While visiting a country in South Asia some years ago, a church planter and friend recounted an event to a group of us. We were meeting to encourage our top leaders as they faced new forms of government persecution. And what better way to encourage young leaders than reading an epistle written to a church planter: 2 Timothy. Timothy, in Ephesus, confronted challenging times as Christians were being led astray by false teaching. Paul, in Rome, imprisoned for declaring Jesus... Read more
I learned early on in my Christian life that the shortest verse in the Bible was “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). It wasn’t until studying Greek that I discovered that John 11:35 is three words, although one of them is a single letter definite article. The actual shortest verse in the Greek NT is 1 Thessalonians 5:17. ln English it is often translated with three words, “pray without ceasing” (ESV) although in Greek it is only two. You can get it... Read more
Procrustes, the maniacal son of Poseidon, violently forced strangers to lie in an iron bed. As the Greek legend is told, if the stranger’s limbs protruded over the bed, Procrustes amputated them. If the stranger’s body was too short, Procrustes stretched the limbs until he fit. In all cases, the forced conformity of the stranger’s body to Procrustes’ iron bed resulted in death. Ultimately, the hero Theseus forced Procrustes to make his own body fit to his bed and he... Read more
I was a relatively young and immature Christian when I attended the university. And, like many university students, I struggled about a career decision. As I recall, it was a particularly confusing time trying to figure out life. Not unique for certain as it’s a common human experience. So, naturally I called my old high school buddy David to ask what the Bible said about my career. He pointed me to a single verse that changed the trajectory of my... Read more
Justin Martyr’s testimony about coming to Christ must be one of my favorite stories of the second century. In his Dialogue with Trypho, Justin relates his encounter with a venerable elderly man walking by the sea coast of Ephesus. The year was about 130 AD when the young philosopher found himself contemplating his search for meaning in the ancient Greeks. Suddenly surprised by someone walking behind him, Justin turned to the Ephesian who asked, “Do you know me?” That simple... Read more
I don’t know exactly why we do this. Perhaps its pride, ego, narcissism—that seems to be a popular word these days—our penchant to be admired. Sometimes its purely to show off. But if you get a group of guys together, eventually they begin to talk about their scars. Maybe gals do this too. I know that when our daughter enters such a conversation with her brothers that she easily stands her ground. Her stories of restraining unruly children as a... Read more
When the kids were growing up, one of our favorite winter activities included pond hockey. In the cold northern Illinois months between November and February we were virtually guaranteed thick ice on the pond out back of our house. Some years were better than others. Nevertheless, we spent many hours on the ice as neighborhood kids and some parents would come to play at the Coopers. By the time the kids began High School, competition grew increasingly intense. Their skills... Read more
One of the hot button topics of contemporary evangelical Christianity deals with the nature of the church. In the still very young 21st century, both critics and advocates lend their voices to the conversation. Admittedly, ecclesiology—the study of the church—traditionally occupies just a few pages, maybe even chapters, in contemporary systematic theology texts. Compared to other subjects, only missiology—the study of missions— fairs worse! However, that is not to suggest that careful thought is missing in these two areas. Just within... Read more
I grew up in a context familiar with the Ku Klux Klan. My first vivid memory of this nefarious organization came near the home of a relative. One evening while outside playing with my brother and cousins, the adults quickly and unexpectedly whisked us inside as a group of white hooded men arrived in the field next to us with a cross to burn. Thinking back to that childhood memory repulses and frightens me at the same time. The human... Read more
“What is God’s will?” I posed the question to Christopher as we were driving. His response was shocking and revealing. “We are Coopers. God’s will is for us to evangelize.” He nailed it! Not only did it cause me to rejoice that Loré and I must have done something right in our children’s discipleship, but his answer hammered the importance of our identity as disciples. Disciples are on God’s mission to tell others about Christ. In fact, it comprises the... Read more
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