Human beings are obstinately visual creatures. By this statement, I am referring not to all the typical examples of our visual nature—our propensity for art, the male species’ hard-wired infatuation with the optics of the female form, the fact that Baptist churches split over the color of the drapes, or. I am speaking, rather, of … Continue reading Fruit Salad Diversity
A Brief Reflection on Judaizers
“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so … Continue reading A Brief Reflection on Judaizers
The Indwelling Holy Spirit and Authority in Spiritual Conflict
Two years in a row now, my friend Neil Olcott, who runs our local chapter of the C.S. Lewis Institute discipleship program, has made the unfortunate blunder of inviting me to lecture on the topic of the Holy Spirit and spiritual warfare. You’d think the poor chap would have learned his lesson after the first … Continue reading The Indwelling Holy Spirit and Authority in Spiritual Conflict
Pray This Missions Prayer in 2020
Note: This article was originally posted on ABWE’s blog. Goals and resolutions are helpful tools in the discipleship toolbox. The Christian life demands self-discipline and an orientation towards the future (Philippians 3:12-16). But resolutions aren’t without their difficulties. Often, we, like Israel, pledge obedience and fail to deliver (see Joshua 24:24). The power of our … Continue reading Pray This Missions Prayer in 2020
Have Yourself a Merry, Apocalyptic Christmas
If someone were to pinch me ten years ago and tell me that, by the end of 2019, Kanye West would be producing gospel music, the host of The Apprentice would be president, and Joe Biden would be the most conservative name in the Democratic primary pool, I might have asked said person if whatever … Continue reading Have Yourself a Merry, Apocalyptic Christmas
Seven Christmas Carols That Are Undeniably Missiological
Note: This article was originally published on ABWE’s blog. One of the myriad reasons I cherish the Christmas season is that it is one of the few times when the songs on the lips of the people of God truly match the missional optimism Scriptures associates with the kingdom of Christ. In our day of spiritual, … Continue reading Seven Christmas Carols That Are Undeniably Missiological
Is ‘Obedience-Based Discipleship’ Biblical?
Note: This article was originally published on ABWE’s blog. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded … Continue reading Is ‘Obedience-Based Discipleship’ Biblical?
How Not to Make Friends and Influence People
Once, after hearing a very gracious, gentle, nuanced pastor preach a particularly bold sermon warning against false teachers, I commented to him, “It’s good to see a vertebrate in the pulpit.” To my surprise, he replied, not skipping a beat, “I call it having evantesticles.” (He also knew that puns are my love language.) This … Continue reading How Not to Make Friends and Influence People
Against Concupiscence
Issues of same-sex attraction, the Christian identity, and sexual orientation have once more made it to the fore, and a growing contingent of believers are wondering if the whole thing is a matter of semantics. Terms like “gay” and “orientation” used in the context of professing Christians have drawn much ire from various discernment voices. … Continue reading Against Concupiscence
The Futility of Thanksgiving
There’s a running gag in our family that occurs every time we dine together as an extended family. My father, a creature of habit, always blesses the meal and thanks God “for the hands that prepared it”—covering all the bases, as it were. After the “amen,” my wife and mother frequently chime in that it … Continue reading The Futility of Thanksgiving
