A number of years ago, I wrote a blog post asking Andy Stanley to step down from ministry. The reason for this was fairly straightforward, in that while he would not deny the virgin birth, he made statements suggesting that the Christian faith doesn’t hinge off of the account of the virgin birth. This is false. Later on, Andy Stanley also made comments that earned him the spurn of many Evangelicals, suggesting that it was time to unhitch from the... Read more
For many, the King James Bible is an antiquated and archaic translation of the Bible they are quick to dismiss. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you find some who insist that the King James Bible is the only adequate translation of Scripture (contrary to the preface of the 1611 version). I don’t quite find myself landing in either camp, and my reasons for this are largely anecdotal. I’ll get to that in a moment. I’ll admit at the... Read more
Russia has invaded Ukraine. Who all gets involved and how all of this will play out in the end remains to be seen, but one thing is sure: the world is watching. That hasn’t stopped many from speculating if this will bring about another World War, if China and Russia will collude, and if, God forbid, nuclear weaponry will be employed if others intervene, or even if the parties involved currently will use nuclear weapons. It’s understandable, in one sense,... Read more
Toward the end of 2021 I started thinking about what goals I wanted to set for 2022. My esteemed friend Grayson Gilbert wrote an article about goals setting in the spirit of Jonathan Edwards. I find that setting S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals helps keep me from squandering my time and lays out a clear path for achieving what I want to get done. Doesn’t work for everyone but it does for me. Among what I have... Read more
Recently, a pastor named Brian Sauvé said some things on Twitter regarding the topic of modesty that drew the ire of many women and men. This isn’t much of a surprise given how much of Twitter is driven by what I like to call the perpetual outrage machine. It doesn’t take much time on the platform to discover that what Obi Wan said of Mos Eisley is likewise true of Twitter on the whole: “You will never find a more... Read more
As Christians we know that we are supposed to pray, but do you ever get stuck on exactly what to pray for? If you are looking for some prayer prompts that will take you beyond, “uh, Lord…uh… be with them today?” look no further than the four important prayer points that are found in 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5. “(v1) Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,... Read more
My pastor has long used the phrase, “Preach the Word and let the chips fall where they may.” In a nutshell, this encompasses his philosophy of ministry (and my own). The central task of the preacher is to preach. This should be a relatively uncontroversial statement to make in one sense, but in our current church culture, where the pastor is more often seen as a CEO or “brand builder” rather than a shepherd, it is an unpopular statement to... Read more
My short-term memory is not great due to some stupidly sinful choices I made prior to knowing Christ. Because of that though, memorization has always been an exceedingly difficult task for me. Part of this was due to the aforementioned stupidity of my own sin, but part of it was simply bound in up the fact that I became a Christian at the age of 21 and grew up in a non-religious home. I had no concept of much of... Read more
One of the most misused verses in the Bible is Matthew 7:1, “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Professing Christians and non-Christians alike will quote this verse in a myriad of ways—mostly though as a tool for deflection. In other words, it’s used as a “gotcha.” Drop Matthew 7:1 in any particular debate over issues of sin and apparently the debate is over. However, much like any other misused verse in the Scriptures, the problem is resolved simply by examining... Read more
It was recently brought to my attention that Daily Reformation has taken to teaching Universalism, a theological position condemned for heresy by the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 543. The doctrine itself teaches, at its most basic roots, all will be saved in the end. There is no final judgement, where the determination of eternal death will be carried out, but everyone will come to a saving knowledge of the Lord. Think of Rob Bell’s Love Wins. There have been... Read more
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