Dear brothers, the struggles of ministry are great and they take its toll on you, your soul, and your family.  Suffering and difficulty is not a reason to walk away.  But a weary, hurting soul that is totally spent in all areas of his life may need to walk away for a time, regroup, get some help... Continue Reading

First, one must note the irony.  The irony behind this legislation is thick, but missing in the media.  So here you go. This bill is simply a state-level application of current federal law (The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993). That act was enacted in response to Justice Antonin Scalia’s opinion in the Smith case, which... Continue Reading

David Murray recently posted a discussion of Jephthah’s vow (Judges 11:29-40). Reading Murray’s post, one might be forgiven for wondering why anyone would ever have thought that Jephthah made a burnt offering out of his daughter. However, a closer look at Murray’s points, reveals that none of them is certain. In the following, I give... Continue Reading

The general success in creating a favorable impression makes the narcissistic element among Evangelical leadership extremely influential.  They are the most loved preacher of the largest church.  The most commonly quoted author of the best selling books.  It is this characteristic that gives narcissists an inordinate impact on American Evangelicalism.  Narcissists generally put more energy... Continue Reading

The resurrected Christ poured out his Spirit on the assembled disciples exactly fifty days after the Sabbath of the Jewish Passover, which was the first day of the week(Acts 2:1; cf. Lev. 23:15–16). The word Pentecost means “fifty,” referring to the fifty days after the Sabbath of the Passover. Forty-nine days would span seven Jewish Sabbaths or Saturdays, and... Continue Reading

It is wise for spiritual discernment and heart-searching to be put to use in order to avoid being led into breaking the second commandment.  The more lifelike the depiction of Jesus, the more likely it is that images could become impressed on our minds during worship, which could result in violating God’s command by replacing... Continue Reading

I will not pretend that my wife or my daughter were Enochs, who walked with God, and then were no more. Instead I will continue to be haunted. I will continue to walk where they walked. And He will continue to walk with me.   There lies not a thin line but a great open plain... Continue Reading

“Grace” then would seem to me to refer here, not as shorthand for any one person’s individual salvation, (although I grant that it is sometimes used that way) but rather the broader “grace” of being a community of believers in covenant with the gracious Christ of the Gospel. By becoming heretical, the Galatians are at... Continue Reading

I’ve noticed a trend among Christians, myself included, and it troubles me. Our rote response to material windfalls is to call ourselves blessed.  Like the “amen” at the end of a prayer. “This new car is such a blessing.” “Finally closed on the house.  Feeling blessed.”   I was on the phone with a good... Continue Reading

Our culture has conditioned us to believe that “loving our neighbor” requires accepting them as they are. We now excuse all manner of behavior that our holy God finds abhorrent simply because someone we know—friend, family, coworker—is engaged in such openly sinful behavior. We don’t want to appear intolerant or judgmental or “unloving” by separating... Continue Reading