3 Ways Preachers Undermine The Bible (And The Sermon)
Here are some ways I’ve seen preachers like myself shoot themselves in the foot.
“Occasionally a preacher is just so smart, just so almost-as-smart-as-God, that they have an axe to grind. They get up to preach and just can’t wait to say how wrong the Bible is, how primitive/ignorant/undemocratic were its pre-modern authors. Their sermons begin with pride, and end as a Toyota Prius commercial.” You’re sitting in... Continue Reading
What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate
We can talk "revival" til we're blue in the face, we can parade our faith right down main street, but if we cannot articulate what we believe to those who are dying, then what are we accomplishing?
“It’s not that people haven’t heard the Gospel. Rather, it’s that they’ve heard it in shorthand. They’ve settled for insufficient explanations of inexhaustible truths. They’ve embraced a canon that is simply a hodge-podge of catchphrases, moral stories, and isolated teachings. And then we send them on mission trips, or door-to-door?” God spoke. In Genesis 1,... Continue Reading
We Christians Live In Fear In Syria
Our faith is under mortal threat, in danger of being driven into extinction, the same pattern we have seen in neighbouring Iraq
“We hear the thunder of bombs and the rattle of gunfire, but we don’t always know what is happening. It’s hard to describe how chaotic, terrifying and psychologically difficult it is when you have no idea what will happen next, or where the next rocket will fall.” Today, the first Sunday of Lent, will... Continue Reading
Whither The Prosperity Gospel?
The prosperity gospel isn’t "evangelical" at all because it is rooted in a different gospel than Christ's
“So, the question remains, where are all the people who once thronged the Crystal Cathedral. The Charlottesville correspondent explains to the American scholars: “They are at home, having their self-esteem puffed up by a new breed of prosperity-Gospel preacher, including Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and T.D. Jakes.” A few months ago, the American Scholar... Continue Reading
Review: The Question Of Canon
Is the NT canon the Achilles heel of evangelicalism?
“In The Question of Canon, Michael J. Kruger, president and professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, systematically addresses five assumptions about the formation of the canon that have resulted in the dominant “extrinsic model.” In such an extrinsic approach, scholars think of the canon as something imposed from without (e.g., by... Continue Reading
The Empty, Boring Atheism Of Richard Dawkins
The British biologist has a flair for gaining attention, but little stomach for actual debate
“Dawkin’s publicity stunt provides a most revealing insight into the mind and manners of the evolutionary biologist turned atheist celebrity. It certainly provides more insight into the man than does the first volume of his autobiography, An Appetite For Wonder, which appeared last year to far too much acclaim and approval. It often reads as... Continue Reading
Forced Agnosticism at the Air Force Academy
In response to complaints about a Scripture posted on a dorm room door, academy officials say cadet leaders must suppress their faith
The dustup over a cadet who wrote a Scripture verse on the whiteboard on his dorm room door and later removed it—some say by force, others by choice—has become the U.S. military’s latest religious liberty scandal. As the smoke clears and members of the top brass meet with representatives from both Christian and anti-religious groups,... Continue Reading
Episcopalians File Normal Complaint Against Presiding Bishop Over Massive Litigation Costs
Katharine Jefferts Schori has violated the Episcopal Church's Constitution and Canons, they say
“In recent years more than 700 Clergy and 5,000 Christians have petitioned The Episcopal Church and five Episcopal Bishops also requested information and transparency in The Episcopal Church with spending more than $22 million dollars of church funds in 80 or more secular lawsuits against departing churches and dioceses. These lawsuits are ongoing with no... Continue Reading
St. Patrick’s Day Providence
Patrick went to Ireland to free the Irish from their superstitions through the power of the gospel
By the way, I think the real Patrick agreed with this glorious doctrine of God’s providence as the Lord’s hand guided him once again to Ireland after his escape from six years of slavery. Why did Patrick return, facing grave danger and fierce persecution? Ironically, to free the Irish from their superstitions through the power of the... Continue Reading
Johnny Farese’s Homegoing
As Paul said, that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,” and that it is “far better” to be with Christ.
I know the Scripture teaches that Johnny’s body will rest in the grave until Christ’s triumphant return and that his soul is with the Lord. Even still, it is tempting to think that he is now dancing in God’s presence, free from all of his physical pain, and that he has met other Christians near... Continue Reading