This article first appeared in the Viewpoint column of the Christian Research Journal, volume 27, number 4 (2004). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org Based on my experience as an African-American pastor, teacher, and speaker at various Black churches, it is my opinion that the Black church [...]

Not long ago an editor of a highly respected evangelical periodical phoned me to check on a comparative religions chart he was including in his magazine. He wanted to run the chart’s data on Buddhism past me. After his first question, I immediately knew that this chart needed some work. He said that the Lotus [...]

Albert Schweitzer is best known as a great humanitarian because of the fact that he spent his life from age 40 until his death in Africa as a medical doctor at Lambgarence. He established a hospital and treated the natives there. As he said at age 40, he “was not going to speak or talk [...]

Is rock music of the devil? The Christian community has failed to reach a consensus on this question. Many Christians believe that the “beat” of rock music is inherently evil, so that all rock music, even the relatively mild rock of such dedicated Christian performers as Randy Stonehill and the late Keith Green is regarded [...]

When professor Tatiana came to the Christian Research Institute on a January afternoon, she had one thing in mind: getting help for her people. Tatiana is a language instructor at Moscow State University, and a fairly new Christian. But even as God’s love and peace shone from her smile, something weighed heavily on her heart. [...]

This article first appeared in the News Watch column of the Christian Research Journal, volume 25, number 1 (2002). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org The good news? Faith is “in.” The bad news? Discernment is apparently “out.” Many people, including many Christians, think faith and reason [...]

This article first appeared in the Volume 23 / Number 2 issue of the Christian Research Journal. For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: www.equip.org SYNOPSIS It’s clear that modern church music, as a rule, is vastly inferior to the classic hymns that were being written 200 years ago. [...]

In Part One of this series we looked at the philosophical and religious elements that have helped shape the martial arts, and briefly discussed some of the most widely known styles practiced today. In this second and final installment we will consider the key issues faced by Christians contemplating partici­pation in the martial arts.1 EASTERN [...]

High-flying kicks combined with deadly punches and lethal throws…A lone warrior single-handedly overpowering a band of burly attackers…An old sage imparting wisdom to a young, attentive disciple… These images depict how many peo­ple perceive the martial arts (literally, the arts of warfare) — and for good reason. Such popular images of Asian-based fighting techniques stem [...]

A controversial issue within Christianity today is whether a Christian can practice the martial arts. There are three primary views. To gain perspective on this issue, let us briefly consider each one. First, some say that because of its unchris­tian origin (Eastern mysticism), no martial art form should be practiced by Christians. However, an unchristian [...]