The light flickers on in the pastor’s office. He sets His belongings on his desk and slowly works his way through the church building, unlocking doors and turning on lights. “I’ve got to get some of the good stuff next time,” he tells himself as he fills the carafe with freshly brewed coffee from a can. After all the Sunday School rooms are inspected, he enters the sanctuary. The early morning sun pushes through the textured, stained-glass window, illuminating the... Read more
Clocking in at 27 minutes, Jesus Is King puts on display Kanye's newly found passion for God. This is a radical change for someone who, just a few years ago on one of his records, claimed to be a god. Not only is his love for the real God made clear on this album, but also is his desire to reach the lost. Read more
I’ll be honest: I think the only time in my life I’ve listened to Kanye West was before I was a Christian. I never really got into it then just because my music preferences were different, but I heard it through friends who loved his music. I’ve known Christians who listen to Kanye’s old music and I have no clue how someone can get past the cognitive dissonance of what I’d just say is not fit for consumption in any... Read more
Hi, my name is Jack and I am a confessional, Calvinistic, Post-Millennial, Presbyterian. Which, if you have your Christian denominational decoder-ring on, means you already may think I’m a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to having a good time. Many associate Reformed theology with stuffed-shirt, nerds who forgot how to relate with normal people a long time ago. Ok, this is fair. While I don’t think (hope) I’m too much of a buzzkill, I’ve met my fair share of them and... Read more
The fact that John MacArthur’s comments against Beth Moore blew up the Internet, in one sense, kind of caught me off guard because I really found it to be relatively mild for MacArthur. In another, I can understand why some might not like how he approached it, the uproarious laughter from many among the crowd, and how Beth Moore was mocked in the process. However, I earnestly believe more people are needlessly offended in what I would dub the “perpetual... Read more
Holed up under the umbrella of religious freedom for several hundred years, I fear the church in America is largely unprepared for the lurking persecution that awaits her in the coming generation. The separation of church and state canopy that has protected her is growing distressingly thin. Read more
Earlier this week, democratic presidential hopeful, Beto O’Rourke, affirmed his stance on the church and homosexuality. During a CNN LGBTQ+ townhall meeting, O’Rourke stated that he would strip away the tax-exempt status of any religious institution (churches, colleges, or charities etc.) that stands in opposition to same-sex marriage. Read more
Kanye West has been making waves concerning his newfound faith and there are generally one of two reactions among Christians: cautiously optimistic or overtly pessimistic. For those who land hard and can’t believe this to be real–listen, I get it. I have the bar set incredibly low on humanity as a whole, partly because my theology dictates that sinful people are innately good at sinning. I believe that even Christians are expert sinners. Spoiler alert: that’s kind of the whole... Read more
Jemar Tisby recently wrote in response to Brandt Jean’s incredible display of mercy toward his brother’s murderer, Amber Guyger. If you haven’t read the piece, I would encourage you do so simply so you understand what I am referencing to here throughout this post. It is helpful, for example, to see that Mr. Tisby makes some unsubstantiated, yet nonetheless assumed claims in the piece: “Although Christians of different backgrounds shared a variety of responses, this moment was especially celebrated by... Read more
I personally suspect the teaching to forgive yourself has the same roots as the self-care movement–after all, how can you possibly [sic] experience true, lasting forgiveness unless you have forgiven yourself? That sounds oddly like its sister phrase: how can you possibly let your cup overflow unto others unless you’ve filled yourself up first? The reality is that neither self-care nor self-forgiveness are biblical values, virtues, or anything worthy of emulation–they are vices. They supplant not only mankind’s stance before... Read more
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