“This is the work of God…”
When the people ask Jesus what they may do to do the works of God, I bet they never imagined that the focus of God’s work in us is belief in Him.
Let’s not make the mistake of the people who asked God what they could do. When it comes to saving faith, nothing but believing in Him is the only answer. We cannot walk an aisle, say a prayer, give $10,000 to Joel Osteen, go to a Bible conference, or even be baptized. All we can... Continue Reading
Does the Bible Ever Get it Wrong? Facing Scripture’s Difficult Passages
A new series where I invite evangelical scholars to respond to some of the critical issues raised in Pete Enns’ “Aha moments” series.
No doubt there are some out there who will look at this new series and dismiss it as typical naive, fundamentalist, anti-intellectual, Enlightenment-driven, apologetic maneuvering. To deny errors in the Bible, some might think, is equivalent to believing in a geocentric universe. But, the scholars in this series are certainly not anti-intellectual fundamentalists. They are... Continue Reading
Sanctification in the Westminster Confession of Faith
An excerpt from Chad Van Dixhoorn's Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Our struggle [against sin] emerges as all the more necessary because the remaining corruption in Christians may sometimes even get the upper hand – it ‘may much prevail’, at least ‘for a time’, as the pastors of the Westminster assembly remind us in the final paragraph of this chapter on sanctification. Our Lord claims us... Continue Reading
An Open Letter to Duggar Defenders
The problem real here is that you very likely do not understand the Duggar’s subculture
The Duggars are part of a very specific subculture of the Christian homeschooling world, one dominated by leaders like Doug Phillips of Vision Forum and Bill Gothard of ATI, whose incredibly restrictive teachings and controlling practices have earned them the adjective “cult-like.” These organizations and leaders teach that children must be trained to obey their... Continue Reading
Ideological Tribalism: How Evangelicals Go About Social Ethics
Evangelicals generally develop perspectives on justice down tribal ideological and political lines
A lively discourse about the right application of Christian principles within the Christian tradition is far more fruitful and interesting to me than engaging in a tribal war trying to prove whose tribe best represents Jesus. Mainline Protestant liberals and conservatives evangelicals understand this and no longer really engage one another. Progressive evangelicals, on the... Continue Reading
Administration Offers New Tweak to Birth Control Rule
Several of the country’s biggest faith groups on Friday said the revised rule was still problematic because it didn’t fully exempt organizations with religious objections.
“Here we go again,” said Russell Moore, president of the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination. “What we see here is another revised attempt to settle issues of religious conscience with accounting maneuvers. This new policy doesn’t get at the primary problem.” The Obama administration, still facing legal... Continue Reading
How To Shrink Your Church In One Easy Step
Every major American church that has taken steps towards liberalization on sexual issues has seen a steep decline in membership
In the end, Christian supporters of gay marriage will likely view its effects on church membership as a side issue. Christians have a responsibility to grow their churches, but also a responsibility to promote what they believe is just in God’s eyes. But for some strange reason, it seems like conservative Christians never have to... Continue Reading
From Pro-Choice To Pro-Abortion
A new form of abortion advocacy is about to change our debates
All life is not equal. That’s a difficult thing for liberals like me to talk about, lest we wind up looking like death-panel-loving, kill-your-grandma-and-your-precious-baby storm troopers. Yet a fetus can be a human life without having the same rights as the woman in whose body it resides. She’s the boss. Her life and what is... Continue Reading
Risking Genocide
As the Islamic State has raged from Syria to Iraq, it threatens to wipe out Christians and other religious groups with singular roots in ancient Mesopotamia
Iraq’s Christians have a long history of learning what to do under an oppressive state: They continue to worship, to help one another, and to pray. Many have told me they have new appreciation for Kurdish protection, despite tensions in managing the crisis. Dagher told me worship services are overflowing in Erbil, and he preached... Continue Reading
Washington National Cathedral Hangs Out the For Rent Sign
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington is soliciting proposals for corporations and non-profit groups to lease its premises
The 21 August 2014 announcement stated the rental program would continue to “broaden the Cathedral’s welcome” to the community as well as expand “our stewardship of the building by offering spaces for use when they might otherwise stand idle while creating a new revenue stream supporting operations and special projects.” Washington’s National Cathedral is... Continue Reading