Sep 20, 2021 | Christian Life & Theology
I’ve talked about bible reading plan options, why bible study matters, how to create a bible study spot in your home – but what about when to QUIT a bible plan that isn’t serving you? Did you know that was even an option? Because it is! Believe it or not, bible reading plans that worked in one season might not work in another. Even plans we’ve loved in the past can stop being enjoyable or effective in the present. Here are three reasons to quit a Bible reading plan and what to do instead.
Sep 15, 2021 | Podcast Episodes
During the first season of Verity podcast I shared podcast versions of each chapter in my book Stop Calling Me Beautiful: Finding Soul Deep Strength in a Skin Deep World. Two thirds of this book is “applied theology”: how the gospel directly impacts our struggles with sex, legalism, shame, and – in this episode particularly – anxiety.
![Salvation By Allegiance Alone [Book Review]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/Image-from-iOS-1-1-scaled-e1630689936743-1080x675.jpg)
Sep 14, 2021 | Book Reviews
Salvation by Allegiance Alone probably makes a few people a bit wiggly when they see the title because we’re used to the Five Solas (grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone, etc.) and none of those Solas mention the word “allegiance”. But actually… one does. Sola Fide, or “faith alone”, links us to Matthew Bates’ topic. He argues that how we define “faith” results in either an authentic Christian life or one riddled by uncertainty and lack of fruit. If “faith” is just a vague mental assent (“I asked Jesus into my heart” or “I believe in Jesus”), nominal “Christians” should not surprise us. But what if faith – as Jesus and Paul and Peter describe it – isn’t just “belief”? What if it’s more than that?
Sep 13, 2021 | Christian Life & Theology, Motherhood
In between posts about theology, critical thinking and my latest book review, I talk a lot about creating a family culture that is biblical, joyful, and fulfilling. If you’ve never heard the term “family culture”, you’re not alone – I pretty much made it up. Ha! But it’s not a new concept with me (Jefferson Bethke has been talking about similar things for a while!) and it’s one that will serve families well if they take it to heart.
Sep 9, 2021 | Basic Theology, Christian Life & Theology, Podcast Episodes
There are few topics that divide Christians with such ferocity as baptism. This sacrament – necessary to the Christian faith – is modeled in Scripture by Jesus as well as His disciples in the early church. But when it comes to how we practice baptism, Christians are divided. Some churches practice infant baptism (paedobaptism) while others practice believer’s baptism (credo-baptism). Some believe you are saved through baptism, others believe it is a symbol of salvation, and others think it is somewhere between.
