Opportunities to represent my congregation in ministry in our community present themselves to me from time to time. For example, along with the pastor of the local Christian and Missionary Alliance Church and I will be involved in the opening ceremonies for the local township fall festival later this month. Although I was out of … Continue reading Pastor Note #77: Funerals and the Growing Number of Non-believing Neighbors
Category: Pastor Notes
Pastor Note #76: Citizenship in the Only Christian Nation on Earth
I am a Christian who happens to be an American. I am not an American who happens to be a Christian. For me the distinction drawn in those two statements is very important. My commitment and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ is sovereign over all other commitments and relationships in my life. My identity … Continue reading Pastor Note #76: Citizenship in the Only Christian Nation on Earth
Pastor Note #75: Abortion: Not Just a Legal Issue
What is the goal for the Pro-Life movement in America? Is the goal that we should strive to make abortion illegal? Or is the goal that we should strive to end abortion? It’s very important that we should recognize that those two are not the same goal. I will assert that those who believe that … Continue reading Pastor Note #75: Abortion: Not Just a Legal Issue
Pastor Note #74 — Trust and Unity in American Civil Society and Politics
Trust and Unity in American Society and Politics The great debate over these intelligence memos is a painful demonstration of a sickness that is afflicting our society. We are experiencing a crisis of trust. A civil society in which people have ceased to trust each other and our foundational institutions is a deep and dangerous … Continue reading Pastor Note #74 — Trust and Unity in American Civil Society and Politics
Pastor Note #73: No “Us” and “Them”: Race, Ethnicity, and the Mandate of Love
No “Us” and “Them”: Race, Ethnicity, and the Mandate of Love A Sermon Preached at Venice Presbyterian Church on August 20, 2017 Pastor Gary A. Chorpenning Venice Presbyterian Church Cecil Township, PA http://www.venice-church.org Acts 15:1-21 Since you can’t help but notice it, let me acknowledge that I’m going to do something here this morning that … Continue reading Pastor Note #73: No “Us” and “Them”: Race, Ethnicity, and the Mandate of Love
Pastor Note #72 — Dealing With the Dangers of Money
“You know, you can make a lot of money as a hospital administrator,” the man had said to me. It was during one of my summer breaks from college, and I was working as a nursing assistant at a local hospital. He had been chatting me up and had asked … Continue reading Pastor Note #72 — Dealing With the Dangers of Money
Pastor Note #71: Loving Each Other in Words
Loving Each Other in Words The sad truth is that not all churches are places where people treat each other well. Some churches can become notorious for the way their people are prone to fight and mistreat each other. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love … Continue reading Pastor Note #71: Loving Each Other in Words
Pastor Note #70: True National Greatness
The American founders wanted their independence, so that they would be free to create a nation and a society of true greatness, whose greatness would be found not in its power or wealth but rather in its principles and ideals of justice and equality, of ideals and liberty.
Pastor Note #69: Death and the Victory of Christ
DEATH AND THE VICTORY OF CHRIST: Living and Dying Well You are going to die. So am I. This is a fundamental and unavoidable truth for all human beings, and how we deal with that great truth can have a profound impact on how well we live and on how well we die. Sadly, many … Continue reading Pastor Note #69: Death and the Victory of Christ
Pastor Note #68 — Franklin Graham Has Abandoned Biblical Authority
The wholehearted embrace of the candidacy of Donald Trump by evangelical Christian leaders has troubled me deeply. And in many respects, their embrace of Mr. Trump mystifies me. He is precisely the sort of man whose character these evangelical leaders should have been expected to denounce out of hand. In light of how the genuine … Continue reading Pastor Note #68 — Franklin Graham Has Abandoned Biblical Authority
