Despised and mocked by all around him, he plods towards death, faithfully doing that to which he has been called.  But the Calvary Option is surely too grand a name for just doing my job. So I suggest we call it simply ‘the traditional pastoral work in an ordinary congregation option.’ Inelegantly phrased, I know,... Continue Reading

Nominal Christians have long been the church’s “warm market.” They don’t have major obstacles to faith and are the most likely people to become committed believers. Yes, their exodus will purify the church. But, to continue with the marketing terms, when people are rushing to shed your label, it means you have a branding problem.... Continue Reading

“But as gay rights have gained wider acceptance over the past few years, many evangelical colleges have found themselves facing a predicament. Policies forbidding gay relationships have brought negative media attention and increasingly frustrated students, both of which could turn disastrous for religious colleges already struggling with tight budgets and uncertain futures.”   Page 15... Continue Reading

The accommodation requires nonprofits to fill out a form declining coverage for contraceptive and abortifacient drugs and allowing their insurance companies to issue coverage to their employees directly. The Affordable Care Act, adopted in March 2010, requires all group health plans to cover preventive services, including contraception, without employee cost sharing. “Contraception” includes drugs such... Continue Reading

Just as the pastor goes through sermon preparation for the effective ministry of the Word, so must the people—and in much the same way. While the pastor spends time in diligent study of the Word, he must also attend thereunto with diligence, preparation and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in... Continue Reading

“A popular book has a tag line on its front cover: “Tens of thousands Muslims are coming to faith.” The book outlines a new way to reach Muslims by reading the Bible in a way we have missed for years. Despite the hermeneutical wizardry in the book, the tag line should be the giveaway.”  ... Continue Reading

Such policies, Beisner wrote, would reduce “access to the abundant, affordable, reliable energy absolutely necessary for any society to rise out of poverty, and available now and for the foreseeable future almost entirely from fossil fuels.” More than 85 percent of all energy use in the world is from fossil fuels, he wrote.   WASHINGTON... Continue Reading

Growth brings change that can engender fear and discomfort. A pastor was getting a lot of resistance from the former chairperson of the search committee that called him. The church was growing and change was inevitably taking place. When he kindly reminded the search committee chairperson that she said she wanted to see the church grow,... Continue Reading

“Here at Hope College we are a family of Christians who hold diverse and often conflicting points of view,” Knapp wrote. “We understand that the new legal definition of marriage is an intensely heartfelt matter for many. We also recognize that not everyone will agree with decisions that have been made; that is to be... Continue Reading

“Simply put, in balancing the interests of the applicants to freedom of religion and of the respondent’s members and future members to equal opportunity, in the course of the exercise of its statutory authority, the respondent arrived at a reasonable conclusion,” reads the decision.   An Ontario court has upheld the Law Society of Upper... Continue Reading