A pro-life culture in church is fuelled by the fact that there is not only life after death, but as Tom Wright says “life after life after death.”  A robust doctrine of resurrection, steeped in God’s plan to renew the whole creation (as opposed to souls floating around like cling film on wispy clouds), fuels... Continue Reading

From the beginning, Spurgeon’s goal for the Pastors’ College was “not only to train students, but to found churches.”[2] As much as he emphasized the importance of evangelism, Spurgeon understood that “no amount of occasional evangelistic services will ever render needless the abiding work of organized Christianity.”[3]    Charles Spurgeon lived during a time of theological... Continue Reading

“Pornography causes us to see others as objects. If this goes unchecked it will turn the common church lobby into a college nightclub. We’ll lose the ability to rightly relate to those we’re called to love and serve. A brother or sister will be seen as a temptation to be avoided or an object to... Continue Reading

Throughout the history of Christianity, one of the greatest tools for teaching theology has been music. After all, one of the earliest Christian hymns is the great Christological passage of Philippians 2. If it’s true, then, that we are learning from our songs whether we mean to or not, then we ought to pay very... Continue Reading

Contrary to those who argue Scripture normalizes violence by including narratives of war, pillaging, and sexual assault, it’s more likely such passages are included to compel God’s people to confront the uncomfortable realities of sin and brokenness in our world.   During my past six years serving as a college pastor, some of my most... Continue Reading

We can be actively pro-life towards the children who are born. Today there are more than 400,000 children nationwide in the foster care system. A foster child is someone who is taken out of his or her birth home due to an environment or relationship that is unsafe for the child.   Nestled in the... Continue Reading

Jesus identified himself as the true temple of God because he is the ultimate meeting place between God and humanity (Jn. 2:19). When you went to the temple in Jerusalem, you went to God’s footstool. If you looked at Jesus, you actually saw God—head, hands, and feet!  In the Incarnation, the second Person of the Trinity—the Word—took... Continue Reading

What happens here is that church members migrate from one congregation to another, enjoying for a season the preaching and music here, sometimes coming back to their go-to congregation when they’re in the mood for something more familiar, or heading over to a third church for a mission trip. The result is sporadic attendance at... Continue Reading

A great number of ministry leaders still quote passages such as Ephesians 5:22, First Peter 3:1-6, and Titus 2:3-5 as they remind women to submit, to pray for their husbands, to have quiet spirits, and be obedient. These practices may work well within healthy relationships. But submission to an abuser gives him license to abuse further.... Continue Reading

In such an age as ours, why should we bother planting churches that are committed to the ordinary ministry of Word and sacrament? Such an endeavor seems backwards and counterintuitive. Yet this is precisely what the Head of the church has called us to do. Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus gave us our marching... Continue Reading