Whether we owe it to the spirit of the age or to the quirks of our own subculture, we evangelicals generally disdain labels. We prefer to be “Christ-followers,” not Christians; “gospel-centered,” not Baptist, Protestant, or Reformed. This isn’t always a bad thing. Labels carry baggage. And besides that, our primary commitment is to Scripture, not … Continue reading How Covenant Theology Clarifies Justice Issues
5 Principles of Biblical Restitution
Increasingly, biblically-aware Christians are consulting their Old Testaments to help them navigate modern issues of social justice and biblical. Unsurprisingly, as conversations over racial reconciliation escalate within the church, the notion of reparations has come to the fore, and many are inquiring as to what extent it may overlap with the biblical concept of restitution. … Continue reading 5 Principles of Biblical Restitution
Is Galatians 2 About Race?
One of the hardest lessons of adulthood for a young, theologically-minded Christian is recognizing that it is possible both to be right about an issue in the wrong way or to be wrong about an issue in a right-seeming fashion. We can be like Saul of Tarsus, catechized thoroughly in the seminary of Gamaliel, yet … Continue reading Is Galatians 2 About Race?
Whatever Happened to Mercy Ministry?
Author’s note: This article is cross-posted on Founders.org. The so-called culture war is largely a battle over the dictionary. Control the language, control the conversation. Bible-believing Christians know that words have meanings. We are shaped in our spiritual lives, after all, by a Book—by texts. Given this reality, it is alarming how quickly buzzwords fall … Continue reading Whatever Happened to Mercy Ministry?
My Take on the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel
Prolegomena Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; … Continue reading My Take on the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel
When Surrender Is Sweet
If you would, indulge me in a test of your knee-jerk reflexes. What rises in you when you read the command submit? Hostility? Ambivalence? Don’t decide too quick; sometimes surrender is sweet.
Race, Biblical Justice, and Lessons From an Execution
Once, there was a national leader who, though the country had sworn to protect a population of natives, had in nationalistic, ethnocentric zeal instead sought to exterminate them. Years after his death, his actions brought misery upon all the people in the country, causing the new administration to investigate the source of their cultural ailments. … Continue reading Race, Biblical Justice, and Lessons From an Execution
Giants in the Land, Yeah-Buts in the Camp
Jesus is Lord. So, the collective vocation of the church for the last 2,000 years has been, essentially, victoriously waging a war against any idea that would attempt to usurp Christ’s throne (2 Cor. 10:5). We do this not with swords or AR-15s, but with the subversive leaven of a gospel that asserts Christ—not Caesar … Continue reading Giants in the Land, Yeah-Buts in the Camp
Neither Will I Tell You
We cannot appeal to his moral teachings when they happen to match the current conventional wisdom without also being obliged to submit to his absolute authority over marriage, the womb, and our wallets. A partial Lord is no Lord.
Giving Teens the Full Gospel
Have you ever struggled to explain your faith? Could you explain it to a 5th grader? What about five of them in a circle? Talking about our faith can be daunting. Sometimes we’re so afraid to say the wrong thing that we don’t say much at all. It’s harder if students can’t define “sin,” “salvation,” … Continue reading Giving Teens the Full Gospel
