“The temptation to treat worship as something casual is great. As part of our weekly activity, it lends itself to being treated as common and routine. We easily go through the motions, sing the songs mindlessly, and get our worship attendance card punched. May it never be. We are on holy ground. As we attend... Continue Reading

“Christians, this is how much Jesus loved you. On that horrible day, the Lord could have come down from the cross and poured out holy wrath upon his enemies. He could have given them that which they deserved. However, because Jesus loved you — his enemy — and wished to atone for all your sins, he stayed... Continue Reading

Restoration teams—equipped with manuals to instruct the church on how to reinstate its fallen pastor—wait like tow truck drivers on the side of the highway, anticipating the next leadership “accident.” Grace Community Church, where I pastor, has received inquiries wondering if it has written guidelines or a workbook to help in restoring fallen pastors to... Continue Reading

Real collaboration and cooperation should be part of the functionality of the pastoral leadership. There’s nothing wrong with having one guy provide most of the preaching in a church, but he shouldn’t provide it all. And the service shouldn’t appear as a one-man show. Behind the scenes, church elders ought to exercise the Bible’s permission... Continue Reading

More than a year before the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat had written that once the decision was handed down, the winning liberals would “recognize its power.” There would be no negotiation then. “Instead, all that’s left is the timing of the final victory — and for the... Continue Reading

Supporting our white brothers and sisters does not entail remaining silent about weaknesses and blindspots they continue to have about race. Even well-meaning Christians can do harm by attempting to do good. But we should correct and admonish in a spirit of humility and love. Instead of scathing rebuke we can say, “Thank you for... Continue Reading

In accounts like this, we readers are repeatedly invited to an imaginary table where we sit with Saeed but not with Naghmeh. If writers allowed for the possibility that the reality behind the allegations is that serious, thereby at least withholding judgment until more is known, would they tell this story the same way? Would they... Continue Reading

At RTS, over 88% of our students receive a scholarship to pay for seminary. This gives our graduates the financial freedom to follow the Lord wherever he might call them. Five years after graduation, 91% of our graduates are still in ministry! This blows the national average out of the water. And it’s faithful supporters... Continue Reading

The Bible says that you have a year. I always counsel newly-weds to turn the TV off and hole up together as much as possible for the first year. Don’t try to learn about your wife from stereotypes, books (especially of the “women’s place is in the home” variety) or locker room gossip. This is... Continue Reading

On the personal level, sharing our lives with God’s people as friends doesn’t mean all of our friends need to hear about everything in our hearts and minds. Pastors are men, and as the old adage goes, even the best of men are men at best. We have our own sin struggles and temptations that... Continue Reading