Boy Scouts Fall Millions Behind Budget
President-elect Robert Gates looks to move Scouting past its ‘divisive ordeal’ over homosexuality and into recovery
The National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America met in February and learned that registration fees for 2013 totaled $1.76 million less than the previous year and more than $2.5 million less than was budgeted. Despite these shortfalls, overall revenue in 2013 exceeded $115 million, with registration fees accounting for about $45... Continue Reading
Battered Pastors: Part 2
For battered pastors the glad labor of being a pastor has become detrimental to their well-being and that of their family.
Most of the pastors I know work hard and care deeply about the church. Most of the pastors I know have never expected to get rich from being a pastor. We are sickened by stories of pastors building 16,000 square foot mansions and using hundreds of thousands of dollars of church money to pay a marketing... Continue Reading
Four Kinds of Churches Worth Leaving
There are actually some situations when it is a grace from God to feel — or actually be told — that your family is not welcome at a church.
The pastor preaches social justice instead of the gospel. This is the church that neglects the reality of sin and our need for the Savior. Ironically, these churches can often be the most accommodating because they focus on the marginal. But families experiencing disability need more than accommodation. They need a big God who provides... Continue Reading
3 Tips for Responding to Criticism
Expect to be criticized from time to time, and give your friends an open invitation to do so.
There will be times the criticism will be painful but true. In such times, we will need to endure that criticism as we respond to it by making changes to our lives. There are times the criticism will sting because we come to believe the criticism is unfair. In either case, we need to keep... Continue Reading
All Things to All Women
Motivated by God's love for us, we can sacrifice some of our freedoms in order to minister more effectively in love toward others.
What lifestyle changes are we willing to make in order to “win/save” others around us? Do we need to stop buying Brooks Brothers clothes when we’re called to a church with Bargain Basement style? Should we learn more about aeronautics or agriculture in order to appreciate how the congregation earns its living? Could we make more of the locally popular spinach smoothies so we... Continue Reading
Should Christians be Nice in dealing with Nasty Atheists
We have to beware of allowing ourselves to be intimidated by the post-modern touchy feely mantra of you can say whatever you want, just don’t hurt my feelings
Not for our own sakes, but for the sake of the whole of our society, we need Christians who will boldly, graciously and lovingly take on the mockers, deceivers and destroyers of the New Atheist Fundamentalism, because it is not the indestructible Church of Christ they will destroy, but rather the countless lives of those... Continue Reading
Mars Hill Board Stands Behind Driscoll
The church’s Board of Advisors and Accountability admits a book marketing strategy was ‘unwise,’ as former staff members continue to cite dissatisfaction
But the board did acknowledge turmoil and turnover involving the Mars Hill staff in the past two years: “A number of these staff transitions were acrimonious. Pastor Mark and the other executive Elders own their part in any discord that could have been avoided with a better process or a more patient interaction.” (WNS)–The... Continue Reading
Safety in Submission
Finding safety in submitting to God’s authority and his structures
Because we have a sin nature that seeks to ruin us, we consistently chafe at the concept of submitting to God, God’s parents, God’s husbands, God’s governors, and God’s elders. Even when we outwardly fall in line, inwardly we are filled with a rebel spirit that despises those God has ordained to lead, govern and... Continue Reading
No, Jesus Would Not Bake a Cake for a Homosexual Ceremony
Does Scripture show that Jesus, with his love and compassion for sinners, was indulgent of sexual sin, even dismissing it, in favor of a ministry of justice, peace, and healing?
And so it is not the case that Jesus would have baked a cake to be used in a homosexual celebration. Rather his words in the New Testament clearly show that such an act is a sin, worthy of hellfire. Nor would Jesus, or the apostles, have obeyed a requirement of the civil authorities to... Continue Reading
The Second Commandment and the Modern Christian
We should allow the second commandment to stand and our desire should not be to add to or detract from the Word of God
New Testament Christians are still prohibited from making any image of the deity—even in a movie or in art. The reason is that it is impossible for any artist to depict the godhead or spiritual matters, but more importantly, no matter how necessary or essential we might believe a movie to be, God has said... Continue Reading