“Once upon a time that was very effective in our country. Those days are long gone. But unfortunately, church leaders still want to leverage ‘the Bible says,’ which is great for people who take the Bible seriously,” said Stanley. “It’s not my audience. … I’m trying to recapture the imagination of people, adults and students... Continue Reading

More than half (54 percent) of U.S. churchgoing Protestants surveyed said they would seriously consider finding a new church if their current one changed its doctrine. This exceeded even the share of churchgoers saying they would switch places of worship if they moved to a new residence (48 percent).   Churchgoers may complain about changes... Continue Reading

California Congresswoman Maxine Waters is urging the public, “If you see anybody from that [Trump] Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”   Many years ago, I stood... Continue Reading

Beauty reveals itself somewhere between the opposing forces of darkness and light, major and minor, protagonist and antagonist. Beauty can be appreciated often when seen in contrast with its counterpart — depravity. The honest painter, musician, or writer, gripped by the contrast between good and evil, is unafraid to portray both. In fact, the struggle... Continue Reading

Shame identifies that we are unacceptable. Dirty and disgraced. Sent away. Distanced from people and God’s promises. We notice that life can feel more like death. We become unacceptable because of our own sin; we also become unacceptable because of our association with things connected with death such as weakness, disease, and the sins of... Continue Reading

Peter called the crowd to repentance, promising “that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth... Continue Reading

The artists object to the MESSAGE being sent, not the person. They have routinely served gay people. But they do not want to endorse a message that is sinful or violates their religious convictions. These merchants (bakers, florists, photographers) were often targeted by gay couples who knew they could find services at a dozen other... Continue Reading

On the one hand we must not fall into the trap of thinking that Jesus merely came to set an example for us to follow. And on the other hand, we must not believe that we don’t have to follow his example. These two errors are sometimes referred to as theological liberalism or moralism and... Continue Reading

Almost ten months later, I watched a show on television where a woman described her experience with postpartum depression and with tears streaming down my face, I whispered aloud, “That’s me.” I called my doctor the next day. Depression is insidious like that. It hides itself behind circumstances and experiences. It can mask itself as... Continue Reading

Is the song centered on Christ and the gospel? Is it focused on God or focused on the self? Does it celebrate and magnify the Triune God as revealed in Scripture? Is it vague, or specific and clear? Is it light on sin? These questions, and many others, are of upmost importance.   I recently... Continue Reading