Criticism can be difficult especially when it’s targeted at something you’ve poured your heart and soul into with fervent prayer. No, not every criticism is valid but, of course, neither is every one hollow. As C.H. Spurgeon wrote, a preacher needs to have “one blind eye and one deaf ear.” To sum it all up... Continue Reading

Douville isn’t the only Calvary Chapel pastor who has weighed the cost of staying in an organization that has shifted from its original mission into unbiblical waters. Many CC pastors have come the same conclusion, saying they feel they can no longer in good conscience be under the same doctrinal and fellowship umbrella as the... Continue Reading

“I love pastors. I love rookie pastors. As I have worked with hundreds of rookie pastors over the years, I see a pattern of mistakes many of them make. I pray my highlighting of these eight common mistakes will be helpful to some of you.”   I met one of the most stupid rookie pastors... Continue Reading

By 2030 “China will almost certainly have the most evangelical Christians,” he said, “and that will greatly shape the global evangelical Church in the coming years. That said, Pennington emphasized that there are still many needs in China, especially in areas like discipleship, cross-cultural outreach and ministering to children and youth.”   Despite the increasing... Continue Reading

During the early church, errors flourished. Errors existed over large matters such as the deity and incarnation of Christ (Colossians) and justification by faith alone in Christ alone (Galatians). People struggled with other errors. Did God’s people miss the resurrection of the righteous (2 Tim. 2:18)? Will dead Christians miss Christ’s return (1 Thess. 4:13-18)?... Continue Reading

That a formal United Methodist schism, forcing thousands of local congregations effectively to choose sides, would be chaotic and destructive does not of course mean it won’t happen.  And maybe, from the perspective of purity, such division must happen, before there can be renewal and new life, some firmly believe. But whatever happens, United Methodist... Continue Reading

“Big churches are fond of saying ‘every number is a person’, which is true. But when the crowd gets huge, sometimes people feel like numbers. In a healthy church, every person is a person, not a number.”   Small churches receive a lot from our megachurch friends. We read their books, sing their songs, use... Continue Reading

Last week in Milwaukee ,the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s triennial convention passed a resolution, by a 946-89 vote, committing to support “those who have a religious and moral objection to women participating in the selective service system and being subject to a possible draft.” The text of the final resolution built on proposals by more than... Continue Reading

“The Christian population was as many as 1.4 million in Iraq back in 2003 during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, but that number has dwindled since. In October 2015, Aid to the Church in Need said that only 300,000 Christians were left, but MRG says that number is now down further to somewhere between 50,000 to... Continue Reading

For many liberal United Methodists, LGBTQ affirmation is the primary justice cause of the day demanding church affirmation. Political social justice advocacy has been a theme of liberal Methodism and much of Mainline Protestantism since early in the 20th century, with a presumed univeralism/syncretism that doesn’t prioritize evangelism or discipleship. Instead, the church’s primary calling... Continue Reading