Articles for tag: Bob Mink

February 16, 2017

Christian Standard

Coping with What Jesus Said

By Bob Mink I Wish Jesus Hadn”t Said That  Stephen Timmis Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014 The Hard Sayings of Jesus F.F. Bruce Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1983 Some book titles get your attention by implying they are about something you may not agree with. When I was a youth minister in the 1970s, I used Fritz Ridenour”s book How to be a Christian Without Being Religious, and was taken to task by a mother who misunderstood the title. Steve Timmis”s book, I Wish Jesus Hadn”t Said That (Zondervan, 2013), does the same thing. The title is his initial response to

December 20, 2015

Christian Standard

The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of Christmas

By Bob Mink The Christmas season is a special time of year for almost everyone””especially its sights, sounds, and smells. Who doesn”t like the smell of a fresh-cut tree or of cookies baking? Who doesn”t appreciate a “Merry Christmas” greeting or festive holiday music? Who isn”t drawn to the lights and decorations? I enjoy all these at Christmastime every year. And why not? Christians can decorate a tree, bake special cookies, and give gifts all while fully embracing the meaning in the birth of Jesus. And maybe thinking about the sights, sounds, and smells of that first Christmas can make

November 29, 2015

Christian Standard

Moving On

By Bob Mink I had the privilege of planting Discovery Christian Church (originally Moreno Valley Christian Church) in 1984 in a small but rapidly growing distant suburb of Los Angeles. I was 33 years old at the time, and our family moved from the Greater Philadelphia area. On our 30th anniversary in 2014, I stepped down as senior pastor. Looking back, I now realize the transition began in 2011, when one of our associate pastors left our church to become campus minister at his alma mater. I was fully supportive of the move, but after almost 27 years, I was worn down and

September 3, 2015

Christian Standard

Working for the Glory of God

Book review by Bob Mink Work: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor Ben Witherington III Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2011 Ben Witherington doesn”t merely suggest that modern American Christians know little of what the Bible says about work, and that theologians have seldom addressed the topic. In Work: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor, he offers solutions to both deficiencies. And in the course of his short book (166 pages), this professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary relays quite a bit of what the Bible says about work. Foundational to a biblical and Christian view of work is that

October 23, 2014

Christian Standard

Books for Bible Students: Four Books for Gospels Students

By Bob Mink Since Jesus was the greatest person who ever lived, and the Gospels are four of the most important pieces of literature ever written, it is not surprising that so many books have been written about them. And these books were written with a variety of purposes. The Bible student should consider these purposes when choosing a book for Gospels study. For a basic and quality introduction and overview of the life of Jesus presented in the Gospels, I recommend Paul Johnson”s Jesus: A Biography from a Believer (Penguin Books, 2010). In his introduction, Johnson describes the book

June 16, 2014

Christian Standard

Postmodernism & Apologetics

By Bob Mink As postmodernism”s influence continues to grow, many wonder what impact it is having on Christian apologetics. Does it require an approach different from what Christian apologists have been saying for the past 500 years? The short answer (given in a way postmodernists might appreciate) is yes and no. Three relatively recent books directly and indirectly address the issue.   Direct Answer Ironically, the oldest of these books most directly answers the question. Christian Apologetics in the Postmodern World (IVP Academic, 1995) is a collection of essays edited by Timothy R. Phillips and Dennis L. Okholm. The 11

October 15, 2012

Christian Standard

Sticky Conversations: Alcohol

THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF FIVE “STICKY CONVERSATIONS”   By Tim Harlow In matters of opinion, beer? “In matters of faith, unity; in matters of opinion, liberty; in all things, love.” It”s such a beautiful sentiment, but how do we know which is which? There wouldn”t be 30,000 different sects of Christianity in the world if it were really that easy. Consider the subject of alcohol. It”s always been confusing to me because, as I grew up in the Christian church, I was always told alcohol was bad/sinful. But Paul told Timothy to drink some wine for his

March 28, 2011

Christian Standard

My Journey from “˜Need” to “˜Should” to “˜Want”

By Robert Mink During my four decades of ministry, my motivation for reading the Bible has progressed through four stages. Not that these stages are distinct with no overlap, but looking in the rearview mirror and assessing my Bible reading today, I see growth. I was in Bible college and serving as a part-time youth minister when I first got serious about reading the Bible. And I got serious because I had to. Many of my classes required me to read the Bible; and teaching the Bible in my youth ministry forced me to read. As a minister, teaching and

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