of scripture. I can understand this reservation. However, scripture is meant to guide us in the process of hearing from God not prohibit the process entirely.  If you are a Continuationist (believing all spiritual gifts still operate) like myself then the challenge becomes two-fold. 1.) How do I initially discern the difference between a

The history of Christianity is littered with debates about how certain ordinances of the church should be performed, how certain theology works itself out logistically, some minor disputes, and some very contentious disputes. Even so it remains true that never within the history of the Christian faith have the foundational beliefs that make Christianity a cohesive religion become altered or abolished by a consensus of believers. Even considering the variety of denominational expressions, each of them at their foundation affirm the historic underlying doctrine regarding God the Father, the nature of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ, and the church at large.  This cohesive underlying framework is what defines Christianity as comprehensive belief system in general. When a person or group of people claim to be Christian, yet at the same time deny the historical, foundational belief system of Christianity, they in turn remove themselves from the C

For the video version of this article click here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqJevPWIxGU The recent COVID-19 outbreak has brought our attention to the unavoidable reality of plague that has frequently been a part of human history. Starting in Wuhan China COVID-19 spread rapidly throughout every major continent in the world leading to panic buying, government mandated quarantines, social distancing, and higher awareness of hygiene practices. With the Center for Disease Control in the United States issuing guidelines asking for gatherings of no more than 10 people to be cancelled, churches across the nation have wondered what God is calling them to do in response.  As with many events in the modern world it’s important to let history be our ultimate teacher in this regard. We need to take a close look at how the Christian church has responded to plague and outbreak throughout history and learn from what they did, both good and bad. The amazing reality that we begin t