But as he took stock of the rest of his life, Campolo decided that there was no reason an atheist couldn’t still be a minister too. Instead of comforting people with the good news of Jesus, he’d preach secular humanism, a kinder cousin of atheism. He’d help them accept that we’re all going to die, that this life is all there is and that therefore we have to make the most of our brief, glorious time on earth. And he would spread this message using the best evangelical techniques — the same ones he had mastered as a Christian.

We should pray with gratitude when we think of our minister: “Merciful Father, we thank Thee that it pleases Thee by the ministry of men to gather Thy church out of the lost human race to life eternal. We acknowledge the gift of this thy servant, sent to this people as a messenger of Thy... Continue Reading

“Yes, Geerhardus Vos, whose biblical theological method is the bedrock for much Reformed Christocentric preaching these days, preached non-Christocentric sermons. At least three, at any rate. I have not read all his sermons, but it only takes a few counter-examples to prove that Vos was not the father of modern Christ-centered preaching.”   My three-part... Continue Reading

“Even though he died at such a young age the impact of his ministry continue to be felt for many decades, and indeed the ripples continue today. By 1855 the congregation had grown to such an extent that they started a new mission church just 200 yards of the Perth Road. This became McCheyne Memorial... Continue Reading

I’m concerned about the pastor who makes growing the church the goal instead of glorifying God the goal. There is no biblical mandate for growing the church. Sure, there is one for propagating the gospel and making disciples. But the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. There is nothing... Continue Reading

In the natural sex act, the human race is preserved, and the man lives on through future generations. But in the trauma-driven sex act that violates our bodily design, his generative power engenders death and annihilation. And so the wisdom of the body presents this contrast: new life vs. decay and death. No wonder we see so much... Continue Reading

Bringing God into the heart of the situation is absolutely necessary because this is a spiritual issue too. Her gender distress has another element of struggle, beyond what she or others think about this issue. And it is this: that to go against God’s design and purpose (and reality itself) brings about increasing confusion and... Continue Reading

In my 15 years of full-time teaching, the only thing I have done consistently in every class is use the first few minutes for writing exercises, and I will continue to do that for as long as I am teaching. I love them not only for the learning benefits they offer, but because they have... Continue Reading

Yet, like many other members of the country’s white working class, Jessie and Tracy feel that the country has abandoned them. When I called him last week, Jessie said that he feels as though the government is “bending over backwards” to help other groups—immigrants, minorities—while ignoring the people hurting in his community. “They worry about... Continue Reading

While the majority of evangelicals see the problems with Vines’s view, Hill’s is more appealing to evangelicals in the current cultural climate. Many who hold or support this middle view may believe that identifying oneself as gay “is a morally neutral issue as long as I don’t act on it,” she says. “We need to... Continue Reading