Introverted Pastors, Part 2
Being an extrovert has also become the assumed, paradigmatic personality for our pastors and leaders.
Consequently, in place of “a learned, moral man, the ideal pastor became a creative, energy-bursting visionary that individuals could identify with and therefore would want to come to that church, bringing more and more individuals into participation with the offered programming.” The entrepreneurial pastor with the biggest, most attractive personality was rewarded with people in the... Continue Reading
Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Leaders
Time-tested practices to ensure complete and utter failure.
How not to lead: People need to be aware of their failures or they’ll never be able to change. So, keep an eye out for others’ missteps or mishaps and then leak the word to the rest of your employees or volunteers. Be specific and stern. Don’t give the person a chance to explain his... Continue Reading
Man in the Middle: The Best / Worst Day of David Dockery’s Life
“By God’s providence, I was in the right place at the right time for a lot of things… That’s the only way I can understand it.”
The tragic events of his family’s life in Birmingham helped Dockery see the urgent need for progress in race relations. After becoming dean, Dockery named the first two African-American faculty members in the School of Theology at SBTS. And during his two decades of presidency at Union, he hired more minority faculty, established a center for... Continue Reading
Forty Three Years Of Federal Vision Theology
Federal Vision theology is Norman Shepherd’s theology
“The controversy simmered below the surface until the late 90s, when he retired from the ministry and began speaking at conferences on covenant and justification, where he advanced the same views that he had argued in the first phase of the controversy. In 2000 he published The Call of Grace (see this review and response)... Continue Reading
Tim Keller Stepping Down as Redeemer Senior Pastor
The influential Reformed leader is moving away from his NYC pulpit as his church becomes three.
Keller, 66, announced at all eight Sunday services that he will be stepping down from the pulpit corresponding with a decades-long plan to transition the single Presbyterian Church in America congregation—which has grown to 5,000 members since it began 28 years ago—to three particular churches. Later this year, Redeemer Presbyterian will no longer be... Continue Reading
Indian Christian Couple Refusing To Deny Jesus Forced To Stand In Freezing Pond For 17 Hours
A 50-year-old Christian convert in India died after he and his wife were reportedly forced to stand in a freezing pond for 17 hours because of their faith.
Bartu Urawn, GCN reported, was attacked by villagers for the past three years because of his faith. It reached a boiling point last year, when a group abducted him and forced him to attend one of their tribal worship services. During the service, an animal was sacrificed and the villagers forced Bartu Urawn to eat... Continue Reading
Why Joel Osteen, “The Smiling Preacher,” Is So Darn Appealing
It’s hard to quantify charisma, but by any measure Joel Osteen has some pretty impressive stats
“By studying well-known charismatics and replicating their actions in the lab, Antonakis has identified a series of what he calls Charismatic Leadership Tactics (CLTs), which range from the use of metaphors and storytelling, to nonverbal methods of communication like open posture and animated gestures at key moments.” It’s hard to quantify charisma, but by... Continue Reading
Ye Of Brittle Faith
Why all the hysteria among atheist elites over this little book?
After the publication of the book, Religion News Service tweeted this misleading headline: “A controversial new book claims a dying Christopher Hitchens accepted God.” RNS subsequently retracted the headline, but it was too late. Christopher Hitchens’s agent, Steve Wasserman, vociferously denounced the book. On December 15, 2011, Christopher Hitchens died of esophageal cancer. Some... Continue Reading
Flipping Sides on Roe v Wade: Norma McCorvey’s Repentance
McCorvey was a changed woman. She renounced her former views on abortion and began to live out what she said.
There is hope for the pro-death doctors and lobbyists and misinformed women (who are at times as much a victim of Satan’s lies as their babies are of his knives). But that hope must start with the Holy Spirit’s intervention and the ensuing moment of clarity, which only God can grant. May Norma McCorvey rest in peace, the peace that can only come from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, which is ample grace to cover any sin.
Surprising Advice From Two Older Saints
I came across two pieces of advice this week from J.I. Packer and John Stott
“Packer also argues for the long view. We tend to be in a rush, but God isn’t in as much of a rush as we are. Learning to walk in God’s ways can take a lifetime. Packer also focuses on weakness. We tend to like strengths; God tends to use our weaknesses. When we embrace... Continue Reading
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