Audience of One (11/26/08 - 12 Comments)
The Call by Os Guinness is a book that was on my list of things to do for a long, long time before I actually settled down to read it. But once I got into it, I was amazed at just how much wisdom it contains. At one point Guinness discusses the importance of living life for an audience of One. He begins the chapter by reflecting on Andrew Carnegie and his lifelong desire to...
What's In A Name? (04/08/08 - 30 Comments)
Joe Carter recently declared that he would be the last evangelical in America. He was being a little tongue-in-cheek of course, but the point was clear. He thinks the label “evangelical” is a good one and and one worth holding on to. “Naturally, I understand why some of my fellow evangelicals prefer not to be saddled with the label. The negative connotations imbued by both our friends and our enemies have weighted it down with...
The Reformed [Baptist] Renewal (11/30/07 - 34 Comments)
Over at “Cowboyology,” Clint Humphreys has posted an interesting take on the Baptist wing of the Reformed Renewal we’re experiencing today. A former Professor of New Testament at Toronto Baptist Seminary, Clint now pastors Calvary Grace Church in Calgary, Alberta. Looking at the landscape of Reformed Baptists, he identifies five streams and suggests that most contemporary Reformed Baptists will fit into one of them. They are: The Neo-Evangelical Stream. Leading Example: John Piper Characteristics: Calvinistic...
Apostasy and Heresy (11/26/07 - 14 Comments)
The Banner of Truth web site features a host of useful articles (1302 at last count). One that I’ve found worth reading and bookmarking is entitled simply “Apostasy.” In the article the author, David Samuel, makes a distinction between two terms that many people mistakenly use synonymously – apostasy and heresy. Apostasy he defines as a rejection of truth that a person once believed. Hence I would be apostate if I were to suddenly reject...
Plagiarism In The Pulpit (11/16/06 - 59 Comments)
Two months ago, Suzanne Sataline published an article in the Wall Street Journal. The article was cleverly titled "Veneration Gap: A Popular Strategy For Church Growth Splits Congregants" and dealt with churches that had been split apart through the attempts of their leaders to convert them to the Purpose Driven paradigm. Last month I wrote an article that was, in part, inspired by that one. I wrote about the church's dirty laundry and expressed concern...
The Gospel (03/28/06 - 36 Comments)
At the Together for the Gospel blog, C.J. Mahaney has challenged the other contributors (Mark Dever, Al Mohler and Ligon Duncan) with two questions. "What is the gospel? What is the most serious threat to the gospel in the evangelical church today?" I thought it would be a good challenge for me to think about this and attempt answers as well. But before I do so, I'd suggest we back up just a little bit...
Knee Jerk Reactions (01/25/06 - 63 Comments)
I enjoy Ingrid Schlueter's blog, Slice of Laodicea, and not just because I designed it and it is still near the top of my list of favorite designs I've made. Ingrid keeps on top of the trends in Christianity. Her blog is an ongoing source for what is happening in the church. By keeping up with her blog you'll keep up with some of the worst of what is being introduced to the church under...
Do Not Cast Me Off in the Time of Old Age (01/09/06 - 0 Comments)
It was just about a year ago that I was invited to submit an article for publication in a small periodical that reaches a couple of Reformed denominations. The editor told me that they were planning an issue dealing with "-isms" and I decided to write about "ageism," something I feel is becoming an increasing concern both within the church and without. I posted an expanded version of the article (which for the magazine had...
The Ultimate Human Judgment (01/06/06 - 0 Comments)
Sometimes my sense of duty seems to come into conflict with my instincts. This almost inevitably leads to duty laying a playground beating on instincts and stealing his lunch money. You see, I attempt to respond to every email that I receive, but every now and then I receive one that just seems like bad news. This happened a couple of days ago. I received one that contained an essay in which the author, with...
Christmas Sunday (12/19/05 - 0 Comments)
In this, the final week leading up to Christmas, Christians continue to discuss those churches that have decided to not hold services on Christmas Sunday. The news, which originally broke following the decision of many megachurches to cancel their services, has put these giant churches on the defensive. Christianity Today's weblog says, "Whatever the uproar over closing of churches on Christmas Sunday means, pastors and pundits are sure that it means something big. For people...
Closed Doors on Christmas (12/07/05 - 0 Comments)
I love the expression "ink has been spilled." Unfortunately it is not entirely valid in today's world in which most nonverbal communication happens in a virtual realm of fonts, screens and pixels. As far as I know there is no phrase that adequately replaces it ("keys tapped?" "pixels sent?"). So I will use it even though it doesn't make perfect sense in this context. In the past couple of days the blogosphere has been buzzing...
We Have Christ's Own Promise, And That Cannot Fail (12/07/05 - 0 Comments)
It is easy to grow discouraged at the state of the church. As a matter of fact, as one who has invested a lot of time and attention to studying the church, her health and what Jesus requires of her, I often find myself lamenting her state. Writers from all backgrounds and denominations have written about the church, and I have read many of these books and publications. The standard book begins with a few...
15 Things I Learned At Saddleback (08/30/05 - 0 Comments)
Scott Hill, who blogs at Fide-O, wrote a short article called "15 Things I Learned at Saddleback." I can't quite decide if the article is hilarious or tragic.
"For my own integrity sake I took the opinion that if I was to speak with any authority on Saddleback Community Church then I would need to actually attend the church itself, and not just take other's word for it. Since moving to California five years ago I have attended Saddleback 12 or 13 times. I am by no means an expert on this church, but I did want to share with you a few things I learned in my trips to this church.
Making Christianity Better or Rock N' Roll Worse? (08/04/05 - 0 Comments)
I used to watch a lot of the show "King of the Hill." For those who don't know it, it is an animated show targetted at adults (like The Simpsons and any number of other shows these days, most of which are not worth watching). The main character is Hank Hill, a proud, Republican Texan who has dedicated his life to selling propane and propane accessories. He loves country music, football, Willie Nelson, Sweet Lady Propane, and of course, God. His love for God is presented as real, but somewhat inconsistent, as we might expect for a Texan who has lived his life amidst one of the strongholds of institutionalized religion. While it is a fun and usually innocent show, I stopped watching it a few years ago.
The Worst of Times: Evangelicalism in Crisis (07/18/05 - 0 Comments)
Phil Johnson posted an article on Saturday called "The worst of times: Evangelicalism in critical condition." He wrote, "...evangelicalism's spiritual condition at the beginning of the twenty-first century is reminiscent of the medieval church just prior to the Protestant Reformation." Then he retracted that statement. "No, I take it back. Things are much worse among evangelicals today than they were in the Catholic Church in those days. Modern and postmodern evangelicalism is just like medieval Catholicism was—only more superficial."
Southern Baptists - An Unregenerate Denomination (07/06/05 - 0 Comments)
I remember my introduction to Southern Baptist churches. My parents had just moved down to Atlanta and were attending Charles Stanley's church (First Baptist). I had listened to Stanley on the radio while driving to work over the past year and was eager to see this bustling church with 15,000 members. I was amazed at the size of the building and quite impressed by the size of the sanctuary. But as it began to fill I came to realize that it could not seat more than a couple of thousand people...
