Five women are included, mostly poor, mostly misfits, widows, unimportant, unknown, sinful women who changed the course of history by their simple, obedient lives. One might suppose that the women in Jesus the Messiah’s genealogy should have all been the finest Jewish women, but they weren’t. Most weren’t even Jewish at all. And except for... Continue Reading

Bluntly put, worship isn’t done by lost, dead people, in ways that comfort their “lostness.” Let me add that corporate worship is not, strictly speaking, evangelism. While it includes evangelism, it is not evangelism per se. And if we confuse this point, if we structure and market Sunday worship primarily for non-believers, we walk a... Continue Reading

When you don’t have anything to say that gives grace: Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear it.”   I talk too much. Way, way too much. But God... Continue Reading

If we are going to ask those who struggle with SSA to reject their longings for as long as the Lord wills, then we must have a strong theology of singleness that does not present it as simply a transitional stage on the way to marriage. It seems that in many churches, marriage is assumed... Continue Reading

It’s easy to criticize Obamacare, both in its principles and practices – in fact, it’s doing a good job of criticizing itself these days. But what about the far more difficult work of constructing an alternative? There’s no question that at least some of the motivation behind Obamacare was good – the desire to reduce... Continue Reading

Being involved in mercy ministries may help to commend the gospel, which is why Jesus taught, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Displaying God’s compassion and kindness by our actions is a good and appropriate thing for Christians to do.... Continue Reading

This prayer encourages me even more in one of my favorite verses, “Hold fast to the confession of your hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). We can hold fast because Christ is the One who truly holds fast to us. He keeps us in his grace. He held fast on... Continue Reading

Even in writing this article, I realize some may interpret my words as being “soft” on the issues of marriage and divorce. I believe sin is always and necessarily to blame when a marriage ends in divorce. Every time. Without exception. However, divorce itself is not always sin. It can be sinful, of course, but... Continue Reading

Because the world has enough pagans. Even plenty of really nice ones. What we need is kids who fully grasp the reality that they have nothing to offer, but who intimately know a God who has everything they need.    *Authors note: This post has gotten quite a lot of traffic. Several people (mainly practicing... Continue Reading

Moscowitz writes that, “in selling one particular version of gay and lesbian life, the movement risks unintentionally casting other forms of gay identity (not being part of a monogamous, married, child-rearing couple) to the margins.” She argues that when news media chose LGBT weddings to highlight, they inevitably included couples who looked and acted as... Continue Reading