When “church people” hear—for decades—one limited proclamation of the Gospel, it seems hopeless for a new preacher to get them to think in broader terms of exactly what Jesus’ message is. Even biblically grounded and inductively presented preaching, supported by good story-telling, does not alter the strucRead more >
... The most important component of any worldview is the vision of unseen things - the hopes, dreams, aspirations, and longings - which a person entertains. This will determine the disciplines and means undertaken in life and the outcomes which daily appear in all our conduct.Read more >
... But it's humbling to remember that many of the best songs for congregational worship have already been written by folks like Isaac Watts, John Newton, Fanny Crosby, and Charles Wesley. Let's make sure that we're not so enamored with the present and future that we miss out on what God's given us in the past.
Western readers have tended to read the Great Commission passages (especially Luke 24 and Matthew 28) in light of the autonomous individual. We interpret the commissioning scenes as tasks assigned to individual Christians. But a proper focus on the corporate dimension of these accounts helps us understand the commissionings in light of . . .Read more >
Elders are uniquely qualified to disciple others for following Christ in everyday life, but they must make sure they are walking with Christ in their own homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Otherwise, how will they be able to counsel others and to help them grow as disciples of the Lord?Read more >
Only a creative reason, or Logos, does justice to our experience of the world. Further, only a Logos that is both unimaginatively creative and loving accounts for our delight in the world. When we see the Logos as the source of creation and yet independent of it, when we reflect on the world’s beauty and our own freedom, the Logos quickly assumes the character of the personal God
... restored to Christians the doctrine of the Resurrection and New Heavens and Earth as the goal of human history. The pastor who actually mentions this, however, risks severely disquieting those congregants who are troubled with the consequent thought that their departed loved ones are not already experiencing the fullness ... Read more >
... The unlikely human agent in Christ's pursuit of Mrs. Butterfield was the pastor of a small reformed church from what some might call an obscure denomination. A friendly letter asking simple questions . . . Subsequently a friendship formed with the pastor and his wife. Then she found herself obsessed with reading the Bible Read more >
Looking for evidence that our society is losing its mind? Just look at the controversy over so-called "emergency contraceptives" and a federal judge's effort to make these drugs available, over the counter, to girls of any age. ... available without a doctor's prescription or parental permission to girls without any restriction on age.
... Newton points out that while most Christians succeed in avoiding the more gross external sins, many nonetheless overlook blemishes on their character by passing them off as mere "foibles." ... As a result, these "small faults" cause large swaths of the Christian population to have little influence on others for Christ.
... Rights matter so much because they determine how our society governs itself. ... But for just that reason, everyone who wants something demands it as a right! ... So how do we make sense of this seemingly chaotic war of rights, and how does it create a cultural entry point for the gospel?
In this context, what is the real significance of the Gosnell trial? The Gosnell trial exposes the abortion license for what it is. It forces Americans to look square in the face at what they usually cover up in euphemism and indifference. Gosnell killed human beings. He regularly killed them inside the womb, and he regularly killed them outside the womb.
... you have encountered your own set of villains. You've noticed that they fall into two camps. One is the devil himself and all his cohorts. The other are people who are supposed to be on your side but instead of helping the program, they seem to spend their days and nights scheming and searching for ways to bring it down.
... What, I wonder, if the conservative evangelical church world came to be dominated by ... media organisations, and big conferences? What if leadership, doctrine, and policy were no longer rooted in the primacy of biblical polity and the local church? What if, in other words, all of this became a function of an Evangelical Industrial Complex?
I have noticed that many abortion advocates have been acting as if the atrocities of Kermit Gosnell are a one-off anomaly-as if there are no other late term abortionists in the United States who have to deal with infants born alive. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Several years ago, Jennifer Senior wrote a fascinating, agonized essay for New York Magazine on abortion and the challenges facing the pro-choice cause. Of the piece's many memorable passages, this stretch in particular stood out ... This is quite a brave confession for Johnston-or any pro-choice person-toRead more >
... Eventually gathered together in a single work titled Mere Christianity, the work continues to make Christianity known to millions. You may have heard of this book. Its appeal rests on two levels: as a first-rate work of apologetics, meaning a case for the Christian faith. But on a second level, it is because of the dynamicRead more >
In his last days in office Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta pushed two new social policies into the heart of the US military establishment. ... This is the fruit of Platonic monism, the view that the universe has only one kind of essential substance ...The monist's concept of male and female as interchangeable
In light of the horrible tragedy at the Boston Marathon the other day, many pundits ... voicing their opinion regarding the root cause of our incessant societal violence. One of the more salient liberal responses was from stand-up comedian Jay Mohr who tweeted "What bothers me most about today is that we're getting used 2 it."
". . . the real reason that John was killed . . . was because he had called out King Herod's sexual immorality. You can hear today's critics: 'That's just what you get, John, for poking your head into politics.' But Jesus wasn't ashamed of John's sacrifice.
... the National Day of Prayer. Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, recently named to be the next Transportation Secretary by President Obama, has instead declared today to be "A Day of Reason" for his home city. This is not original to Foxx. The American Humanist Association , whose slogan is "Good without a God," created the NatioRead more >
I have been troubled by recent reports about alleged religious liberty violations in the United States military. Some of the reports have turned out to be more hype than help, but there has been enough reporting to suggest some serious issues of concern.
I was taken aback by a recent article that appeared on Christianity Today's Her.meneutics blog. The author, Rachel Pietka, ... criticized John Piper's recent remarks about whether men ought to read Biblical commentaries written by women. On the basis of 1 Timothy 2:12, Piper argueRead more >
I gratefully accept this prestigious Wilberforce Award, if you agree to certain conditions, okay? We New Yorkers are tough negotiators, as you know, so, listen carefully to these conditions: Ready? Condition #1: that receiving this award be an occasion, like every event in life should be, for me to praise God, from whom all blessings flow, and HisRead more >
How many times have you heard the line, "I need to go where I'm fed. Or it's corollaries,"I wasn't being fed. I just wasn't growing there. I just needed some meat. I wanted something more in-depth." First, an encouraging word to all of you pastors out there: we have ALL had this said of us, our teaching, and our churches. ... So what's up? Two thingsRead more >
... But such a "concept of nature…is entirely dependent upon supernatural (or at least metaphysical) convictions" ... And, the pragmatist account would add, one only comes by such convictions thanks to a community of practice that passes them on, in which one is trained to see the world in such a way.
John Stonestreet asks scholar Ryan Anderson to answer some basic questions about the issue of "same-sex" marriage
National Action Center
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Acton University June 18-21
Grand Rapids Michigan
Learn more about being part of a free and virtuous society. Guided by a distinguished, international faculty, Acton University is an opportunity to deepen your knowledge and integrate rigorous philosophy, Christian theology and sound economics.