At a recent medical consult, a doctor strongly recommended I schedule a particular outpatient surgical procedure. Since I’d been having some discomfort, I quickly obliged and booked the appointment. Of course, as the date of the surgery drew near, I weighed the costs and realized my recovery would be far worse than my current discomfort. … Continue reading Resentment and the Market Demand for ‘Reconciliation’
You Don’t Need to Be ‘Woke’ to Be Biblical: A Review of Eric Mason’s ‘Woke Church’
Contrary to Dr. Mason’s claims, we do not need to be “woke” to care about suffering and injustice. By adopting the world’s lingo, we’re playing into a larger agenda that deemphasizes the gospel of guilt, grace, and gratitude. We simply need to be biblical.
Why Do Missions When Our Own Nation Is in Flames?
Author’s note: This article is cross-posted on ABWE.org. If you’re anything like me, it’s been hard to pray for the nations when our own is in such turmoil. I speak from the perspective of an American, but I recognize that this conversation extends to people in any number of Western countries. As I write this post, the state of New York has … Continue reading Why Do Missions When Our Own Nation Is in Flames?
3 Reasons Definite Atonement is Basic to Biblical Missions
“Sit down, young man. When God decides to save the heathen, he will do it without your help.” These were the words of John Ryland to a passionate, young English Particular Baptist named William Carey, now known to us as the father of the modern missionary movement. Since then, the temptation to pit Reformed theology … Continue reading 3 Reasons Definite Atonement is Basic to Biblical Missions
Learn How to ‘Adult’ Before You ‘Missionary’
Author's note: This article is cross-posted on Founders.org and ABWE.org. Every head bowed, every eye closed. Good. Now, do you feel a stirring deep in your soul when I talk about missions? If so, stand up. If you’ve spent any time in evangelicalism, you know all too well this familiar scene, when the trajectory of one’s life boils down to a single, mystical moment … Continue reading Learn How to ‘Adult’ Before You ‘Missionary’
Are Some Cultures ‘Better’ Than Others?
Author’s note: this article is cross-posted on Founders.org. “When I went to war, I marked my enemies like a sniper. And when I got to them, I chopped their heads off with a knife.” These are the translated words of Wangloi Wangshu, one of the few surviving members of the Naga headhunting tribe in northern India, documented … Continue reading Are Some Cultures ‘Better’ Than Others?
Is Platform-Building a Sin? (With 11 Diagnostic Questions)
If humility is a Christian virtue, false humility is an evangelical vice. Such describes the state of the Christian blogosphere, which itself is marked both by its fair share of platform-building efforts and humble hot takes repudiating the practice itself. Scripture is clear in stating that a haughty spirit precedes destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Exaltation in … Continue reading Is Platform-Building a Sin? (With 11 Diagnostic Questions)
The Government of What?
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with … Continue reading The Government of What?
The Great Commission Isn’t a Farewell Address
Can you identify the sources of these famous last words? “Money can’t buy life.” “I’m so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.” “Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.” The answers are Bob Marley, J. Gresham Machen, and Karl Marx, in that order. A person’s deathbed words are … Continue reading The Great Commission Isn’t a Farewell Address
The Fruit of Faithful Presence: Reflecting on Pastor Wang Yi
In recent weeks, over 100 members of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, have been imprisoned. Among them is Pastor Wang Yi, one of China’s foremost Protestant pastors and Christian leaders. Foreseeing this possibility, Pastor Yi drafted a letter, “My Declaration of Faithful Disobedience,” leaving it in the keeping of his church to be … Continue reading The Fruit of Faithful Presence: Reflecting on Pastor Wang Yi
