How To Feed Your Flock A Balanced Diet
When was the last time you preached from one of the Gospels? Or an Old Testament historical narrative? Or a Minor Prophet?
Sequential exposition of biblical books is one of the best ways to ensure a balanced diet for the people. Preaching through an entire Gospel will help you address the historia salutis (the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus), unfold important theological themes (eternal life, kingdom of God, new birth, eschatology), and teach on nitty-gritty... Continue Reading
On Oath-breaking, or When Clergy Ignore the 10 Commandments
I am astonished by the levity with which these activist-pastors break the promises they’ve made before God and man
Revisionist covenant-breakers defend themselves by calling such a stance “legalism” or by saying they, on their own or with their small cabal of compatriots, have acquired a better handle on the Holy Spirit’s leading (which, in matters of sexuality, is in direct contradiction with the revelation of Scripture). They are being “prophetic” because they are... Continue Reading
The Masculine Mandate
A review of Richard Phillips' book on Biblical manhood
In a very solid, very readable, very Biblical, very theological, very engaging, and very practical way, Phillips leads us to Genesis 2 which, after all, is the narrative of the creation of the first male, in distinction from the creation of the first female. Phillips focuses on and develops Genesis 2:7, 8, and 15. Man’s distinctive, pre-Eve task: to work and to keep the garden (8).... Continue Reading
A Plea to Prospective University Students
Make every effort to get yourself into a spiritual environment in which you will not merely survive but are likely to thrive.
For the Christian who is a prospective student, this may mean more work and hard choices. It may mean sitting down with lists of universities on one sheet and churches on another and working out where there is an appropriate correspondence. It may mean beginning with a long list of universities and doing the research... Continue Reading
Charles Spurgeon on the Need for Spirit-Empowered Preaching
Spurgeon believed that the Spirit must set his heart ablaze before the gospel could spread to the hearts of his listeners
Apart from this sacred flame, Spurgeon knew that his gospel proclamation would be delivered in a rote, mechanical fashion, lacking zeal. Such a delivery would betray the message he preached. Only by the Spirit’s aid could he stand in the pulpit “adoring the majestic and consciously present God, every faculty aroused and joyously excited to... Continue Reading
Wedding Bells, Hell’s Bells: The Nightmare Of Being Unequally Yoked
The believer and the unbeliever are not separated simply by “ideology,” but by completely different natures
As I’ve suggested, when “unequally yoked” people marry, the problem isn’t intellectual or philosophical, it’s ontological. The couple’s ensuing battles (particularly over matters of faith) will stem from conflicting natures. And sadly, counseling can’t change someone’s nature. All of the counseling in the world cannot make an apple an orange, or an unbeliever a believer.... Continue Reading
Why is So Much Preaching So Poor?
Since the proclamation of God's word is the primary means by which the Christian encounters God, why is so much preaching so poor?
The greatest danger for seminary students is that they assume the lectures they hear in class are the model for the sermons they are to deliver from the pulpit. They are not. Preaching is a theological act. The preacher finds his counterpart not in the lecture theatre or the classroom or, most ghastly of all,... Continue Reading
The End of Urban Ministry
Why this pastor is done with urban ministry
Scudder worries here that many churches attempt to help the poor but they operate out a poor theology of poverty and a poor understanding of economics. This type of ignorance can put churches in positions where they are enabling poverty or, even worse, hurting those they intend to help. Scudder also worries that “pastors in... Continue Reading
Millennial Myths and the Real Reasons People Leave the Church
Millennials disagree among themselves on theology, religious practice, and controversial issues as much as any other age group
The more I observe the alleged church generation gap, the more I think most of the handwringers are exaggerating it. Our problem isn’t generational as much as it is cultural. Rather than engaging the culture and challenging the culture, maybe we’ve become a little too obsessed with following the culture. If anything, the church probably needs to... Continue Reading
Things Christians Struggle With, Part 2: Betrayal
Betrayal takes place when someone breaks your trust after you had considered them to be trustworthy
While it’s true that we have all been stung by the betrayal of others, is it not equally true that we have at some point been on the giving end? Is it not the case that we are all too quick to recall (and even amplify) certain instances where others have hurt us, and minimize... Continue Reading