On Being Inclusive (And Other Foolish Nostrums)
Why we must not be inclusive of inclusion:
The worst sort of “inclusion” that the religious leftists are pushing has to do with salvation. They claim that God loves everyone, accepts everyone, rejects no one, and therefore all people are – or will be – saved. There is no hell, there is no wrath of God, and there is no narrow road to... Continue Reading
A New Kind of Biblical Hero
We weren’t made for leper colonies or fantasy worlds. We were made for reality. Even if at times painful.
“They are always going to reject you….eventually.” This is the message my shame tells me. I’m fighting against that message these days. I’m trying to believe the gospel enough to pursue unguarded relationships with others. I’m trying to trust in Jesus enough to be authentic; authentic with others, myself, and ultimately with Him. The leper... Continue Reading
Loyalty Matters: The Misunderstood Virtue
Blind loyalty is no true loyalty at all. In fact, a friend who offers up blind loyalty is not offering a gift, but a poison pill.
Any healthy organization rightly expects that its members will be completely loyal to the mission. Far more important than blind devotion to any individual or a tribal fanaticism, mission-driven loyalty actually has the capacity to create cohesive organizational cultures where innovation happens, ideas move toward execution, and people flourish. Ironically, mission-driven loyalty creates space for... Continue Reading
Salvation Belongs to the Lord
No one is immune to brushing past the dust covered diamond of salvation.
How can we bury something so precious as salvation under the dust of jargon? God teaches Jonah a lesson he will never forget. Salvation, all the glory of being rescued by God—through Jesus’s atoning sacrifice and rescued to God—is a gift he graciously gives. The check is in his name and the rewards come to... Continue Reading
Dear Twitter, I’m Leaving You for My Wife
The worst part of Twitter might actually be the whole pig—the head, the body, the arms, the legs, the snout, the curly tail, and not just the underbelly.
I know that I am culpable for my Twitter feed. The specifics of all the social media algorithms may remain opaque, but the principle is readily known: the more you click, the more you get. And I certainly got. For every doofus Twitter comment I clicked, I got ten more comments in my feed. My... Continue Reading
Some Lose God While Serving God, A Subtle Danger in Christian Ministry
One of the most frightening — Lewis calls it “the subtlest of all snares” — is the temptation to mistake a means for the end.
Abstract truth tends to remain on the surface. Real transformation comes when we get concrete and personal. And I’m no artist, real or otherwise. But I am a teacher and a preacher. And I love to teach and preach. And reading Lewis on the danger of mistaking the means for the end challenges me precisely at this... Continue Reading
Standing at the Abyss: Reclaiming Civilisation
How are we to respond to the full-blown assault on our culture?
Sure, as a Christian I realise that at the end of the day cultures will come and go, nations will rise and fall, and societies will only thrive temporarily. As C. S. Lewis said about the dignity of the individual as made in the image of God: “There are no ‘ordinary’ people. You have never... Continue Reading
Keep Your Head
Don’t be shocked and don’t be thrown, be sober minded, keep your head in the midst of that.
It isn’t always the case that the fears of a crisis are unfounded. Just occasionally it is as bad as you fear, but still Paul’s advice holds firm: Keep your Head. There are challenging and fearful times in ministry and church life, but rarely is an instant reaction the right reaction. Quick decisions are often bad... Continue Reading
Who Can Stop the Lord Almighty?
Who can stop the bride of the Lord Almighty? She has been given a task.
Her bridegroom has been given all authority. Not most. All. As we go through the good works set before us (Ephesians 2:10) let’s keep this in mind. We are part of an unstoppable kingdom. To approach the tasks that our Lord has ordained for us as tasks that are doomed to fail is to have... Continue Reading
The Kingdom of God Conquors Racism
We have a hope that transcends social policies. We have the gospel.
In these days of division, our earthly kingdom seems to be splintered beyond repair. We should long for unity and reconciliation. We should long for a kingdom with no tears from the pains and consequences of partiality. We should long for the eternal joy and equality we were created for. But most importantly, we should... Continue Reading
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