A listener wrote in to ask an important question: “Can a white woman marry a black man?” I applaud the bravery of this woman because instead of remaining confused she searched for wisdom. What may have been surprising was that the podcast generated many hits. To me this indicated that there are others who are... Continue Reading

The problems that confront orthodox Christians cry out for the establishment of a new and viable Christian culture. At the heart of this establishment is a need for Christians to acknowledge and profess that they are not like everyone else, to stand up for their unique identity, an identity that distinguishes and sets them apart... Continue Reading

Does God use my efforts? Of course. But is the salvation of my children ultimately dependent on my efforts? Thankfully not. I do the sowing, he does the saving. My sowing may feel like insanity most of the time, but that’s okay. He uses the weak to shame the strong. He uses the foolish to... Continue Reading

Last week, Huffington Post contributor Yvette Carnell published “Why Black Liberals Need to Take Back [The] Black Agenda From The Black Church.”  In it, the founder of the Breaking Brown media hub felt she “made the case” that the Black Church had outlived its political usefulness, and should take a back seat to Black liberals... Continue Reading

But I’m hearing a fair bit of defeatism among younger Christians, defeatism that may also bleed into spiritual laxness. Grace is big, and our fundamental reality as believers, yes. But we are saved to grow. The gospel is super-charged. It transforms us (Romans 12:1-2). Paul’s expectation was that his Roman audience, for example, really would... Continue Reading

I would plead with parents to encourage their young folk to make the Church the heart and centre of their life. Yet it is doubtful whether they can coax them to do what they themselves fail to do. The maxim, ‘Don’t do as I do, do as I say’ has never carried weight with the... Continue Reading

Men preparing for the ministry can easily become blindly ambitious, even idolatrous, without realizing it. When that happens, we risk turning our wives into means to making much of ourselves. If they get in the way of our goals, we run them over. It’s therefore critical, as I say, to stop, loosen our grip on... Continue Reading

I’m convinced that we don’t really have a conflict here. What James is saying is this: If a person says he has faith, but he gives no outward evidence of that faith through righteous works, his faith will not justify him. Martin Luther, John Calvin, or John Knox would absolutely agree with James. We are... Continue Reading

So there are a great many things to which, if any mere mortal today were to try them in Spurgeon’s name, the title of this post would make a sufficient response. Here are a few examples: “I know I’m only 16 and I’ve only been saved for one year, but I want to get up... Continue Reading

Good ends justifying means. It is a sad fact that many victims of other kinds of abuse have been asked to be silent for the sake of community comfort. Indeed, community comfort is important. But forcing a victim of abuse to be silent and to forego seeking justice is a form of spiritual abuse.  ... Continue Reading