The 2012 election: Why abortion trumps other issues
A society that has fewer abortions but protects the legal killing of unborn humans is still deeply immoral
Should pastors challenge church members who support politicians sworn to protect elective abortion? Yes and no. They should challenge believers and nonbelievers alike with the truth that elective abortion unjustly takes the life of a defenseless human being -- and that truth should impact who we support.
Ravenous Sheep
Most of us have a rather distorted, city-fied understanding of sheep.
“The hardest thing about being a pastor is not being poorly paid. If that needs to be fixed and you can, please do. The hardest thing about being a pastor isn’t the long hours… The hardest thing isn’t the lack of respect in the church and the world over his calling. If you can help there, please do."
Some Advice for Youth Ministers
I hope your church is past the myth that the best ministers are young and hip.
You may be a very godly and theological person, even very experienced in ministry, but if the parents in the congregation feel weird about you, your ministry to young people will never get off the ground. Don’t expect trust to just happen because of your qualifications, and don’t resent parents when they don’t give it. Just get to work earning it.
How Rick Warren Harnessed the Power of Social Habits
And why—after plunging into depression—Saddleback's pastor now pushes spiritual habits through 'The Power of Habit' concept.
For years, he had suffered from anxiety attacks and occasional bouts of melancholy that friends told him sounded like mild depressions. But it had never hit this bad before. The next day, Warren and his family began driving to Arizona, where his wife's family had a house. Slowly, he recuperated. Some days, he would sleep for twelve hours and then take a walk through the desert, praying, trying to understand why these panic attacks were threatening to undo everything he had worked so hard to build.
Some Reflections on Peter Enns and The Evolution of Adam
Enns…is far too romantic about the reliability of mainstream scientific consensus
Hans Madueme is assistant professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and Themelios book review editor for systematic theology and bioethics. He recently completed his thesis, “The Evolution of Sin: Sin, Theistic Evolution, and the Biological Question—A Theological Account” (PhD diss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2012).
HHS mandate: An attack on all people of faith
We must be free to put our faith into action in the public square.
For the first time in our country’s history, we will have to impose religious tests on those we employ and those we help, in order to maintain our status as exempt religious employers.
The Problem with ‘Incarnational Ministry’
What if our mission is not to 'be Jesus' to other cultures, but to join with the Holy Spirit?
It’s important to offer a ministry of presence to those in need. But when the gospel is reduced to identifying with others, the uniqueness of Christ’s incarnation becomes an afterthought. In recent decades, scores of books, manuals, and websites advocating “incarnational ministry” have encouraged Christians to move beyond ministry at a distance and... Continue Reading
4 Disturbing Trends in the Contemporary Church
Disturbing trends that need to be checked and reformed in contemporary church life
Only as we turn our ears away from the false promises of this passing age to God’s Word, to His saving revelation in Christ as the only gospel, and to the glory of the triune God as our only goal, can we expect to see a genuine revival of Christian discipleship, worship, and mission in... Continue Reading
End Circumcision, Norway Official Suggests
Children's rights watchdog suggests symbolic option
Ervin Kohn, president of The Jewish Community of Oslo, said that Norwegian Jews “will not be able to live in a society where circumcision is forbidden.” Norway’s ombudsman for children’s rights has proposed that Jews and Muslim replace male circumcision with a symbolic, nonsurgical ritual. Dr. Anne Lindboe told the newspaper Vart Land last month... Continue Reading
Bill Hybels Shares Succession Plans at Leadership Summit
Hybels and his church elders are formally engaged in a succession process
Hybels described four different phases of succession that were planned for Willow Creek and said the first phase that was the planning phase, which took about a year, had already been completed. Willow Creek Community Church Pastor Bill Hybels, speaking during the opening session of a global leadership summit, took the occasion on Thursday to... Continue Reading