“2 out of 3 Americans confess to being a sinner (67%), according to LifeWay Research/ The rest don’t see themselves as sinners (8%), don’t think sin exists (10%), or preferred not to answer the question (15%). While a few of the self-confessed sinners don’t mind being one (5%), most say they are either working on... Continue Reading

“Clearly, the Apostle’s Creed was an expression of truth meant to combat a particular heresy. But like all good creeds it unites the church in any generation around Biblical truth. So, in this series we are going to look at a valuable and enriching statement of the Christian Faith and we will do it line... Continue Reading

“The Lord’s Supper is spiritual nourishment promised by the sign of bread and wine and realized by the Holy Spirit. If this empowering is the work of the Holy Spirit, it must also be said that the Spirit works through faith. In other words, this empowering comes through believing the Gospel, both as it is... Continue Reading

“To think that the message of grace and the call of repentance are opposed to one another is to miss the beautiful, grace-filled nature of what repentance actually is. The call to repent is one of greatest expressions of the love of God.”   “We’re losing the nerve to call people to repentance.” That’s what... Continue Reading

“It is helpful to understand why churches resist change. I want to look at some of the things that lead to crisis, understanding that if the signs are recognized early enough, it may not come to drastic measures.”   Leading a church into revitalization is a daunting task. It takes much prayer, grace, and strength.... Continue Reading

Regarding the afterlife, Hawking declared in 2011, “I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”   Famed British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking died today. Interestingly, Albert Einstein was... Continue Reading

“How might reform begin? In the home, parents will teach sons and daughters what they need to know about sexuality and respect. In economics, consumers will purchase modest clothing, creating demand for more. In entertainment, disciples should stop watching sexually immoral programs.”   In 2017-8, the long-simmering, long-suppressed scandal of sexual harassment of women in... Continue Reading

“You may be thinking, Geez Stephen, calm down with all this cheap grace talk. Why are you frothing at the mouth so much about this? It’s just splitting theological hairs. Except that it’s not. The moment we add a single condition or requirement to the gospel, we have totally castrated it. It’s no longer good news.”  ... Continue Reading

“First, our children won’t see the church as valuable unless we see the church as valuable. If our children see that we’re happy to drop church whenever it suits us, there isn’t going to be much hope that they will view it as important.”   We had an interesting, if perhaps emotionally loaded, discussion at... Continue Reading

“For many, it seems that the history of Christianity began with their birth, or perhaps their rebirth. There is little to no sense of where they currently live in relation to the broader scope of the entire history of the church. Yet there is a vast library of accessible books that can correct that problem.”... Continue Reading