What if morality isn’t the heart of Christianity but a byproduct of the Christian gospel? The gospel is not about good people getting better but about bad people being made right with God. It’s not about humans making the world a better place but the Son of God making the world his home and then... Continue Reading

The tension between Andy and his father had been building even before the divorce. They were partners in ministry, but they were becoming rivals. As Andy’s congregation started outdrawing his father’s, people told Charles that his son was becoming a prima donna who wanted to take over the entire church.   Alpharetta, Georgia (CNN) — Andy... Continue Reading

“You’ll never make your mark as a writer unless you develop a respect for words and a curiosity about their shades of meaning that is almost obsessive. The English language is rich in strong and supple words. Take the time to root around and find the ones you want.”   We learned last week that William... Continue Reading

While I listened to my students lambast the article, it struck me that, on one level, they were right: marriage isn’t in danger of being redefined; the redefinition began decades ago, in the wake of the sexual revolution. Once the link between sexuality and procreation was severed in our cultural imagination, marriage morphed into an... Continue Reading

Augustine’s Confessions felt like reading my own journal at times. By becoming familiar with the Christian historical narrative, one quickly realizes that the “New Atheists” aren’t actually saying anything new at all and that the Biblical canon wasn’t simply decided upon at random. Studying Church history can help us develop a strong sense of what Dr. Duke... Continue Reading

Contemporary worship hasn’t worked. The longer we extend the life of this failed experiment, the more we see the results. In my experience, contemporary worship brings in three groups. Baby boomers who are still stuck in their rebellion against the establishment, parents who mistakenly think that contemporary worship is the only way for their kids... Continue Reading

We also reign with Him because He puts His royal power in our hearts to break sin’s dominion. Faith in Christ brings His powerful dominion over sin, the world, and the devil into our lives. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith”... Continue Reading

Toxicity might be an overused concept. But where we see its telltale effects in our own hearts, in our relationships and in our churches, we should test for the carcinogen of pride.  The only remedy is the grace of our God, bound up in Christ, bestowed through humbling ourselves (James 4:6-10).   There’s a lot... Continue Reading

The Reverend Prebendary Rod Thomas said: “It is both a privilege and a challenge to be asked to become a Bishop in the Church of England. The prospect of serving as the Bishop of Maidstone is similarly both exciting and daunting, and so I ask for prayer that God will give me the necessary strength... Continue Reading

The percentage of people who describe themselves as Christians fell about 8 points — from 78.4 to 70.6. This includes people in virtually all demographic groups, whether they are “nearing retirement or just entering adulthood, married or single, living in the West or the Bible Belt,” according to the survey report.   WASHINGTON (RNS) The United... Continue Reading