Get Caught Up on Church History
Followers of Christ should know their church history, not so you can win trivia games at the church potluck, but to get a sense of the sweep of God’s work in building His church in the last 2,000 years. Furthermore, a sense of church history keeps us grounded in good ways, from seeing our moment […]
Human Dignity, Spiritual Leadership, and Madame Secretary: Some Recent Articles
Here are some recent articles I’ve published: Stop Pitting Pro-Life Causes Against Each Other For Relevant on the unfortunate tension between those who advocate for pro-life justice and those who advocate for racial justice: Back in January, those of us in the U.S. celebrated both Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday and Sanctity of Life Sunday. What would […]
Joining Green Hill Church
One of the reasons I love my job here at ERLC is that our mission to equip the church to think through moral and ethical issues. I love the church, having grown up hearing the gospel preached, learning the hymns, and worshiping Christ every Sunday. I loved pastoring. I believe, with all my heart, that […]
ICYM: Some recent articles
In case you missed it, here are some recent articles I’ve written: No Quick Fixes – In Touch Magazine A. W. Tozer famously said, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.” Maybe this is what Paul was referring to when he told the believers at Corinth that […]
The Great Commission Versus the Church Calendar
From my latest piece for In Touch: “It’s not simply the pastor’s job to make disciples, it’s the job of the whole church,” I had said for the umpteenth time in a message on discipleship. When my sermon was finished, I headed to the back of the auditorium, as I’ve always done, to shake hands […]
ICYMI: Trust, Engagement, Mission
In case you missed it: some of my latest articles: Three Important Ways to Build Trust – Lifeway Pastors What is the most important character trait for a pastor? A preaching gift? Theological education? Leadership skills? Vision? Communication saavy? A shepherd’s heart? All of these things are important and essential for the ministry, but none […]
How to preach on race
Today, at the Lifeway Pastors blog, I have an article encouraging white pastors to preach on racial reconciliation. It’s not a subject we’ve often addressed from the pulpit, for a variety of reasons. I also give three ways to do this. The first is the most obvious: preach on race when the biblical text in […]
Here We Stand: An Evangelical Statement on Marriage
Today the Supreme Court issued its ruling, making same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states. I am honored join a broad coalition of evangelicals to sign my name to this statement in dissent: As evangelical Christians, we dissent from the court’s ruling that redefines marriage. The state did not create the family, and should not try […]
A Primer on Southern Baptists
Just who are the Southern Baptists? When I did ministry in the Chicago area (not an SBC stronghold), I often heard evangelicals talk about Southern Baptists in ways that I knew were either caricatures or just plain wrong. This is why I was so glad my boss, Dr. Russell Moore, penned this great piece for OnFaith […]
George Yancey on the Rise of Anti-Christian Bias
There has been a lot of recent debate over the shape of Christianity in the West and how it will cause the Church to rethink it’s posture. What nobody is debating is the increasing antagonism toward evangelical faith, both in the West and, in violent and murderous form, overseas. I had the chance to speak […]
Where the Next Great Christian Apologist Might Come From
Luke describes a poignant scene or series of scenes in Acts 9:19-21: For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in […]
Short-Term Missions Trips: Good or Bad?
There has been a lot of discussion and debate among missiologists about the validity of short-term mission trips. Some view them as an impediment to long-term, rooted gospel work in cross-cultural contexts and others still see mission trips, used well, as a great tool to engage God’s people in His work in different cultures. I posed […]