In September Brent Thomas, pastor of Church of the Cross in Peoria, AZ, took issue with a 9 Marks review of Jim Belcher’s Book, Deep Church. Brent saw the review by Greg Gilbert as not only “snarky,” but also unfair. In fact Gilbert’s review actually received a response from Belcher himself on Trevin Wax’s blog.... Continue Reading

One of the modern shibboleths of the evangelical church, particularly the evangelical church in the West, is that of culture. One must be interested in culture, or one is simply irrelevant. Books and organizations abound on Christian approaches to various aspects of modern culture; there are magazines and e-zines dedicated to the topic; and numerous... Continue Reading

Editor’s note: The following is a response to some who thought the assertions were overstated in the article, “Is ‘Missional’ the Best Word to Use?” I don’t believe they were, in fact, I was quite restrained in pointing out missional’s history, its theological system, and its implications/applications. Missional is not just a single word defined... Continue Reading

Editor: I read with deep appreciation your column “Is ‘Missional’ the Best Word to Use”? Our PCA church, which recently completed a ‘consultation’ program via another PCA church providing consultation, is now having it’s new ‘core values’ outlined in a series of sermons by our senior pastor. As you can guess, calling our church to... Continue Reading

Over the last couple of decades the word “missional” has found its way into the vocabulary of the church, including its Evangelical wing. However, this word has been as difficult to define clearly as nailing Jell-o to the wall. One of the results of this lack of a clear definition is that its meaning “has... Continue Reading