As powerful as the Evil One may be he is not as powerful as he would like us to think he is. He is not omnipresent and further he is, as Luther taught us, defeated by “one little word:” Jesus. We should say to him as our Lord said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan.”... Continue Reading

If there is such a strong commitment to fight for the personhood of the unborn, why are there “crickets” when it comes to defending abuse victims? Abuse at its most basic level is an attempt to rob the personhood of the target by the abuser. Thus the silence seems like a glaring inconsistency, at best,... Continue Reading

But American culture is increasingly schizophrenic about death. On the one hand, the culture treats death as just another medical treatment—embracing abortion, infanticide, suicide, and the euthanasia of the elderly and the sick. On the other hand, American culture is panicked by the thought of death. We idolize youth and beauty, injecting our wrinkles with... Continue Reading

When we have done something wrong, repentance takes honesty and we have Christ’s forgiveness. When we know that we must speak unpopular truth to expose false teaching or hypocrisy, we are comforted that in a small way we are identifying with the suffering of our Savior, who is crucified and risen. That is what we... Continue Reading

What confuses me, though, is that most theological terms require this kind of careful elaboration. Suppose, for example, that I said that I believe in the “gospel.” In many contexts, this would be taken as a relatively straightforward claim using a term that every Christian understands reasonably well. But anyone who follows contemporary discussions about... Continue Reading

I suppose giving up is one way to end the culture war, but it hardly seems consistent with the whole salt-and-light business Jesus talked about. There are more people who agree with you than you might think. Every time we speak up–thoughtfully, respectfully, winsomely–we help others see that the revolution has not overtaken all of... Continue Reading

What do you mean I’m supposed to keep myself sexually pure before marriage? What do you mean I’m supposed to forgive people who sin against me? What do you mean I’m supposed to humble myself and lay down my life and serve others? What do you mean I’m not supposed to be anxious about tomorrow... Continue Reading

When looking for a church, one of the first things we’ll want to do is look at their doctrinal statement. And it’s a bad sign if such a thing is hard to locate, reluctant to be handed out, or shorter than an In-N-Out menu. We ought to be wary of the church which indicates, “Well,... Continue Reading

The New Testament instructions on how maleness and femaleness should be applied seem, at least to me, to focus almost entirely on relationships in the gathered church and in the household… When transposed into a modern key, therefore, I cannot see warrant in Scripture for saying that women should not manage men at work, tell... Continue Reading

We’re not meant to bail the world. We’re meant to work with Christ in redeeming it. That won’t happen until we scuttle our desire for escape and embrace Paul’s ethic of work and faithfulness. That is how we live like—and even in a sense become—Christians. If you’re worried about the coincidence of four blood moons somehow signaling... Continue Reading