I remember one Sunday morning in my teen years on which a woman at church made a passing comment that I was “very pious.” The comment came during an angsty phase of my life, in which I was just beginning to learn theology and take my Christian walk more seriously. I was unsure how to … Continue reading Radical or Reasonable?
Questioning the Kingdom? – Part 4: Two Kingdoms Theology
This article is cross-posted on Founders Ministries. In this series, we have considered the nature of the kingdom of Christ, the fruit produced by that spiritual kingdom, and the priority of evangelism in all Christian cultural endeavors. But it is possible that we have made it this far without truly answering the foundational questions of … Continue reading Questioning the Kingdom? – Part 4: Two Kingdoms Theology
Questioning the Kingdom? – Part 3: Gospel Centrality
When the atomic unity of the first and second greatest commandments is split, nuclear reactions are unleashed. What God has brought together in his law, let no man tear asunder.
Questioning the Kingdom? – Part 2: Cultural Transformation
Does God promise to change our society in the gospel, such that we should expect him to do it if the church is faithful?
Why ‘No Matter Who Wins, Jesus is Lord’ Isn’t Just a Cliché
Earlier this week, I was on a walk in my neighborhood with my three children when I happened across our Roman Catholic friends. After briefly bantering about politics and the chaos of the election, I made a comment to this effect: “Whatever the outcome is, at least Jesus is still Lord.” The wife responded, “You … Continue reading Why ‘No Matter Who Wins, Jesus is Lord’ Isn’t Just a Cliché
Great Commission Christianity Is Cosmic-Redemptive Christianity
Charles Spurgeon famously commented, “Of two evils, choose neither.” Well, to borrow from the prince of preachers, I’d like to argue: Given a choice in a false dichotomy, choose both. Recently, an scholarly evangelical voice took to the web to denounce what he termed “Great Commission Christianity,” defined loosely as “a truncated view of the … Continue reading Great Commission Christianity Is Cosmic-Redemptive Christianity
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
Why We Don’t Send More Missionaries
The math of missions doesn’t add up. If about 7,000 people groups are unreached, and there are as many as 350,000 evangelical churches in the U.S. alone, that if each church sent just one missionary, every people group could be engaged. True, statistics never tell the complete story. As a missions mobilizer for ABWE, I … Continue reading Why We Don’t Send More Missionaries
5 Marks of a Faithful Sending Church
Not everyone is called to be a cross-cultural missionary who takes the gospel to unreached places. So what does Scripture say to those who stay behind? It is just as much a church’s responsibility to send as it is a missionary’s responsibility to go. One of the greatest missionary rally-cry passages in the Bible, Romans … Continue reading 5 Marks of a Faithful Sending Church
Unhindered (A Poem for Harvest)
As autumn arrives, many of us are in need of impetus to carry on in our own harvesting efforts. Does Reformed theology help or hurt in that regard? God's perfect self-fulfillment outside of us, His total delight in the Son, and His pouring out of His Spirit to redeem us dead sinners all scandalously combine to … Continue reading Unhindered (A Poem for Harvest)
