“Pastors and planters should know the statistical realities of the average church instead of assuming they are a disappointment if they don’t match the atypical success stories they see at conferences or read about in books.”   Every church leader or pastor desires ministry to be fruitful and to influence their community. But we need... Continue Reading

The intermediate state for the Christian is immediate transition upon death into the presence of Christ in heaven, during which time we experience holiness (no longer being at war with the flesh, although final glorification awaits the resurrection), happiness, a heightened sense of consciousness, and knowledge of Christ in its fullest. But the “intermediate” state... Continue Reading

“Walsh, an accomplished public health expert, was invited to be the commencement speaker for Pasadena City College’s class of 2014. Some students, however, reportedly objected to his selection and highlighted videos of his sermons online and complained to the school about his religious views.”   Dr. Eric Walsh, a Christian public health expert and lay... Continue Reading

“That distinction falls to American scholars from the nineteenth century: (1) Andrew Dickson White (1832-1918), the founding president of Cornell University, and (2) John William Draper (1811-1882), professor of chemistry at the University of New York.”   Ronald Numbers grew up as the son of a fundamentalist Seventh-day Adventist minister, attending Adventist schools and being taught young-earth creationism... Continue Reading

“And given that the conservative establishment portrays The New York Times as the embodiment of all that’s wrong with elite media culture, critics and watchdog sites regularly blast the NYT for bias and even ignorance. Is The New York Times really ignorant about matters of faith?”   This question arises from time to time, as... Continue Reading

“Even though Acevedo sent a notice of intent to homeschool her son to the superintendent via certified mail, it was never registered in the central office, therefore, her son accrued unexcused absences. After so many weeks of absences, Acevedo’s son was referred to a truancy officer and social services for investigation.”   America’s premier homeschool... Continue Reading

“We often adopt a shallow view of what sexual intimacy is. Out of ignorance or laziness, we take on this view from the world through past experiences, advice, and the media. We then sprinkle it with a little ‘righteousness’ and hope it will do.”   Sexual intimacy is only a form of intimacy, and in order... Continue Reading

“If you want to become more productive, managing your time should take a backseat to how you manage your energy and attention.” Some of the common conclusions were vindicated in his study. We need to eat properly, get plenty of rest, not waste time doing things that don’t matter, and make sure we are doing the... Continue Reading

“Oh, dear married friends, what if we quit letting movies and the internet convince us that we need a rose petal-filled bubble bath or a weekend in Europe or a candle-lit dinner in some fancy restaurant? We don’t need those things to be happy in marriage.”   A few days ago, we discussed romance on... Continue Reading

“While congregations are given the opportunity to vote on certain items within a local church, biblical ecclesiology is not democratic. Elders are called and appointed to make decisions for the spiritual good of the local church. But, in churches that are often riddled with discontentment and division, the prevailing notion is that everyone is called... Continue Reading