True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best.   Someone I know recently expressed an... Continue Reading

Almost any parent can switch into combat mode and wield the heavy hand of authority. But it takes grace from God to be a parent who sits down and converses with his or her child. Tell your teens why you are placing certain restrictions on their phone, talk to them about the various idols of... Continue Reading

Think about it while detaching yourself from your favorite multi-site, mega big-box preacher. Isn’t hitching ourselves so fully to one man’s teaching just a little odd? Doesn’t it smack, just a tad, of man-following? Even idolatry? And, if “it isn’t about me,” as one multi-site preacher is fond of saying, then why not take your... Continue Reading

“One senses that same hatred and desperation [that fueled the Germans] as the Muslim Brothers respond to the military’s crackdown by attacking defenseless Christians,” Doran reasons, “We may be thankful that the Muslim Brothers lack the organizational skill of the Nazis, but it appears they lack none of their hate.”   No, it’s not just... Continue Reading

What gives these schools the right to engage in that catechesis? The business of the public school is akin to the business of a group of tutors hired by a group of parents. It has become, instead, the business of a group of self-imagined forward-thinking missionaries introducing students to their new and enlightened world, against... Continue Reading

In this wonderful volume, Currid tackles the question of the relationship between the OT and ANE literature from one particular angle, namely how the OT writers often engage with the surrounding ANE world in a polemical fashion.  The OT writers use ANE literature to be sure.  But that is not because they are adopting it, but because... Continue Reading

Most clergy I know are preachers, builders, managers, and some are scholars, but few are pastors. A pastor is one who shepherds a people. As the above passages from Psalms and the Gospel of John note, pastors know their sheep by hand, the the sheep know their shepherd by his voice. Pastoring is personal, while... Continue Reading

Biola president Dr. Barry Corey, pictured right, has issued a public letter of apology for retaliatory actions staff members of his Christian university took against pro-life student Diana Jimenez in June for showing graphic images of abortion on campus: For actions on our part that were perceived to be heavy-handed and retaliatory, I have apologized... Continue Reading

Living in a world where the worst that happens is that I receive critical pushback on a blog post is one thing; living in a world where Christians cannot rent space in order to worship on a Sunday, where millions of abortions take place every year, and where every ethical value I hold dear is routinely... Continue Reading

Perhaps the greatest reason for so little interest in the Old Testament is that there has been so much Christ-less teaching from the Old Testament. At a popular level, Old Testament preaching has often degenerated into mere moralism (e.g. “Ten lessons from the life of Moses”). At an academic level, there seems to be a... Continue Reading