It has often fascinated me that the nation of Israel managed to maintain a national identity over the centuries without a country. I recently read a passage in the book of Jeremiah that answered my musing (chapter 29). When Nebuchadnezzar was about to overrun the city, Jeremiah communicated to the people that it was God’s... Continue Reading

We, his fans, can feel reassured that Tiger is a changed man because…well, because he says he is! And if it’s good enough for Nike, it should be good enough for us Note: After I posted this, Nike blocked the commercial on YouTube. Here is the text of the commercial. The voice of Earl Woods:... Continue Reading

No matter what we think of Piper’s choice, we could all use a good dose of humility . A couple weeks ago, John Piper announced that he had invited Rick Warren to speak at the Desiring God conference this fall. His announcement caused an uproar in some parts of the Reformed blogosphere. Some even questioned... Continue Reading

WormTape #3 Jan: “Dr. Wormtape has arrived on Skype. Dr. Temple, he wants to speak to us.” Dr. Temple: “What’s the topic for today’s instruction? I forget.” Jan: “Special Pleading 101. I’m putting him through now.” WormTape: “OK, my little monsters, today’s briefing is to prepare you for your presentation to the annual shareholders’ meeting.... Continue Reading

Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator. This spring 2010 marks some sordid anniversaries: 65 years since the discovery of the Nazi concentration camps that facilitated the slaughter of six million Jews and four million various others deemed “misfits” and “undesirables” by Hitler and his henchmen. The ugly... Continue Reading

Does God “call” people to ZIP codes? What is wrong with just saying that you want to live somewhere because you like the place? Why spiritualize it? The abuse of the concept of “calling” creates serious injury to people in the church and can lead to poor or cowardly choices. There is no need to... Continue Reading

Many Christians over many years have been beguiled by the Religious Left’s use of the term “social justice.” This is because Christians rightly love justice and hate injustice. But “social justice”—or, at least, how it’s often used by liberal Christians—isn’t necessarily biblical justice. The standard of biblical justice is equal treatment by law: “Thou shalt... Continue Reading

“As hellfire receded, there advanced the literal fires of the crematorium.” So writes Oxford historian Diarmaid MacCulloch in the concluding chapter of his massive Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. The history ends with a chapter on “culture wars,” the ways Christianity is experiencing change and tumult as it enters the twenty-first century. In the... Continue Reading

Set a goal to set your goals – The most effective leaders set aside time at least weekly to lay out what they want to accomplish that week. Memorize this statement: God has not given us more things to do in a day than He has given us the time to get it done. I... Continue Reading

Ultimately evangelistic churches see more persons become Christians through the passionate efforts of highly evangelistic Christians. More than any programs. More than any church events. More than anything else, we are the instruments God has chosen to use. For over twenty years I have been researching and studying churches, primarily those in North America. I... Continue Reading