“One of the most dramatic episodes Mark Tooley captures is the news of the earlier than expected arrival of the President-elect in the Willard Hotel. The news is brought in a message to one of Virginia’s leading delegates, James Seddon. Seddon will soon find service in Richmond as the Confederacy’s Secretary of War.”   Thucydides... Continue Reading

“Let me offer six mistakes to avoid when preaching the story of Jesus’s birth. My concern is to help you proclaim, in the power of the Spirit, the birth narratives in a way that raises your listeners’ love and affection (and yours) for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. “   For preachers, the Advent... Continue Reading

“This is a fundamental shift in strategy,” said John Fea, a history professor at Christian Messiah College, who is nevertheless skeptical the effort will produce the desired results. “Rather than forcing this from the top down, this is about a grassroots approach to changing the culture by embedding ministers in local politics from the ground... Continue Reading

“In many ways, I see 2016 as a pivotal year for thousands of congregations. Unfortunately, many church leaders and church members will elect not to change anything. Those congregations will be among the 100,000 rapidly declining churches.”   In my previous post, I shared trends 1 to 8. Today, I conclude with trends 9 to... Continue Reading

“After going through the correct process of discernment, voting and obtaining enough yes votes to leave the PC (U.S.A.) the session of Journey Church in Folsom received an e-mail with an attachment telling us that the church buildings and name would be given to those who voted against leaving.”   We live in a time... Continue Reading

“Perhaps nowhere was this irrepressible triumph of sovereign grace more clearly seen than in the dark days of the wilderness experience of Israel under the leadership of Moses. In the desert, Israel was confronted with many difficulties and challenges. In most of these tests, she failed miserably.”   Unhindered by man and unrestricted by Satan,... Continue Reading

“Because in the same way that jihadist militant groups take advantage of the ungoverned and bombed out spaces of cities and towns wracked by civil war, so they smell opportunity in what they see as societies whose values and core unifying beliefs have been hollowed-out or are contested.”   Britain’s increasing secularism is driving young... Continue Reading

“Many favor a date in or around 4BC, and for the sake of argument, let us take that as accurate. If so, the birth occurred during or near a truly dreadful time in the history of what was already a troubled and turbulent land. Although these events are familiar to scholars, they are not at... Continue Reading

“While the ordinary (usual) means may appear ordinary (boring), they are actually extraordinary. That is to say, they are the primary and usual ways in which God has promised to do what man, by his innovative ways, is always attempting to do. Man’s attempts to worship God and be satisfied in Him by human means are actually unsuccessful... Continue Reading

“Since the meaning of the Bible is vitally important to our faith and life, we will here briefly define a few key terms that relate to the doctrine of Scripture.”   The doctrine of Scripture is foundational to the Christain faith. But there is more to say about Scripture than simply, “The Bible says it.... Continue Reading