Jesus’ atoning death accomplishes two things in the person of the believer: (1) It deals with the punishment that we deserve: Christ redeems us from the curse of the Law, rescuing us from the wrath to come (Galatians 3:13; Titus 2:14; 1 Thessalonians 1:10); and (2) It deals with the power of sin in our... Continue Reading

Why does God allow evil rulers and terrorists to afflict innocent people and persecute Christians? Why does he allow believers to languish in North Korean work camps and Iranian prisons? Why does he place Christians under bosses who mistreat them or next to neighbors who make their lives miserable? I know a Christian woman whose... Continue Reading

Planned Parenthood’s latest victim wasn’t alive to start with, but they’ve killed it nonetheless. The abortion provider absolutely murdered any concept of irony. All it took was a single tweet: Every child deserves the opportunity to live up to their God given potential. @HillaryClinton #blacklivesmatter Do they even realize what they’ve said? Essentially every word... Continue Reading

In my twelve years as a pastor’s wife, the one ministry manifesto I have heard repeated more than any other is: You can’t have close friends in your church. This prohibition is handed down to seminary wives and passed around ministry families like it’s gospel truth. Church people might be objects of ministry. They may... Continue Reading

The alternative isn’t for us to turn cynical and suspicious. Instead, it’s for us to become discerning—for the sake of our churches and families. As I referenced earlier, we can be uncomfortable with evaluating someone’s trustworthiness. It seems too close to judging. But Jesus’ words, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged,” do... Continue Reading

The Lord used Luther to help move the church away from the superstitious and mystical views of prayer that were prevalent at that time to a powerful, biblical model of praying. We can use this model in the same way to help us to become more purposeful in prayer.  Luther’s approach encourages refocusing our prayers from... Continue Reading

The leading indicator of a call to ministry is a burning desire for the work. In 1 Timothy 3, Paul begins the list of ministry qualifications by asserting, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” In fact, Paul testified that he ministered as one “under compulsion,” fearful of God’s... Continue Reading

The trouble is that these churches are so massive and wealthy that they can afford to send their pastors all over the world, exporting their dodgy theology and even dodgier ecclesiology.  I have a suspicion that much of the health and wealth teaching which is plaguing much of the church in Africa, Asia and South... Continue Reading

It is not enough for these Americans to say: “I have had my day in court and prevailed.” In effect, they now add: “You do not have the right to hold a different opinion, even if you lose in the public arena. You may not hold on to your belief as a minority view, or... Continue Reading

The definition of platform is not “how many people click on your blog.” Properly identifying it as “a body of principles on which a person or group takes a stand in appealing to the public,” I would align myself with the confessions of my local congregation. If we do this, then people don’t get reduced... Continue Reading