The Call to Repentance and the Championing of Grace
We’re losing the nerve to call people to repentance
“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
Five Things That Keep Churches From Change
Being a representative of Christ in a lost world requires change
“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
Stephen Hawking 1942–2018
Hawking’s 1988 popular-level book A Brief History of Time was a huge success
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
Sexual Harassment
Reform won't be easy. Humans persist in familiar sins.
“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
Stop Trashing The Gospel With The Phrase “Cheap Grace”
The phrase originated with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who wrote of it in his book "The Cost of Discipleship"
“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
How Do We Encourage Our Children To See The Church As Valuable?
If they love the Lord, their love for the church will likely follow
“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
Basic Readings in Church History: Suggestions for the Beginner
For the person looking to begin an exploration of church history, I would recommend these books
“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
Let’s Talk About My Christian Cowardice
We will all be confronted with the choice of identifying with Christ publicly or denying Him
“For some, owning their faith may lead them to lose their life, their family, or their job. But that’s probably not you. After all, not all suffering is life-threatening or career-ending, is it? Almost all of us will suffer social rejection, criticism, or ridicule for identifying with Christ. The friendship that goes cold; the snide... Continue Reading
The Word-less “Church”
At the heart of the mess is a simple phenomenon: the churches seem to have lost a love for and confidence in the Word of God.
These churches still carry Bibles and declare the authority of the Scriptures. They still have sermons based on Bible verses and still have Bible study classes. But not much of the Bible is actually read in their services. Their sermons and studies usually do not examine the Bible to see what it thinks is important... Continue Reading
A Fictional Pastor Teaches Us to Love Big in Small Places
There’s an important place for continuing the tradition of compelling fictional accounts of rural life and ministry.
If Herbert’s vision is to live on and capture the hearts of some in a new generation, it will likely be, in part, through the work of gifted writers. Brad Roth’s recent God’s Country(2017) provides a biblically informed, culturally aware, and deeply compelling understanding of rural ministry. There are also biographical stories that capture the beauty... Continue Reading