Christian Colleges Face the Demographic Cliff
How should Christian families, churches, and philanthropists react?
Christian families and philanthropists should demand that Christian colleges have a clear reason for their existence. In other words, they must be recognizably Christian and more in tune with Christian orthodoxy than the shifting contours of American culture. In higher education, the demographic cliff of 2026 has been in the front windshield for a... Continue Reading
The Role and Responsibility of Spiritual Leaders
It is no light task to become a pastor. It is a high privilege and calling.
Pastors are men gifted by God and given to the church for the teaching and care of His very own flock, and they must approach their task with high regard and a holy life worth imitating. Only God can give pastors the grace to lead faithfully, but He can and has now for thousands of... Continue Reading
Contemplation Upon a Most Ridiculous Comment: Or, Where An Obsession with a Comprehensive Protestant Social View Sometimes Leads
Is this a good idea? “To help prevent tragedies like this [attempted assassinations] in the future the USA must immediately implement mandatory weight training for all school boys five days per week.”
Then too, it seems doubtful whether that is a reliable theory of the relation of one’s physical activities to one’s propensity for political violence. Maybe the challenge of weightlifting would have been an outlet for the young man’s anger and aggression, sure; but maybe it would have just made him a bulkier attempted assassin. ... Continue Reading
Davenant Hypothetical Universalism Even Denies Its Own Claim of Efficacy for the Elect
HU entails a non-Reformed view of the extent of the fall while implicitly affirming a doctrine of resistible grace.
[Hypothetical Universalism] betrays not just a few but several core features of Reformed soteriology, and cannot make good on its own claim upon the efficacy of Christ’s death for the elect. But why should that be surprising given the intricate nature and interdependence of Reformed Christian doctrines? An entailment of the Reformed doctrine of... Continue Reading
From Dragons to Disciples: What Lewis and Tolkien Teach Us about Making Disciples
The more we encourage and provide opportunities for our children to contribute to the community God has placed them in, the more we teach them to seek the kingdom of God (by our word and deed).
It may seem odd to call a catastrophe good, but Tolkien argues that “the eucatasrophic tale is the true form of fairy-tale, and its highest function.” In the Gospels, Tolkien writes, we find “the greatest and most complete conceivable eucatastrophe.” There is no greater tragedy than the unjust execution of the Son of God and... Continue Reading
Gay Nazarenes Article Corrected
During Pride Month I wrote “Gay Nazarenes” about a book with the intriguing title “Why the Church of the Nazarene Should be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming.” This is a correction.
Word has just emerged that the Nazarene denomination has taken a bold stand against free sex. A Church of the Nazarene court has found Thomas Jay Oord guilty of affirming and advocating for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members, contrary to the church’s teachings. The church stated in part, “The Church of the Nazarene holds that... Continue Reading
What Is Positive Church Discipline?
To be subject to discipline is simply to be a disciple, and church membership is a disciple’s proper desire for instruction and guidance in its fullest sense.
That discipline is a privilege does not mean that it is always enjoyable. It is often unpleasant. The wilderness wandering of Israel was a period of forty difficult (though not wasted) years. This time of testing and humbling was the “way of the wilderness” (Ex. 13:18). Moses describes it in Deuteronomy 8, saying in effect:... Continue Reading
A Biblical Precedent for Dissent
In a time of increasing polarization and secularization of campus politics, Christian higher education is positioned to benefit from the rich resources that its faith tradition offers in the form of its holy text.
The Bible highlights a wide variety of (often disruptive and disobedient) activities that it describes without censure. The implication for student life staff and college administrators, then, might be to help channel students’ energies for dissent in positive directions that align with the biblical witness rather than to be quick to quash dissenting activity, even... Continue Reading
3 Things You Should Know about 1 Peter
Christians are not called to a bed of ease, but to a life of “obedience” (1 Peter 1:2).
Remembering that we serve Christ as our Master will help us make the right choices and choose the right words when we find ourselves in the war zone. In 1 Peter 4:12–19, Peter focuses on the trials that Christians might face, urging his readers to “not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes... Continue Reading
The Death of My Son Awakened Me to the Reality of Heaven
When we are saved, we now live in the heavenly realm. We are now citizens of heaven.
I like to say that I made a friend, and my friend was the apostle Paul. I started reading Paul’s letters and started to see how Paul integrates things of eternity into every aspect of the Christian life. Not just, “This is what happens when you die,” but, “This is why you repent from sin,... Continue Reading
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