- What is Sound Doctrine Anyway?
- Male/Female Role Relationships in the Church – Part 2
- Male/Female Role Relationships in the Church
- Eternity’s Brink – Episode 20 — Stop Black Tax!
- Eternity’s Brink – Episode 19 — God’s Love of Variety
- Eternity’s Brink – Episode 18 — Relationships Are All That Matter
- Eternity’s Brink – Episode 17 — Medical Workers Are Servants
- Eternity’s Brink – Episode 16 — Still a Narrow Road
- Eternity’s Brink–Episode 15–Perspectives About Salvation
- Eternity’s Brink–Episode 14–Our Dual Existence
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- Matthew 24 – End of the World or End of an Age?
- What About Watchman Nee's Teaching on Soul and Spirit?
- The Use of Instrumental Music in Worship
- Was Apollos Re-Baptized?
- ICOC 3.00 by Jim McCartney
- When is a Person Ready to be Baptized?
- Is the Coronavirus COVID-19 a Judgment of God?
- Paradigm Shift Evaluation
- Gentiles and the Law of Moses
- The Mystery Solved!
Passing the Torch: Let Them Dream! by Daren Overstreet
As a person who grew up in the evangelical world, I remember vividly one of the things that specifically inspired me about the ICOC. Men and women read the scriptures, internalized them, and allowed God’s truth to blossom into big dreams and goals! It was the...
Passing the Torch: Are We Inspiring the Next Generation to Lead? by Daren Overstreet
An Introduction by Gordon The ICOC family of churches is facing a crisis of which too many are unaware. It is an age crisis in leadership. It is an issue all movements inevitably must figure out, and their ability to do so defines their ongoing impact. Early in this...
Can You Come Out and Play? by Jim McCartney
Can You Come Out and Play? -- Spiritual Friendships When I was in the 6th grade my best friends were Mike McFadden and Mike Doherty. We were all patrol boys at our elementary school; I was the Captain, Mike M. was the Lieutenant, and Mike D. was the Sargent at Arms....
A Revival of Hope in the Heart of a Black Woman
As noted in my recent post on Facebook and in the introduction to my new article regarding male and female role relationships in the church, the article grew out of a midweek outline for a lesson I taught. One sister who heard the lesson, Demerris Johnson, wrote me an...
Another Adoption of Another Kind
After Kelly Flores and I exchanged some Facebook posts on this Father’s Day, I thought of another of my adopted daughters who had texted me quite a message today also. (Kelly is the young woman described in the “Another Kind of Adoption” article on this website.)...
Why Did My Savior Come to Earth?
An old hymn has a stanza that asks the question posed in the title of this article. That’s a very good question, with many answers, but at least four of them are of ultimate importance in truly understanding the gospel of Christ. I recently preached a series of two...
I Have Lost My Faith! (in coincidences)
Today, as I begin this article, it is April 8, 2018 – one day after my son Bryan’s 50th birthday. I spoke in a part of the Dallas East Region of the Dallas/Fort Worth Church, a part that has most of our East campus students in it. Our oldest grandson, Bryce Gordon...
American Slavery and the Bible by Richard Rodriguez
Biographical Sketch I was baptized into Christ at the Crossroads Church of Christ of Gainesville in 1981. There I studied the Bible with Dan Davis out of Reese Neyland’s bible talk and counted the cost with Sam Laing. As God would have it, Sam also performed my...
The Theological Basis for Discipling Relationships
Special Note: This material once comprised a chapter in my book entitled Discipling (1997). This longer book was condensed into a shorter version called The Power of Discipling - now in its second (slightly longer) edition. A number of chapters from the original book...
Regaining Our First Love
Revelation 2:1-7 1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot...
Matters of Conscience − A Deeper Look
I wrote this article back in 2007 and included it as an appendix in the second edition of Prepared to Answer. At that particular time, it seemed to be quite in vogue to object to countless issues in our movement of churches, claiming that those things violated one’s...
Grace, the Holy Spirit and Heaven by Jim McCartney
“But when the goodness and love for man appeared from God our Savior, He saved us – not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us...
The Fallacies of Popular End-Times Teaching
I was exposed to the now popular futurist teaching as a young person and accepted it as being true for many years. I did not know an alternative was available, and being biblically ignorant, saw no reason to question what I was taught. However, I did not like the...
When is a Person Ready to be Baptized?
The title reflects a question that people often have, both those who are studying and contemplating being baptized and those who have already been baptized and now are studying with others. Biblical concepts give us direction, along with common sense based on the...
The Problem of Pain
One of the most popular Christian writers of last century was C.S. Lewis. He wrote a book with the title that I’m using for this article. Pain is a problem. It is a problem physically to be sure, but it is a bigger problem emotionally and spiritually. It can fill up...
Observations About ICOC 3.0 (And An Introduction to ICOC 3.00!)
A number of people have asked me what my thoughts are about the current ICOC 3.0 discussions taking place among leaders in our family of churches. It perhaps goes without saying that ICOC 1.0 would be a moniker for our earlier days as a movement; 2.0 would have begun...
ICOC 3.00 by Jim McCartney
The energy and enthusiasm around the recent ICOC 3.0 initiative are impressive, and I respect and appreciate all the work that is going into it. As a local church Board member, I was able to participate in the New England/New York meeting in Hartford CT and was...
On Not Being Judgmental…An Introduction to “The Gospel Divide”
Being judgmental is an interesting concept. An over-used and often misapplied verse from Jesus is this one: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Jesus also said, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (John 7:24). Paul...
How Important Are Doctrinal Differences?
Introduction Let us begin by making it clear that doctrine is very important to God. The basic Greek term for doctrine is didaskalia, and is translated in the more modern versions simply as “teaching.” With either translation, the word most often refers to God’s...
The Mystery Solved!
The Mystery Solved! I first met the group of churches in 1981 that was later to be called the ICOC movement (International Churches of Christ). I was highly impressed with their evangelistic effectiveness and level of commitment, and figured out almost immediately...
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What is Sound Doctrine Anyway? | Gordon Ferguson
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What is Sound Doctrine Anyway? Recently, Jeanie Shaw published her doctoral dissertation in edited book format, “Re-Examining Our Lenses,” and I have published my book, “The Bible and Women: How...Is a Church's Stance on LGBTQ+ Worthy of Separation?
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Many minor things Christians disagree on are not worthy of separation. Is a Church's stance on homosexuality a minor issue, or is it a primary issue worthy o...