The nation’s attention was riveted to the testimony of nine coal miners who had been trapped deep beneath the earth’s surface in Pennsylvania. One miner expressed concern for his soul, since he’d never been baptized. Another assured him that he was okay — but was he? Jason Jackson discusses this episode in this week’s Penpoints.

If the thief on the cross could be saved without being baptized, why cannot people today do the same?

A recent news item highlighted a case where an inmate was refused the privilege of being immersed for the remission of his sins. A chorus of sectarian voices argued that “hard cases” like this negate the belief that baptism is a necessary condition for salvation. Is this quibble valid?

Steve Lloyd is a respected gospel minister who edits an electronic journal, A Closer Look At Things Pertaining to the Faith. In a recent issue he interviewed Wayne Jackson regarding some of the needs in the church today. This is the text of that dialogue.

Church historians agree that many changes in faith and practice occurred over the last two thousand years, with many negative consequences. Is this religious mindset still affecting the followers of Christ today?

As a general rule, we refrain from commenting on specific problems congregations or individuals may be having. Regardless, I must say that an individual who teaches what this question represents is...

Many have been deceived into believing that grace by definition excludes obedience. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The truth regarding eternal punishment.

Does the home influence the religious development of children?

The doctrine of baptism, as set forth in the New Testament, is scarcely recognizable in the modern world of “Christendom.” How did this strange and unwarranted change come about? Study this issue with us.

The National Geographic Society has once more attempted to capitalize upon the name of Jesus Christ by a promotion of the so-called “Gospel of Judas” in recent interviews, publications, etc. This controversy is much ado over nothing. In this article, Australian Christian scholar, Gary Young (Ph.D. in Roman history), puts this issue into its proper historical framework.

A recently-published book, Rescuing Jesus from the Christians, seeks to throw the spotlight on some of the alleged “errors” in the beliefs and teaching of Jesus Christ. The fact is, Clayton Sullivan, the author, has revealed how very little he knows about Gospel history. Wayne Jackson briefly reviews this new volume.

Legal authorities in New York City have fought against “Christian” symbolism in the city’s public schools, while defending the presence of both Jewish and Islamic symbolism. Some see this as an accelerating wave of antagonism against the Christian faith?

This article reviews the recent scholarship prize award by John N. Clayton.

I grew up among kindly people of the Baptist affiliation. My father’s family was of this persuasion. A more gracious, benevolent group of folks could scarcely have been found. It was heartbreaking, therefore, to eventually discover that the church of my ancestry was unknown to the New Testament.

Joel, a prophet of the southern kingdom of Judah, labors to warn the Hebrew people of the coming “day of the Lord,” a time of judgment upon a rebellious people. The punishment is described under a ...

Some atheists reject the very existence of Jesus of Nazareth. But is this lack of belief based on a reasonable examination of the evidence? Not in the least.

Is “necessary inference” a valid method of arriving at biblical truth?

Atheists claim to the anti-religion, yet they have formed their own “religion.” They are the epitome of inconsistency.

This article, originally published in 1993, addresses the book written by popular songwriter-comedian, Steve Allen (1921-2000), Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion, and Morality.