On the eve of the 2018 GLS, they admitted in a special congregational meeting that church leaders had failed to appropriately handle recent allegations of sexual misconduct against their founding pastor. Lead pastor Heather Larson announced that she was resigning immediately. The church’s elder board announced that its member would also step down in an... Continue Reading

You ought to be able to say yes to every one of these questions. A “no” to any of them is a serious warning sign that, at the very least, now is most likely not the time to attend seminary and pursue ministry. If you’re already in ministry, these questions may help you conclude that... Continue Reading

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and they weren’t listening to anything you were saying? You can see the exact moment they shut down. They have already figured out what they were going to say, and anything else you might say is not relevant. I think it is a problem for pastors. We... Continue Reading

I am conscious that Calvin’s comments may not be fully appreciated by all of my readers. We typically have a much lower view of the church in the twenty-first century than John Calvin did in the sixteenth. We tend to see the church as optional, salvation as private, and worship as personal and individualistic.  ... Continue Reading

Researchers found more than a few churchgoers believe giving to God leads to financial rewards, said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “A significant group of churches seem to teach that donations trigger a financial response from God,” said McConnell.   For some Americans, dropping a check into the offering plate at church is... Continue Reading

Should we encourage a faithful believer—who experiences persistent same-sex attraction, but chooses to honor God through a celibate lifestyle—to identify as a ‘Gay Christian’? No. Believers are not identified by their sins but by their Savior. Jesus is the Christian’s new identity.   At the 2016 October meeting of the North Florida Presbytery, the moderator appointed... Continue Reading

Lead pastor Heather Larson also previously issued an apology of her own. Willow Creek’s elders also admitted that Hybels was guilty of wrongdoing. “We are grieved that we let Bill’s statement stand for as long as we did that the women were lying and colluding,” the elders said. “We now believe Bill entered into areas of... Continue Reading

Many expressions of contemporary liturgy are found wanting. They are often shallow in content, repetitive in nature and more inclined to draw attention to the person or persons leading worship than to God as it true object. Regardless of its pursuit of spontaneity and authenticity, too often it loses depth and vitality because it has... Continue Reading

When we worship week after week and follow roughly the same order of service, some things that are deeply meaningful can become merely routine. For that reason there can be benefit in taking the time to explain them and thank God for them.    As Christians, we set aside the first day of each week... Continue Reading

The definition of non-sexual gayness emerging at Revoice is theologically problematic since (with a great deal of theological ignorance) it creates a third category of human sexuality, denying the biblical, ontological principle of distinctions (what I call Twoism). God is separate from his creation and has placed distinctions in his creation, one of which is the male/female... Continue Reading