A new paradigm for missionary support is sweeping through our churches. It resonates powerfully with businessmen who often dominate our mission committees. Here’s the concept: Instead of supporting American missionaries, let’s invest in national workers. Bang for the buck, it is more cost effective. Americans require much more support. Salary, insurance, annuities and administrative fees... Continue Reading

Obsessed with cool. Trendy. Impulsive. Self-focused. Caught up in the moment. Probably sounds like a description of some of the kids in your youth group. Actually, um…well…this is not an article about youth culture or the world of today’s teenagers. This is an article about us—those of us in the youth ministry culture, those of... Continue Reading

Pfizer, the huge drug company, has announced that it will be leaving a large research complex in New London, Connecticut and moving several hundred jobs to nearby Groton. Such belt-tightening in tough economic times would normally draw little criticism. In this case, however, it should. Recall that Pfizer played a central role in getting New... Continue Reading

Two of the most famous books in the Western canon turned 150 years old in 2009—On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. But these anniversaries were celebrated in vastly different ways. While Darwin’s book was honored around the globe with films and websites and much... Continue Reading

On October 22, 1976, Clyde Kilby, who is now with Christ in Heaven, gave an unforgettable lecture. I went to hear him that night because I loved him. He had been one of my professors in English Literature at Wheaton College. He opened my eyes to more of life than I knew could be seen.... Continue Reading

And just what’s wrong with religion? I’ll echo what I believe many American’s are saying: Perhaps Tiger Woods does need a dose of “the old-time Religion,” as the song says. Brit Hume suggested recently that Woods, embroiled in countless adulterous scandals, would be redeemed if he converted to Christianity. It amazes me that the minute... Continue Reading

Typically, when I go to the fitness center to exercise in the evening, it’s jammed packed with people. I was running on the treadmill the other evening and noticed an unusually large crowd, I assume because many people were kicking their New Year resolutions into high gear. Fitness center management, it seemed, were leading more... Continue Reading

In recent years, the EmergentChurch movement has become a headline-grabbing favorite of the religious media establishment. Emergent leaders’ books and videos line the shelves of religious bookstores. Press coverage of their activities and pronouncements is overwhelmingly favorable. The movement has received national exposure in a two-hour PBS television special and on ABC’s Nightline. Emergents’ influence... Continue Reading

Q: What’s the difference between just enjoying our food and being a glutton? I heard somewhere that the Bible condemns gluttony, but does that mean it’s wrong to enjoy good food (like I always do around the holiday season)? Where do you draw the line? A: No, it’s not necessarily wrong to enjoy good food,... Continue Reading

2009 ended with a flurry of important events on the climate-change front. In November, the Climategate scandal broke. An anonymous whistle-blower released over 1,000 e-mails from key scientists (both British and American) in the alarmist climate-change camp. The e-mails revealed a shocking pattern of the abuse of science by both American and British scientists collaborating... Continue Reading