Skip to content ↓

Challenges to the Church of the 21st Century

I am considering writing a series of articles that will discuss some of the challenges facing the church in the 21st century. While I have written about many of these issues in past articles, I thought it might be interesting to address them in a more organized, coherent format. Generally I’d like to use a format similar to:

Challenge – Overview of the challenge to the church.
Proponents – Where relevant, this would list the people who champion a doctrine that presents a challenge to the church.
Challengers – People who have challenged the proponents.
At Stake – Discussion of what is at stake.
Solution – Proposed solutions.
Resources – Recommended resources for learning more.

I will list a few obvious challenges and hope that readers will be able to propose some more:

Open Theism
New Perspective on Paul
Postmodernism
Biblical Sufficiency
Biblical Inerrancy

I am not sure how many articles I would like to write, but by drawing up an exhaustive list I can sort through and choose the ones that seem to pose the greatest challenge.

Your turn!


  • Works & Wonders June 7

    This week’s Works & Wonders offers: The wonder and the beauty, older and rarer, His Love, Ferrari Luce, The Covenanter Story, and cheese curds.

  • Weekend A La Carte (June 6)

    There’s a playbook for college, there should be one for marriage / Ben Sasse is teaching us how to die—and live—well / The biggest tell that something was written by AI / Why China got rich and India didn’t / AI slop is coming for your playlists / The blood cancer that became solvable /…

  • Davy and Natalie Lloyd

    Strong to the End

    You have probably heard of Davy and Natalie Lloyd, even if the names aren’t immediately familiar. In May 2024, you most likely heard the news about two young American missionaries to Haiti who, along with one of their Haitian colleagues, were brutally murdered by one of the many gangs that dominate the country.

  • A La Carte (June 5)

    Can Jesus really sympathize with my specific struggles? / View your past through the lens of God’s faithfulness / Nine marks of a healthy paragraph / When you have nothing left to give / The treasure chest at the train station / When you’re too weird to lead / Headlines / and more.

  • A La Carte (June 4)

    The pastor as anti-professional / On grieving when your loved one’s faith was ambiguous / God’s mercy in withholding wealth / Not mere memories: God’s sovereign purposes in every season / 10 theses on intercession / Bargatze’s ‘Breadwinner’ should be funnier / Podcasts / and more.