I am troubled by movements which promise fresh experiences with God or a new movement of God and then market products to support this new outpouring. Those of us raised in conservative but non-confessional evangelicalism were steeped in that language. Everything had to be new and fresh. A steady sanctification wrought by God’s ordinary means... Continue Reading

Liberal biblical scholars are not honest brokers in pursuit of an objective truth about the Bible. They are dishonest truth suppressors peddling a false alternative religion. They don’t want the Bible to be true. If it were true, it would get in the way of their pursuit of their own sinful agenda, a pursuit which... Continue Reading

Just what is it to be united with Jesus Christ?….Of course, we’ll experience that as we worship him in heaven forever.  Of course, then we will grasp everything much more clearly than we do now.  But if our holiness is not just perfect then, but has a true beginning now, and if for everyone of... Continue Reading

I think my comments on dresses and bows were also motivated by laziness. I wanted to reach out to the little ones on the Sunday school hall, but I didn’t make it a priority truly engage them. Walking past them with a momentary “So cute!” was a way to appease my conscience that I had... Continue Reading

On an emotional level, the idea of conditional forgiveness doesn’t sound right. It sounds like we can be bitter toward those who hurt us. It sounds like we should hold on to our pain. It sounds like we shouldn’t release our offenses to God unless our offender comes to us and repents. These would be... Continue Reading

We can take a Bible verse and paint it on stair risers. We can build super-cute baptismals with dramatic sandbag candle effect. We can distract from our potentially offensive doctrines with our own homemade remedy and market it in a trendy mason jar. We can take an Old Testament prophet and turn him into a... Continue Reading

You see, the world doesn’t get offended about generic faith. For after all, that’s what most people have. They have faith in “faith,” and hope in “hope.” And so when churches preach a generic message, they don’t get in trouble. It is when we talk about specifics that the knives come out. “Have faith.”  My wife and... Continue Reading

Sadly the pocket New Testament has become a fitting picture of how many Christians view the Bible.  Too often we see the Bible as a collection of stories.  By virtue of cultural, theological, ritual, and ethnic differences the Old Testament sadly becomes an archaic body within our canon.   I remember the day I first... Continue Reading

Yet, it is stunning to hear the President talk of protecting religious liberty outside the United States, while at the very same time his Administration challenges and chips away at our religious liberty right here at home. Once again, there is a Grand Canyon sized difference between what this President says and what he does.... Continue Reading

The way pastors relate to one another… “Where are you guys at? What are you running? What awesome stuff are you doing?” I’m not saying these are invalid questions. I am saying it is telling that these are the questions most often asked and written about. I think many pastors leave the ministry because they... Continue Reading