Earlier this month President Viktor Yanukovych gave in to Russian boss Vladimir Putin’s pressure and attempted to ditch his country’s growing ties with western and central Europe. That brought hundreds of thousands of protesters into the capital city’s streets, where they toppled a statue of former Soviet dictator Vladimir Lenin, sang the national anthem, blockaded... Continue Reading

Juan Carlos de Pablo, one of the best professors at the Pontifical Catholic University in Buenos Aires, where I studied and taught, told his classes that, “if economists do not know economics, how can you blame the bishops for their economics?” Pope Francis has acknowledged the role of the laity in many areas, not only... Continue Reading

For many of us who discovered Calvinism decades ago, it was something like a second conversion.  Likewise, for many of us who discovered covenant theology decades ago, it was something like a third conversion.  The thrill was just as great.  For many of us, Calvinism without covenant theology still borders on theological poverty.   Like... Continue Reading

The Monophysites claimed that Jesus did not have two natures, a divine nature and a human nature, but only one nature. That one nature was neither completely divine nor completely human. It was, depending on how one looked at it, a deified human nature or a humanized divine nature. This heresy was very serious for... Continue Reading

Don’t be afraid to admit you could be wrong. If people feel the church wasn’t meeting their needs try to discern if it’s them or the church. If it was a matter of style they didn’t appreciate that’s one issue, but if it’s something lacking from the church’s offerings…that you should have…you may need to... Continue Reading

Pryor is taking a heavenly tack. His new commercialfocuses not on health care, the sequester, immigration or anything like that. It extols the Bible. “This is my compass, my North Star,” he says in the 30-second spot. “It gives me comfort and guidance to do what’s best for Arkansas.”   YOU can make a successful run... Continue Reading

Those of us who are young should learn from our fathers and mothers in the faith. I do not hear from them triumphalism, but neither do I hear cynicism or defeatism. I hear from them tremendous gratitude–gratitude for church plants and a growing burden for missions and a hunger for good theology and a rejection... Continue Reading

And that is why, as long as there are unaccountable but powerful leaders out there who take advantage of the decent, honest evangelical people who fund the operation (and lots of whom attend the churches where many of us minister week by week), we have to hope that there will be those who can neither... Continue Reading

Soon, this frustration of having to perform Christianly and keep up the pretense of loving and loyally following Jesus will be overwhelming. Frustration grows quickly into an uncontainable force. Like a shaken up bottle of soda it needs relief; they can no longer live with the dichotomy between head and heart. Soon, you give way... Continue Reading

Consider complainers; why don’t we have a group for them like we do for people with anger issues?  Even a little acquaintance with Scripture would yield the conclusion that this is very obnoxious before God, and for many of the same reasons relating to fear.  Complaining is also against God’s wisdom, love and power.  Again,... Continue Reading