Easter at Columbine

Last updated on: April 24, 2019 at 10:05 pm By Philip Yancey

I spent Easter weekend participating in events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School, which sits twenty miles from my home. Tension filled the air around Denver as the anniversary approached. Half a million students were kept home from school as the FBI and local law enforcement searched for a young woman who, infatuated with Columbine, flew in from Florida and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, sparking fears of another incident. The mass murder at... Read more

Evangelical Leaders Support California Death Penalty Moratorium

Last updated on: March 14, 2019 at 3:22 pm By Guest Contributor

Evangelicals are diverse politically, but evangelical leaders on the left and the right are hailing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to suspend capital punishment in California because it has been disproportionately used against people of color. Read more

Evangelicals Call for New Thinking on Criminal Justice

Last updated on: January 25, 2019 at 10:20 am By Guest Contributor

At the 4th annual in Vienna, Virginia, signs of a change in thinking about criminal justice in America were unmistakable. Evangelical activists from around the country shared stories about the problems they are seeing in the system: innocent people being sentenced to death, disparities related to racial bias, unaddressed trauma caused by violence, and so much more. Read more

Farewell, Eugene

Last updated on: April 24, 2019 at 10:01 pm By Philip Yancey

By Philip Yancey—This week I lost a friend, and the world lost one of God’s favorites: Eugene Peterson. Rather than repeat the many well-deserved eulogies in his honor, I thought back to snapshots of some of the times that our paths crossed. Read more

Donald Trump Is No Saint

Last updated on: October 22, 2018 at 12:09 pm By Guest Contributor

Looking to political leaders like Donald Trump as the salvation of the Church seriously confuses a secular office with a religious person and the kingdoms of the world with the kingdom of God. I am not looking for a saint to be our president; nor, am I expecting the president to be our savior. Thus, I have a pastoral concern for those who dismiss Trump’s sin and behavior—that in minimizing sin, they diminish what Christ has done for us, as well as our witness to a hostile world. We are to put our trust in Christ as our king and not in any politician, nation or government. Read more

The Theodicy of the Lord Jesus Christ

Last updated on: August 27, 2018 at 8:33 am By Guest Contributor

What’s the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the word “theodicy”? Nothing, right? Well, the term means a defense of God’s justice in the face of evil’s reality. It comes from two words: “God” and “justice.” Inadequate Theodicies There are some poor theodicies out there. Christian Science, for example, denies the reality of evil. Mary Baker Eddy said, “Since God is All, there is no room for His opposite . . . therefore evil, being the... Read more

The Power of Encouragement

Last updated on: August 23, 2018 at 3:13 pm By Guest Contributor

When facing a life-changing health challenge you will most likely be searching for answers. Read more

More Lessons Learned from Willow Creek

Last updated on: August 9, 2018 at 10:08 am By Guest Contributor

Just as leaders and organizations learned from Bill and Willow during their meteoric rise, let's continue to learn from them during this difficult season. Read more

How Singing the Psalms Provides a Fixed Point for Theological Expression and Growth

Last updated on: August 1, 2018 at 1:38 pm By Guest Contributor

It has been widely reported that the state of modern Christendom in Western society is one where millions of people are being reached “a mile wide”—that is, with quality family-based programs, culturally engaging messages and entertaining music—but often only “an inch deep.” Theologically, the average church attender today is purported to have more knowledge about the drink choices at the church espresso bar than the foundational tenants of the gospel he or she claims to fully believe and follow. There... Read more

Bug or Design Feature?

Last updated on: June 29, 2018 at 12:21 pm By Guest Contributor

In the introduction to her recent book Political Tribes, Amy Chua wrote, Humans are tribal. We need to belong to groups. We crave bonds and attachments, which is why we love clubs, teams, fraternities, family… But the tribal instinct is not just an instinct to belong. It is also an instinct to exclude. Lately, as people wrestle with what it means to be, and to not be, an evangelical, it seems we’re approaching evangelicalism as if it is a ‘tribe.’... Read more