Christians should always remember that the truthfulness and authority of the Bible are not based upon any authority external to the Bible itself. There is no external evidence required to “prove” the Bible’s truthfulness Tel Aviv University archaeologist Israel Finkelstein argues that the kingdom of David and Solomon is a greatly embellished biblical fiction. Jerusalem,... Continue Reading

Hopefully our divine calling from our Creator is enough to keep us motivated and passionate about the task to which we have been called. However, the combination of discouragement, harsh criticism, and watching our people suffer can act as a perfect storm that can deaden the desire of the most passionate and motivated of pastors.... Continue Reading

If you have come to know yourself to be a sinner as Paul did when he was Saul, you know it matters. But what we learn from Paul is that our past doesn’t have to matter. Paul himself is proof of that fact. During our election cycles in the U.S., we see a lot of... Continue Reading

Preaching may be much maligned in our day (e.g., consider the sermon being referred to as “pagan” in Frank Viola and George Barna’s Pagan Christianity). Consider, however, the statements of Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck in Why We Love the Church (p. 174): The sermon was not stolen from the pagans or inherited from the... Continue Reading

“This is a mission,” Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary provost Frank James added. “This isn’t just about demographics. This isn’t just about capturing a rising segment of the evangelical community. It’s about reaching out to everyone.” The Latino population in the U.S. is exploding but leaders say when it comes to college, their students are falling behind.... Continue Reading

Ultimately, this is a real problem for American Christianity. One should be able to trust Christian groups to provide accurate information and nuanced analysis. However, on issues relating to sexual orientation, I cannot trust them. Last week, the Southern Poverty Law Center posted a revision of their hate groups list, including the Family Research Council... Continue Reading

Headship and submission are God’s ordained order to achieve oneness in marriage and unity in the church. Whenever a woman inverts this order, she becomes a life-taker. Instead of nurturing a sense of place and family in her home and church, she sucks the life out of that relationship/situation. “Even to old age and gray... Continue Reading

Reverend Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, confesses to being an unlikely ‘folk hero in India’ on Twitter: Who knew (this would happen), he writes with rhetorical flourish, when he argued that yoga was inseparable from Hinduism? Reverend Mohler was reacting to the recent ‘Take Back Yoga’ launched by the Hindu American... Continue Reading

And thank you, that as we return to mom’s grave together again today, it will not be a day of grieving as those who have no hope, but as those with a living hope and an unspeakable joy. I treasure knowing dad and mom are with you. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O... Continue Reading

We should embrace the moments in our ministries where we must tackle the issues of sin that plague our people. It is part of the burden in our joyful call to shepherd God’s people and it is inevitable to face I recently came home late one night having spent a few hours counseling a couple... Continue Reading