The surprising argument that Saul of Tarsus was born into bondage.Of the many letters the apostle Paul wrote, few survived. We have a good deal of his communication to churches as a whole—letters to groups of believers in particular cities. This makes sense. Such letters were read publicly and often; they were copied and disseminated and celebrated as Scripture soon after the ink had dried.Paul sent a number of letters to individuals as well. To read his biblical writings is to sense that you are glimpsing only a fraction of his relational network and influence. Almost all of those letters have been lost.But there are exceptions.It was a tall order for personal letters to ascend to the level of canon. It helped to be bound up with a great figure, a leader of a great community. Timothy, for instance, was a towering second-generation church leader; he was also the bishop of Ephesus, a major city of the Roman Empire and a major Christian center. Titus was a pillar of the Gentile mission and served as the bishop of Crete. Their eponymous letters had huge communities to champion their inclusion in Scripture.A mystery for the ages, then, is why Paul’s letter to Philemon—the leader of a house church in the minor city of Colossae—survives at all. It’s the most personal letter we have from Paul. It runs only 25 verses.The letter reveals a story. In it, a man named Onesimus has fled his master Philemon. Onesimus was most likely a household slave, a bondservant high in the pecking order.To call him a runaway slave is true, though it is misleading for modern readers, who might imagine Onesimus attempting to escape through something like the Underground Railroad.In fact, some scholars argue that Onesimus sought out Paul but planned to return to his master. Steven M. Baugh, ...Continue reading...

We had the pleasure of meeting Steve Ryder and along with his wife Anna and two grandchildren, Noah, and Serenity at the Alvarado Camp Meeting in January. Brother Steve had accepted God's call to the mission field of Ecuador.? He will be serving in the city of Cuenca on the Andes Mountain range with Pastor […]The post Ryders to Ecuador appeared first on Missionaries to Cyberspace.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (March 18, 2024) - Artist Resource Services (ARS) add to its impressive roster of artists by welcoming Southern Gospel veterans Steve Ladd and Debra Perry & Jaidyn's Call and newcomer Tate Emmons.

? ? In a triumphant return, GMA Hall of Fame inductee and acclaimed musical artist Steve Ladd releases his debut solo single, “Preach The Word.” ? ? Originating from his transformative Gold City days nearly two decades ago, this anthem has evolved into a powerful force resonating with pastors, evangelists,? and devoted listeners—an unwavering call to boldly proclaim Read More

For our 25th anniversary in 2007 our children surprised their Daddy and me with new laptops.  My husband had wanted one for some time, but I hadn’t even dreamed of owning one myself.  Quickly the computer and I bonded.    This blog Steven created was a major factor in that.  Fast forward to the [...]

This week we conclude our Missions Conference 2009 with Rev. Steve Johnson, our missionary to Bolivia.

I apologize for the lack of updates this week; it has been a very busy week. Bro. Steve and I are working on some exciting new ideas for our website, of which I think you'll really like. We are hoping to have some of these upgrades in the coming week or two. Sunday school is just over 30 hours from now. I encourage you to attend the Sunday school hour; it is always such a blessing. See you then.

Steve’s parents wanted to do something special for our famiy, so they took us to see the play, In The Beginning, at Sight And Sound in Pennsylvania.  While waiting to go into the auditorium a little girl became interested in our grandaughter, Addison.  The little girl was precious and we allowed her to hold Addy [...]