No Exams on Wiccan, Pagan Holidays at University of Missouri?
University Guide advises on scheduling around Samhain and Krishna's birthday
Students at University of Missouri don’t need to cram for exams that fall on Wiccan and Pagan holidays, now that the school has put them on par with Christmas, Thanksgiving and Hanukah. The university’s latest “Guide to Religions: Major Holidays and Suggested Accommodations” — designed to help faculty know when and when not to schedule... Continue Reading
Collision Avoidance Systems
When it comes to the gospel, some conflicts are worth having
Paul might turned a blind eye. It’s sure that many leaders today would have been able to find a way to counsel Paul not to confront Peter. After all, what sort of example would it be for two apostles to disagree so strongly? It would be confusing to the sheep. Arguably, it might set back... Continue Reading
America’s Looming Demographic Disaster
Our world is not overpopulated; we are vastly under-populated, and it’s a problem
“Our world is overpopulated.” If you repeat something often enough, it becomes “truth”. In 1968, Paul Ehrlich wrote The Population Bomb, warning that we’d all soon be fighting over food, space, and power as the earth sagged under the weight of all those darned people. He was wrong, of course, and not just wrong: spectacularly... Continue Reading
The Senior Adult Dilemma, Part 1
No amount of longing for a bygone era will cause it to return. Nostalgia is not a spiritual gift.
The senior adult dilemma is not universal in churches, but it is widespread enough to cause heartburn for many a leader. From changing Sunday School meeting rooms, to changing musical styles, to changing service times, it seems anything–no matter how trivial–can start waves of complaints. Not only is this grievous to watch, it is difficult... Continue Reading
Profiles In Fundamentalist Education
Scenes from a Christian School
From second through ninth grades I was a student at a school founded by graduates of Bob Jones University who came to my home town originally as Child Evangelism workers. With a little humor and a little pain I now refer to my school as The Big House and my leaving after ninth grade (no... Continue Reading
Repairing the Damage Done
Does time heal the wounds that broken trust inflicts?
But what happens when trust doesn’t work out so nicely, when someone breaks it? No longer is it such an easy thing to overlook. In any relationship, given time, one person will inevitably break another’s trust. When this happens can we assume that if we wait it will come back or that the relationship will... Continue Reading
More Meddling with the Military and Muddying the Constitution
President Orders Benefits to Same Sex Couples at DOD
Should we just disregard yet another attack on the military by an intrusive and constitutionally schizophrenic administration? For all of this deciphering, training, and amending of orders is not to defeat a ruthless enemy bent on destroying us (and there is Iran and North Korea…). All of the new activity at the Pentagon is to... Continue Reading
5 Things Every Daughter Needs to Hear From Her Dad
There is something about having a daughter that softens a man, adds a certain tenderness to his soul
Whatever you do, don’t let your daughter consume the poison of the culture which measures a woman’s worth by her independence, by her ability to give away freely her purity. Don’t for a moment let her swallow the lie that sexual license is anything but a bondage of the worst kind, the enemy’s way of... Continue Reading
The Seminary Bubble
School loans, uncertain futures, and poor preparation for the realities of pastoring
I’ve known scores of seminary students. Many have the natural leadership gifts to be pastors, but many do not. I’ve seen the ones who do not jumping through the bureaucratic hoops with a wife and children in tether, sacrifices made, poverty borne with grace, and then heartbreak. No pulpit, no job, except maybe a church... Continue Reading
How Can I Tell If I’m Called to Pastoral Ministry?
Do I still want to be a pastor if I never write a book, never speak at a conference, and never have a big church?
I’ve been asked the question many times, and I’m not sure I agree with it. The question often assumes that pastors, unique among all the vocations of the world, will (and sometimes must) have a powerful, divine, subjective call to ministry that overwhelmingly points them in their God-ordained direction. I don’t see support for that... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 945
- 946
- 947
- 948
- 949
- …
- 1246
- Next Page »