“Machen didn’t much care for politics. He saw it as inherently stifling and anti-individual. The idea that true Christianity was to even a small degree compatible with any form of statism — socialism, communism, or fascism — was, to Machen, a dangerous fiction.”   Of the Presbyterian theologian J. Gresham Machen (1881–1937), Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist... Continue Reading

“I worked out the pages from the FedEx pouch with fear and trembling and started thumbing through. Turns out I didn’t have much to worry about. Packer’s pen was light and friendly. Most of his corrections had to do with word choices or expansions of my thinking, adding the clarity and theological precision he has... Continue Reading

“During the years of his pastorate, Alexander preached often, led catechism classes for the youth, and yet still made time to answer Thomas Paine’s Deism.  During these years, he developed knowledge of textual criticism, continued to read his Greek Bible, he read one chapter from the Hebrew Bible per day, and read widely.”   What... Continue Reading

If she has a reasoned biblical rationale for her views, she doesn’t really share it. In fact, she says that when she held to the traditional view, it wasn’t based as much on biblical teaching as it was on her trust in what certain Christian leaders were telling her. When she stopped trusting those leaders,... Continue Reading

When longtime Redeemer pastor Mike Campbell announced his departure in late 2015, McGowan’s name was immediately on the minds of many congregants as a possible successor. “Elbert preached a sermon before he was voted in, and people were just lit up — it was like electricity,” said pastoral assistant Steve Lanier. “Then he did another... Continue Reading

To my friends who began the new year with hopes of a buff body: stick with the exercise even if you are still portly. Hunger and weight are complex and are still being researched. Our bodies were engineered for a world in which famines were inevitable. Some of us may simply have been endowed by... Continue Reading

In the report, seven in 10 youth pastors said a teen had come to them in the last 12 months seeking help with porn. With that said, 21 percent of youth pastors and 14 percent of all Christian pastors reported currently struggling with porn themselves. More than 66 percent of teens and young adults reported... Continue Reading

“When we write, a unique neural circuit is automatically activated,” he said. “There is a core recognition of the gesture in the written word, a sort of recognition by mental simulation in your brain, it seems that this circuit is contributing in unique ways we didn’t realize.” The result? “Learning is made easier,” he concluded.... Continue Reading

“Eventually we were taken back to talk to the EMT’s who had brought our daughter to the hospital. To our amazement – and theirs – they told us that while the car had knocked her down and passed completely over the top of her, it appeared that neither the wheels nor the undercarriage had hit... Continue Reading

When Christianity leaves questions unanswered, it can be tempting to consider other worldviews on the market—believe me, I’ve experienced this temptation. However, as Peter saw, leaving Jesus doesn’t really solve anything. We may not always like what Jesus has to say, but we won’t find anyone in the universe saying anything better. He alone has... Continue Reading