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Articles by Dr. Michael A. Milton

3 Facts You Should Know about the Bible Belt

3 Facts You Should Know about the Bible Belt

January 27, 2020

There are certain phrases and words that make their way into the popular American lexicon almost by accident. One of those phrases is, "the Bible Belt." It is a verbal concept that is used repeatedly in the news, in classrooms, and particularly, in dialogue about Christianity and culture. Is the phrase, "the Bible Belt" a geographical location, a mindset, a dream, a fading reality, a badge of honor, or a pejorative comment? The answer is – yes. Yes, the phrase is all of those things. One of the reasons that we want to engage with this phrase is to be quite clear what we think about it as Christians.

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Do You Have to Be Baptized to Go to Heaven?

Do You Have to Be Baptized to Go to Heaven?

November 12, 2019

Heaven is not dependent upon the Sacraments of Baptism or, for that matter, the Lord’s Supper. But merely stating this leaves out a great deal of necessary discussion. For God commanded that a sign (His sign of distinction, of the entrance into the Family of God) of washing away of sin be instituted and practiced until the end of the world. So, it is not enough to say, “No, you don’t have to be baptized.” We must give attention to this vital matter. Hopefully, we will find not only clarity but conviction as well.
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What Is the Apocrypha and Can We Trust It?

What Is the Apocrypha and Can We Trust It?

August 4, 2019

There are plenty of variations, not only within Protestant, Orthodox, Roman Catholic communities but also within Bible editions. Indeed, the history of “what’s in” and “what’s out” with the Apocrypha is no small history. The tale of what constitutes the deuterocanonical books of the Holy Bible – and why – is a long, complicated, and often controversial subtext in Biblical history. But, to simplify, we will seek to describe and consider, mainly, those fourteen intertestamental books in the King James Bible (which followed the Geneva Bible of 1560): the " Books called Apocrypha." As the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church pronounced in characteristic British understatement, “ Their position [i.e., the Apocrypha] in Christian usage has been somewhat ambiguous.”
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What Does it Mean to "Walk in the Spirit?"

What Does it Mean to "Walk in the Spirit?"

July 27, 2019

To walk in the Spirit is to walk in new life in Jesus Christ. It is to walk away from the old life of bondage to any idea, person, system, or idea of salvation by religious ritual. As we will see, God’s signs and symbols were never meant to save, only to point to salvation by grace through God’s provision of a Messiah. The larger context for these commands involves a challenge to Christian living amongst believers in Galatia, a Roman Province populated by Gauls.

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What are the 10 Commandments and Are They Still Relevant for Today?

What are the 10 Commandments and Are They Still Relevant for Today?

May 31, 2019

Perhaps you have heard someone say that we live in the age of grace and the age of the law is now over, the 10 commandments in the Bible are no longer applicable to life today. Is that right? How does one reconcile this with the continuing commandments in the New Testament that speak to virtue, morality, and reflecting God’s goodness out of gratitude? Let's carefully study God's Word in the Bible to reveal to us the importance of the 10 commandments today.


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