“I’m not certain what my expectations for ministry were as a rookie pastor, but it didn’t take me long to realize that prior to arriving on the battlefield that is the local church, I had unwittingly built a fictional church in my mind that was nothing like the congregation that now called me ‘pastor Jeff.’... Continue Reading

“I’d like to suggest that we are not color blind, we don’t need to be color blind, and we should strive to not be color blind. Instead, I’d like to suggest that we embrace being color smart.”   Can you imagine not being able to differentiate between reds versus greens or blues versus yellows? Or,... Continue Reading

“Dispensationalism teaches that God has at least two distinct peoples, namely, the Jewish Nation and the Christian Church. He has distinctly different purposes for them, and each of these two peoples is united to Him by various and diverse covenants.”   Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Changes in the Confession of Faith and... Continue Reading

“What is surprising is the way that even practicing Christians are beginning to conform to the beliefs and behaviors that are now considered normal in our culture,” said Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief at Barna. “The big story here is that people no longer agree when it comes to the purpose and meaning of sex – including... Continue Reading

But with dwindling reserves—the IMB now has enough cash for only two more years at its current rate of spending—expenses needed to be cut. In November, CT examined whether the situation spells the end of the full-time missionary. “The financial realities are clear,” Platt told CT at the time. “[I]n order to get to a... Continue Reading

“Lucas Cranach, the painter, offered a final memorial to his friend. That painting graces the altar in the Castle Church. In it Luther is preaching as a crowd listens on. Cranach painted Luther’s wife, Katie, into the picture. He also painted Luther’s daughter, Magdalena, who died when she was thirteen, into the picture. In between... Continue Reading

“Though the biblical mandate to care for widows should be sufficient motive for our churches, consider some of the struggles widows experience. These seven factoids should give you at least a glimpse of the need for ministries to widows in your church.”   This verse in Scripture cannot be more compelling or clearer: “Pure and... Continue Reading

“As our nation changes, as we become more and more secular, candidates begin to reflect this reality. For the first time in living memory, we’re facing a diversity of beliefs represented among the candidates running for president.”   As Americans, we are blessed with the privilege and responsibility to choose our leaders from among ourselves.... Continue Reading

It might be objected that orthodox bishops were forced into these geographical locales by higher ecclesiastical powers bent on imposing their agenda on others. The problem with this suggestion is that there were no “higher ecclesiastical powers” during this time period.   A number of my recent posts (e.g., see here) have been dealing with... Continue Reading

“NASA JSC’s censoring of the club’s religious viewpoint is a violation of federal law and the First Amendment,” stated the demand letter. “Any assertions by NASA JSC that allowing the JSC Praise and Worship Club to use the name ‘Jesus’ in the club’s advertisements violates the Establishment Clause have been repeatedly rejected by the Supreme... Continue Reading