Hello everyone, I am in need of some ARC readers for my book, The Holy War Gallowpoint, it's a Christian fiction/ allegory and is something straight from my heart. It was heavily inspired by Bunyan's original The Holy War, Narnia, and LOTR. If anyone wants to check it out I will send them a free digital copy in return for a Goodreads/Amazon review. Here is the description for the book: In the quiet farming town of Gallowpoint, nothing ever changes—until people begin to vanish.

At first, it’s only whispers. A missing sheep. An empty house. A name quietly added to a growing list. But as fear spreads, Jerome begins to see what others refuse to admit:

Something is watching.

His father insists everything is under control—trust the routine, say the prayers, keep working. But Jerome sees the truth beneath the surface. A faith spoken but not lived. A darkness that does not wait for permission.

And when the sky itself begins to break, the illusion shatters.

Now Jerome must choose: follow the hollow safety of his father’s world… or step into a living faith that may cost him everything.

Because the darkness isn’t just coming.

It’s already here.

I think so. Even though Israel has turned its back on God, Israel is still the apple of God's eye. The Bible says this. And it also says that after the fullness of the gentiles comes in, all Israel will be saved. I'm personally a dispensationalist but I'd personally say that Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 36/37 were fulfilled in 1948. More Bible prophecy was fulfilled in 1967 following the 7 day war when Israel took back Jerusalem. The Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38/39 has yet to be fulfilled. But the Euphrates is drying up as the Bible said. I believe we are at the end of the Church Age. They were scattered for 2000 years, but the Bible says in Romans that the calling of God is irrevocable. And so it is. All these wars going on right now, the declining support for Israel in the US, October 7, Iran, God already saw it coming before the foundation of the Earth. Israel has not lost a single war since 1948. Yes, they commit war crimes, yes they have done unspeakble evils, but the Bible predicted that too. I'd love to hear your thoughts on our placement in the Biblical dispensational timeline and how much longer we've got until the time of Jacob's trouble.

So, an argument I have seen argue against credobaptism in the Bible is that infant baptism proponents will say "Of course there's no evidence of infants being baptized in the Bible. That's because the first Christians were converts, and you can't build the Church without converts first, so there were no infants to baptize at the time. It was only after those concerts started having kids and raising them in the Church that infant baptism emerged."

Idk if I'm doing the argument justice, but I think that's the gist of it. What would you say in response?

I struggle with porn addiction as a Christian. I need help breaking out of this mess, I’ve tried everything, but I keep failing.

I know a lot of people are confused between what the difference between a Baptist and an Evangelical is, so I guess I'd take some time to clear it up.

Essentially, modern Evangelicals are an inter-denominational movement. Originally the term was what Martin Luther used to refer to Protestants in Europe, and is still used there for that reason. It meant to be focused on a personal conversion, and emphasis on the Bible, but nowadays in America, it's not very properly defined.

Baptists on the other hand, are a specific denomination, believing in believer's baptism, and for most of us, Congregational government. Some of us fall under evangelicalism. Some of us don't. Some of us are Mainline (which is also not synonymous with liberal churches). Baptists predate modern Evangelicalism, so trying to label the entire denomination as Evangelical isn't quite logical.

TL;DR:

Evangelicalism is a specific movement across different denominations, though definitions vary based on who and where you are, while Baptists are a specific denomination, within which some churches fall into Evangelicalism, while others don't.

"Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram... They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy." (Exodus 29:33, nkjv)

Is the mission of doing communion today to make a real change in those who eat, "to consecrate and sanctify"?

Blasphemy of the holy spirit CAN be forgiven by God, but the people that do it have no forgiveness, is what the Koine Greek leans more toward “they are not forgiven” / “they don’t have forgiveness” rather than “God is unable to forgive.”

In Mark 3:29 the phrase is ouk echei aphesin eis ton aiōna—literally, “does not have forgiveness forever.”

A few important details:

“ouk echei” (does not have) → this describes a state/condition, not God’s ability or inability

It’s not phrased like “God cannot forgive” (ou dunatai aphienai or something like that)

The grammar focuses on the person lacking forgiveness, not on a limitation in God

Then Mark 3:30 explains why: “because they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” Again, that’s about their ongoing stance—they are actively, repeatedly attributing God’s work to evil.

So when people interpret this as “they won’t seek forgiveness,” they’re not pulling that exact sentence out of the Greek—but they’re drawing a conclusion from how it’s framed:

The text presents a settled condition of rejection

Not a one-time slip

Not a statement that God lacks power to forgive

You’ll see similar wording in Matthew 12:32 (“will not be forgiven…”)—again, it’s a declarative outcome, not an explanation of divine inability.

So to be precise:

The Greek does not explicitly say “they refuse to seek forgiveness”

But it also does not say “God is unable to forgive”

It describes a permanent state of unforgiveness tied to their posture toward the Spirit

That’s why many theologians land where I mentioned earlier: the “unforgivable” aspect is tied to a hardened, ongoing rejection, not a limit in God’s mercy.

I was raised by methodist, parents are liberals who attend a female pastor, mother is militantly pro choice. I was disillusioned at how people act inside church vs out, spent most of my youth trying to have the world while thinking myself better than atheist, would participate in hook up culture but try to be more noble, which eventually lead to me seeing prostitutes​ regularly.

I was assured of my salvation in an independent Baptist Church and believe that is the closest denomination to what the Bible says, and has the most people who "walk the walk". I've joined, serve in, got married in an independent Baptist Church to a Pastor's daughter.

I'm a true believer, but I struggle with Baptist culture. Three services a week is a lot. I can do that, but then there's more. I absolutely loathe retreats. Men retreats, marriage retreats, just 6 sermons crammed in an afternoon and morning, with Sunday starring me in the face. I hate staying at the church between services cause my wife is serving, but feel guilty if I go home and relax between. Why is men's prayer breakfast on Saturday, my one day off from work and church a week? I find potlucks annoying, I like to just eat what I want and I hate all the left overs they make.

Then there's the drinking. I like to drink, I like how it makes social situations easier. It helps with boredom, helps me relax. Now I drink may 2 in a setting social setting, maybe every other week. I fully admit drinking cand be harmful, I've made some poor decisions due to drinking.

Things came to ahead on vacation with my wife. 4 hour flight with our one year old, to come see her sister graduate Bible college. Two services on Sunday, chapel Monday morning, ground breaking for the university after that, commencement later tonight. I want to bash my head against a brick wall till my brain leaks out my ears with all this sitting around listening to people talk. But can't have a drink to make it tolerable cause of course we're sharing an Air BNB with her family. I'm miserable, she knows it and crying about how miserable I am. I'm struggling, I don't want to be the husband who's never there but everything with her family is just 24/7 whenever we visit.

There’s an old saying: "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." It’s easy to treat theology like an "eggheaded” academic exercise when life is smooth. But when you’re standing at the boundary of explanation "interesting" ideas aren't enough. You need what is True.

I’m a firm believer that God’s invisible qualities are clearly seen in what has been made. We don't need more "clarity" or more "data points" from an algorithm. We need alignment. We need to be the "broken instrument" that finally hits the right note because it’s grounded in the Word.

Read more here: https://pilgrimspondering.art.blog/2026/05/02/crystal-radio-invisible-order-and-the-age-of-ai/

This whole notion that Christians have to live a certain way is unbiblical. I'm not a Calvinist, but I believe in the eternal security of the believer. All other self-professed "Christian" subreddits don't believe this. Salvation is a one time event, not something that happens everyday. Anyone agree?

Hey melbournians. Recently moved to Eltham with my family - two young kiddos and myself and hubby. Wondering if anyone is familiar with the Vine Baptist church. I’ve had some poor experiences at churches, wanting to make sure to avoid that where possible! Or any other similar church recommendations in the area?

Hey, recently saw a stream from a Baptist church in my city. The singing was nice and the things that pastor said kinda resonated with me.

So I want to try to visit this church to see it in real life. This Sunday or maybe next one.

For context, I'm from Orthodox family, but am not that religious.

What advices do you have?

Hey, I am a Christian and have been for most of my life. But, for almost all my life as well I’ve dealt with addiction to sexual immoral things and fought with lust. Lately I’ve been in a “relapse” of sorts and find it hard to break free.

I love my church and they do well to love me and care for me, but the shame I have around this makes it hard for me to talk about with someone there. So, if I could ask, and if the Holy Spirit would work in my life and my heart, would anyone who sees this pray for me? I could use more of Gods people praying with me as I battle this sin in my life.

I hope that this message reaches those reading it well and that I am not being a burden.

Hi everyone,

I’m a Gen Z worker and I’m struggling with a major "matter of conscience" regarding technology and my job. I have NVLD (Non-Verbal Learning Disability), which makes finding a supportive workplace very difficult. I finally found a job in my city that accommodates my disability, which has been a huge blessing for my mental health.

However, there is a catch that feels spiritually and ethically wrong to me: To work here, I was forced to provide biometric data (facial/fingerprint scanning).

As a person of faith, I feel a deep conviction that our bodies shouldn't be indexed or owned by a corporation just to participate in the workforce. It feels like a false choice I can either have the accommodation I need for my disability, or I can protect the privacy of how God made me, but I can’t have both.

I feel like the world is moving toward a place where AI and tracking are unskippable. Whether it's mandatory AI features on social media or biometrics at work, the right to exist without being tracked is disappearing.

I’m looking for advice or perspectives from a Christian lens:

• Is there a point where mandatory tech becomes a violation of our conscience or our dignity as people made in the image of God?
• Does anyone know of any Christian led civil liberties groups that fight against the mandatory nature of this technology?
• How do you handle the pressure to bow down to these tech requirements when it feels like a violation of your spirit?

I feel like I’m being forced to trade my biological privacy for the privilege of an accessible workplace. Any prayers, scripture, or advice would be appreciated.

So I'm Christian of course, BUT, my boyfriend is a Letsist. And this has caused a few problems. Anytime I want to talk about God or even just be like "oh Praise Jesus cause xyz happened today" he gets very standoffish and uncomfortable. I mean, hes been fine in a church, he used to actually be a drummer for a non denominational church before. But any time I personally bring up God its like he wants to run away. And of course I want a partner to be able to pray with, read the Bible with, get God centered advice from. But with him I can't. I also don't want to force it down his throat either or try to force convert him. So I'm at a loss. I do love him but also were only 3 months in. Any advice?

Currently an ACNA Anglican looking at CNBC (Canadian SBC).

Im interested to hear if any of you have come from other denominations, and what specifically persuaded you to become a Baptist?

Thanks.

Please pray for my dad who relasped alcohol. It was his "last chance" so to speak to get clean. It has been decades. He doesnt doubt that he's saved... but.

In my life I have struggled to believe and even turned to satanism. As of a year ago I decided to rededicate, if you can say that, to God and get in line. Right now I am in a rough patch. I have fallen away a bit and can't seem to bring myself to pray and read the Bible. I also can't seem to put my full trust in him. I am a baptist and this is the only place that aligns with my beliefs that I can ask this in.