Did Jesus Die So We Could Eat German Chocolate Cake?
Does making the gospel relevant to all of life may wind up depriving Christ’s work of its true significance?
Jenkin’s observations might be clever in a literature class, but is this the way the Allies want to handle Scripture? Apparently, the price of discovering ordinary matters in the Bible is worth the benefits that come with showing the gospel’s relevance. Do the every-square-inchers ever worry that making the gospel relevant to all of... Continue Reading
Tunisia Takes on Militants, Pushes Back Against Shariah Law
While Shariah law is being imposed across North Africa, Tunisia is pushing back
“We must ensure that Tunisia is a success story because if it doesn’t then no other Arab country will succeed,” Hamdi told Reuters last month while in Paris….“At the end of the day, democracy thrives in a stable, economically vibrant society and region as well,” Ben Achour said. “What happens in Algeria will affect Tunisia.... Continue Reading
From Beacon Hill to ‘Bishop Bling,’ Clergy Housing Faces New Scrutiny
Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg in Germany, aka “Bishop Bling” spent $43 million on a swank new residence and office
“Bishop Bling” was in a class of his own, spending nearly $500,000 on walk-in closets, nearly $300,000 on a fish tank, more than $200,000 on a spiral staircase and $20,000 on a bathtub. Tebartz-van Elst also spent more than $600,000 on artwork — at a time when some dioceses in the U.S. are selling their... Continue Reading
Allen Duble, 80, PCA Ruling Elder Called Home to Glory
He served Covenant College as the first vice president of development
Mr. Duble served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church for over 50 years, most recently at Rock Creek Fellowship (PCA) where he and his wife and some of his children were founding members. Vocationally, after a few years in sales, he devoted much of his professional life to Christian education and nurturing generosity in... Continue Reading
When Parenting Gets Lost in the Details
In a wave of books for modern moms, Gloria Furman’s gospel meditations offer a simple goal.
Furman’s point is simple. Frazzled mothers don’t need more time, or better strategies, or even renewed resolve. They need more of the gospel—the good news that God sent his Son to die for sinners so that their sin might be forgiven, their guilt atoned for, and their souls reconciled to God.Treasuring Christ intentionally does not read... Continue Reading
Should The Church Pander to Millennials?
The larger issue is should The Church accommodate sociological trends or cleave to historic teachings
Should The Church cater/pander to the reputed majority views of young people, i.e. the much mythologized Millennials, in pursuit of their allegiance? There’re ongoing insistent demands from liberal church voices that Christianity, especially the Evangelical world, will crumble unless key teachings at odds with purported Millennial preferences are amended or abandoned. The larger issue is... Continue Reading
A Pastor’s Reflections: Slow Down!
Don’t be too quick to ordain elders.
In other words, as I was able to learn more about this man and his family, I discovered that all wasn’t what it should be for him to be an elder candidate. In fact, this particular family ended up creating a faction within the church that took a number of years to fix. Needless to... Continue Reading
Battered Pastors (3): When Followers Become Toxic And Pastors Are Battered
Questions for elders to consider when a pastor is under attack
The church seems to be wired to lay most if not all of its dysfunctions at the feet of the pastor. It makes sense. “The buck stops here” Harry Trueman famously claimed. Because of this, many pastors seem predisposed to believe that every failing in the church is somehow their fault. If the staff stages... Continue Reading
What’s Your Worldview
A review of What’s Your Worldview: An Interactive Approach to Life’s Big Questions by James Anderson
In summary, this is a good book for the right audience: those who want a brief introduction to various worldviews and those who are open to thinking through the worldview issue(s). It doesn’t go beyond the basics, so a person will have to do further reading on these areas if he or she wants more... Continue Reading
Are Christian Purity Balls Reflective of Ancient Virginity Cults?
Only Jesus can satisfy that need for love that a girl has, not any other man, even her father
It is also troubling to hear that these girls are ”giving their virginity to their fathers to protect.” A father is there to protect more than just a girls virginity. A girl is more than just their sexuality. A father needs to protect her heart, her mind, her emotions, her time. He needs to keep her accountable... Continue Reading