Biblical words matter.
We sow, God saves.
Christianity is a counterculture.
Run the race as if it matters.

Introduction

These commentaries are the result of my personal experience and study. They reflect my perspective on Christian doctrine—the narrative that shapes a believer’s faith—and how that narrative influences our ability to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Today, Christianity often seems disconnected from the broader cultural conversation—reduced, in many ways, to an inconvenient subculture that increasingly grapples with spiritual diversity and social identity. This growing irrelevance raises a pressing question: why has the Church drifted so far from meaningful engagement with society? What concerns me most is how rarely this issue is addressed. Leadership from the pulpit is more focused on the organisation of the institution itself—an oversight that, in my view, has a direct and damaging effect on the health of the Church.

About Me

My earliest experiences were shaped, but not led, by a Christian view of life—a position that continued for 40 years before I made a personal decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. In 2001, I was part of a leadership team that welcomed a new Pastor to our Church. Not long after, we were confronted with a series of theological and relational challenges that ultimately split the congregation in two. It took three subsequent Pastors and many years for the Church to heal from this division. I still recall the sadness, anger, and disillusionment that followed—the sense of confusion—the lingering weight of unanswered questions. Through that experience, I realised two things—that I knew very little about why I believed; and second, that whatever I did know wasn’t truly my own.

My Latest Commentary

Trevor Strange Trevor Strange

Saved by the Church

Some time ago I read an article about the increasing number of Christians who were leaving the institutional church. The writer suggested there was an indisputable link between salvation, and belonging to the institution of the Church. He considered the idea of claiming to be a Christian without belonging to a church was an oxymoron. Ironically, the general theme of the article was attempting to address the reason why people were leaving, but the writer's prejudice tended to manipulate his conclusion. He shifted from clarifying what the link was, to one of justifying the eschatological authority of the institution. This was that we have to belong to a Church, and no other view of the Church, or fellowship, was considered in his argument. The writer postured that without the Church, Christianity is reduced to an ideology, but it’s somewhat ironic that an ideology is, an institution with guiding rules and dictates. The claim exposes an ideological interpretation of the word Church, which is somewhat contradictory, because without Christ, the denominational institution of the Church as we understand it, is left with nothing but the religious dogma of an ideology. The writer’s definition opens a dangerous impasse, insomuch as the Church becomes the definer of salvation, instead of Christ. On one hand, he failed to recognize that fellowship and spiritual growth is the sole purpose of the Church, not salvation, and on the other Church assumes an importance that has no support from the scriptures.

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