Did Jesus only preach about God’s wrath to the religious people of his day?
Jesus preached both God’s wrath and His grace to everyone, and so should we.
God’s reconciling peace means nothing until we know we are separated from God by the offense of our sin. Some say that sinners, especially those with no church background, are already well-versed in their own misery and have no need of being shown the truth of their sin. Certainly we should be gentle in our... Continue Reading
Are Christians Narrow-Minded and Intolerant?
When it comes to modern religious discourse, there is no greater sin than to claim your religion is the only one that is true.
Given this cultural context, how should Christians deal with the inevitable confrontation over the Christian claim that Jesus is the only way to heaven? For one, we need to clarify that this is not simply a claim that we are making on behalf of Christianity. It is not as if Christians enjoy their religion so much that... Continue Reading
John Knox (Christian Biographies for Young Readers) by Simonetta Carr
If you haven’t picked up a title in the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series, now would be a good time.
As a lover of church history, I appreciate Simonetta Carr’s attention to detail and focus on historical accuracy. Rather than painting an impossibly perfect picture of a higher-than-thou saint, she gives us the true John Knox, doubts and weakness and all. He was like any of us, and because of that we can learn to... Continue Reading
When Sexual Abuse Comes to Light
How a generation of children, sexually abused overseas, aims to protect others before it happens.
Survivors need to know that their denomination or mission organization is taking steps to prevent abuse. They also need the organization to acknowledge and accept responsibility, said Beverly Shellrude Thompson, president of MK Safety Net and a Mamou survivor. They need their perpetrator brought to justice in a criminal court and kept away from children.... Continue Reading
Does Your Pastor Love You?
One of the ways the pastor shows his love is by feeding the flock (the church) the Word of God.
I have talked with ministers before who say, “I don’t preach doctrinal sermons because people can’t handle that. I am just trying to teach them how to know and love Jesus.” Quite frankly, this type of preaching, regardless of its ostensibly noble aim, is actually doing a poor job of modeling how to love Jesus–in... Continue Reading
Celebrity Pastors: A Retrospective
The accountability question has always been the Achilles' Heel of the evangelical parachurch movement.
If there are people out there who still believe that there is such a thing as reformed evangelicalism as a trans-denominational movement, if they believe that this movement will play a key role in the future of the church, and if they believe that they are important leaders in this movement, then they need to... Continue Reading
Why Do So Many Pastors Leave The Ministry? The Facts Will Shock You
50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years
70% of pastors constantly fight depression and 50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living. Wait, this is huge. Let’s pause here for a moment. This means that half of the 1,700 or so pastors who leave the ministry each... Continue Reading
The Lord Is Their Shepherd: New Study Reveals Who Reads the Bible – and Why
The just-released study on “The Bible in American Life” offers insights into how, why and when Americans read the Bible outside of worship
Many of the 48 percent of Americans who make Bible reading part of their lives, however, do so on a regular basis. More than half reported reading the Bible at least weekly; 17 percent said it was part of their daily lives. The top two reasons respondents said they read Scripture were for personal prayer... Continue Reading
What Do You Expect From Your Hired Minister?
Ministers must preach without apology and deliver the Word of God without fear
What should one expect from one’s hired minister? One should expect them to speak only that which the Lord has revealed. One should also expect some of the minister’s sermons to be most pleasant and encouraging, while others are irritating and convicting. And what should the hired minister expect? He should expect that some will greatly... Continue Reading
The Love of Our Father
Since becoming a parent, this image of God as Father has taken on new and deeper meaning for me
Being a parent has given me just a tiny glimpse of God’s fatherly love. The love I have for my own children and the sacrifices I have made for them are only a shadow of what God has done for me. The lengths that He went to in rescuing me, the sacrifice He made by... Continue Reading