“Of course, not every musician who leads congregational singing should or will be a pastor. But if you hope to join a church staff some day, I want to suggest six reasons why preparing to be a pastor who’s also a musician is better than simply aiming to be a worship leader.”   In 2008, I suggested in Worship Matters... Continue Reading

“This case is the most recent brought about by the great ape personhood movement which seeks to extend personhood and some legal protections to the chimpanzees , gorillas, and orangutans. Prominent advocates in this movement include primatologists Jane Goodall, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, philosopher Peter Singer, and legal scholar Steven Wise, president of the Nonhuman... Continue Reading

“It’s not enough to speak of grace. We must define grace as Scripture does. Rome makes much of grace and faith but she does not define them as Scripture does. Grace is not a medicinal substance with which we are infused in the sacraments. Faith is not a meritorious, saving virtue wrought in us by grace... Continue Reading

“People say prayer changes things but the truth is it doesn’t. God changes things.  We live in dependence on a loving heavenly father ‘in him we live and move and have our being’ and that, as a congregation, humbles us. A congregation that makes a priority of praying together can never be proud.”   I expect in your church... Continue Reading

“The first warning sign has to do with authority. God does call men to lead within the church, but the problem arises when there is a fundamental misunderstanding concerning the purpose of authority. Pastors do have authority to govern within the local church, but rooted in loving service, not in domination.”   Supreme authority, infallibility,... Continue Reading

“There are ardent, veins-popping-in-their-forehead, opponents to the gospel today. They do not wear the uniform of a highly trained, elite force. But they write op-ed columns, hold forth in lecture halls, and occupy seats of power. Do we sometimes think that the gospel is not powerful enough to prevail?”   What better symbol of Roman strength... Continue Reading

Jesus had a simple message for the believers in Smyrna that is needed by American Christians today: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer” (Rev. 2:10).  Do we doubt our Lord’s ability to preserve us under trial?  Do we question his willingness to support us under unjust oppression?  Then of what are we... Continue Reading

Increasingly, I see younger evangelicals (like the one in this Relevant blog post) wondering if they can call their spiritual hang outs with friends a congregation. They are exploring the question: What is church?   Who doesn’t like getting together for a fun dinner with friends and sharing about life? What’s not to love about... Continue Reading

How does this affect the way we read the Song of Songs? This is where HGI runs into a problem, because HGI recognizes the reality of figurative language, such as metaphor, simile, and symbolism. But HGI itself will not tell the reader when figurative language is being used. That has to be determined by markers... Continue Reading

The revival of interest in confessions over the last decade seems to have been preparing us for the times in which we now live.   Those who are not protesting will not be distinctive and will vanish into the cultural fog.  Those who have no confession robust enough to provide an ecclesiastical foundation for a protest... Continue Reading