Scripture commands daily encouragement because without it a man’s heart grows hard and vulnerable to temptation [Heb. 3:13]. Affirmation is spiritual warfare.   “I can live two months on one good compliment…” — Mark Twain Jeff Foxworthy recently told a story about being mentored by Truett Cathy. Jeff grew up in the same town as... Continue Reading

Discipleship is not merely a matter of thinking rightly; it is about loving rightly. Augustine said it plainly: sin is disordered love, and salvation is the reordering of our loves toward God. The psalmist prayed, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you” (Ps 73:25). True... Continue Reading

The decision to disaffiliate comes months after senior pastor Burk Parsons was suspended indefinitely from the pulpit after being found ‘guilty ‘of unbecoming pastoral conduct by the PCA’s Central Florida Presbytery. Parsons previously plead guilty to similar charges in 2019 and received admonition at that time.   Saint Andrew’s Chapel, a prominent Presbyterian Church in... Continue Reading

If we’re going to celebrate religious influence at our 250th birthday, let’s get the history right. And still a good non-partisan test of religious sincerity is: where and how often does a public figure attend regular worship in his parish—as many of the founders did 250 years ago.   Protestant Christian Nationalists and other evangelicals... Continue Reading

This Christmas, while we sing “Joy to the World,” there are believers whispering psalms into the night so quietly they will not be found. There are little boys asking if Herod still lives. There are girls named Rachel crying for brothers who are no more. And the road out of Bethlehem continues…But the promise remains: Herod... Continue Reading

Prioritizing the well-being of the political and cultural environment here in America that actually empowers us to be a force for global missions is, again, a “distraction.” We use the term “gospel centered” too often this way. If I can convince you that it’s more “gospel-centered,” it must be the best. What we usually mean... Continue Reading

UMC General Conference “reduced our overall general Church budget by more than 40%” and that Graves’ remarks were “part of an earnest conversation between board members about anticipated funding requests.”   A bishop of the United Methodist Church has sounded the alarm on the denomination’s current funding issues, declaring that its “financial house is on... Continue Reading

The Anglican primate of Congo is committed to maintaining Anglican ties. In a statement, Archbishop Georges Titre Ande decried liberal trends in some churches but added: “The Anglican Church of Congo has no intention to leave the Anglican Communion, rather to keep working…to reform, heal and revitalise the Anglican Communion without leaving it.”   After... Continue Reading

Nearly half of all student enrollment is concentrated in just 7 percent of seminaries, all of which are evangelical Protestant.” For the next 50 years, what does this bode and how will this affect politics? I have not yet been persuaded that we are entering an eschatological Golden Age. Notwithstanding, these numbers predict a more conservative... Continue Reading

The healthy churches I’ve had the privilege of being part of intentionally placed scripture readings throughout the worship service. Beyond Sunday gatherings, they were intentional about keeping the Word at the center of lunch tables, staff meetings, discipleship groups, men’s ministry, mom’s Bible study, and so on. Churches that are intentional about the Word become... Continue Reading