Author Archives: Jay F Guin

About Jay F Guin

My name is Jay Guin, and I’m a retired elder. I wrote The Holy Spirit and Revolutionary Grace about 18 years ago. I’ve spoken at the Pepperdine, Lipscomb, ACU, Harding, and Tulsa lectureships and at ElderLink. My wife’s name is Denise, and I have four sons, Chris, Jonathan, Tyler, and Philip. I have two grandchildren. And I practice law.

The Story: The Law of Moses (and Grace of God), Part 2

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Jay F Guin

Heart obedience It has often been said that the Law of Moses was about external obedience whereas Christianity is about the heart. It’s just not true — and obviously so — (Deu 6:4-6 ESV) 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD … Continue reading →

Posted in The Story, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Surgery and Other Family News

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Jay F Guin

Jay’s surgery So I’m headed toward back surgery, scheduled for October 29. I’ll be out of commission for two to four weeks after that. Three years ago, I had the same surgery — an L5-S1 fusion — and it has … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 20 Comments

The Story: The Law of Moses (and Grace of God), Part 1

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Jay F Guin

The Law of Moses has a pretty bad reputation among Christians, mainly due to a misunderstanding of Paul on a few points, I think. And so today’s the day that we rehabilitate the Torah. First, “Torah” doesn’t so much mean … Continue reading →

Posted in The Story, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Deacons: Closing Argument

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Jay F Guin

I’m an elder, but I was a deacon before that, and for quite a long time — although I really can’t remember when I became a deacon. It was that long ago. I don’t disrespect deacons as such. I mean, … Continue reading →

Posted in Deacons, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Oops

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Jay F Guin

For reasons I cannot explain, WordPress posted an article I was in the middle of typing — dealing with academia and publishing. It was not finished. It was not 2% finished. Don’t bother reading. If I get it finished and if … Continue reading →

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Deacons: Why I Disagree with the Traditional Views, Part 5 (An Honorific Title? Deacons Without Jobs?)

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Jay F Guin

Continuing to consider our traditions with regard to deacons — 7. “Deacon” is an honorific title. By “honorific,” I mean a title that causes one to write home to mom. Or let me put it this way. Imagine an elders … Continue reading →

Posted in Deacons, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Deacons: Why I Disagree with the Traditional Views, Part 4 (Should We Have a Board of Deacons?)

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Jay F Guin

Continuing to consider our traditional understanding of the role of deacons … Tradition 6. The deacons should meet as a body. Well, if the deacons as a group oversee a specific ministry of the church, as in Acts 6, of … Continue reading →

Posted in Deacons, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Deacons: Why I Disagree with the Traditional Views, Part 3 (What Do Deacons Do?)

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Jay F Guin

We need to dig a little deeper into the text regarding the work of a deacon. Obviously, the work of the seven men in Jerusalem was very important. But it’s a peculiarly Western bias to imagine that important = management. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Deacons, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Deacons: Why I Disagree with the Traditional Views, Part 2 (No Deacons Without Elders? Ignoring the Acts 6 Qualifications?)

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Jay F Guin

I’m continuing to explain why I disagree with the traditional views regarding deacons. Traditional view 2: Scripturally organized churches have deacons, but only if they also have elders. It’s argued that if there are no elders, then the deacons become de … Continue reading →

Posted in Deacons | 10 Comments

Deacons: The Traditional View; Must a Church Have Deacons?

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Jay F Guin

[I’ll be returning both to “The Story” and “Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes.” But this has been on mind lately.] It’s long been taught in Churches of Christ that — 1. A church is not a true church unless it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Deacons | 31 Comments