I applaud Denny Petrillo’s heart and work for preaching (Dialogue, Page 23, July). Too, I root for his effectiveness.

I’m not sure his comment, “Many in Churches of Christ are no longer committed to Christ and the apostles,” is accurate. From my experience, there is growing interest in such, yet strong traditions of men among us attempt to restrict the Word just as in Christ and the apostles’ day.

There is a growing hunger among Churches of Christ to freely study and practice the stable teachings of holy writ without restraint from some who may have quit studying but shifted to regulating. Such limitation, coincidentally, drives many preachers from the pulpit because they cannot in good conscience continue to parrot doctrines of our heritage which did not come from faithful study of the Word.

read more

We chat across fences with our Muslim neighbors while cutting the grass. Our Bible-believing children learn at schools alongside Hindu classmates. At the supermarket, we park next to vehicles emblazoned with Wicca symbols and scan headlines on glossy magazines about celebrities embracing the teachings of Scientology and Kabbalah.

Religion is important in America, without a doubt.

But as this country becomes increasingly more aware of other faith groups with ties to many world cultures, Christians in the U.S. find themselves in a new, uncomfortable spot. Where once we unapologetically proclaimed, “Jesus Is The Way!” a major study released recently suggests many believe that perhaps there are many paths to heaven, that Jesus is but one way. read more