“In urban communities, there are also many indigenous fathers and stepfathers who have been there for their kids from the first day, and there are many hardworking men who own small businesses and love to work. Despite the reputation of murder, crime, and extreme selfishness, there are many men in urban communities who maintain a... Continue Reading

“In 1522, Bullinger returned home to Bremgarten a new man. He continued his persistent study of Scripture along with his reading of the Church Fathers, Luther, and Melanchthon. The next year, he became the head teacher of the school at the Cistercian convent at Kappel. From 1523 to 1529, he instructed the monks from the... Continue Reading

“Few figures in church history have been so much loved or hated, admired or despised as John Calvin. Calvinism—the theological orientation bearing the French theologian’s name—has also had mixed reception. Reformed theologian Oliver Crisp, professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, says Calvinism and the Reformed tradition is more diverse and amiable than is... Continue Reading

“For decades China’s house churches tended to despise denominations but that has been changing rapidly as they face the need for institutional structure and better church practices in order to support the work of the ministry–defending the faith, practicing discipline, training up the children, ordaining ministers, sending out missionaries, and so on. Interestingly, their quest... Continue Reading

“I want to introduce you to the American jeremiad. That’s the term scholars have given to what one has called “a mainstream and deeply American way of thinking about the nation’s past, present, and future.”[1] The term comes from the prophet Jeremiah, who catalogued Israel’s fall from fidelity and warned of the horrible judgments to... Continue Reading

“I was raised to revere missionaries and support them. Over the years, many of my friends in the medical profession have given their time and talents to missionary hospitals around the globe. It never occurred to me that someone might consider medical missionaries to be pressuring “their patients, at moments of maximum vulnerability and desperation,... Continue Reading

“Reformed theology reorients the believer to a God-centered view of reality. As Michael Horton writes, “God is not a supporting actor in our life movie. We exist for his purposes, not the other way around.” The end purpose of human life is to glorify God. The reason this isn’t bleak for us is that God is glorified... Continue Reading

“Sometimes we forget why we are ‘The Church’ in the first place. Sometimes we treat the church like all the other things we consume daily in our lives, and so we try to shape and form the church in our own image. We want a church that meets our preferences, like personalized settings on our... Continue Reading

“In short, the prophetic Word is the Word of God. More precisely, the words of Scripture are the product of the Holy Spirit. And herein lies the critical point. Scripture is to be trusted because of its Author. To speak of the Word of God is to speak of the Spirit’s product, and the Spirit... Continue Reading

“Christians are called to  “have the ministry of reconciliation,” Jernigan stated during the post-screening discussion. Yet Jernigan draws the line at allowing a homosexual cousin to bring his partner to the Jernigan home in order to protect his family. A “real possibility” cited by Jernigan in Sing over Me, meanwhile, is that “hate speech” accusations will come... Continue Reading