By Chad Thornhill, author of The Chosen People: Election, Paul and Second Temple Judaism. Election is an idea and a doctrine that confuses many, delights others, and divides the church. For some it is the ultimate expression of God’s sovereignty while for others it is the ultimate expression of divine arbitrariness and injustice. The issue for us in this series by an expert on election is What does the Bible actually say? We begin today with Chad’s “five misconceptions.” Five Misconceptions... Read more

Source: Tara Bahrampour : In 1948, when Diane Howard was 4, she was learning to play ring-around-the-rosie. In 2004, when Christian Magnuson was 4, he was teaching himself to install games on his dad’s computer. On Wednesday, Howard, 71, sat in a classroom where Christian, 16, was the teacher. His class: an introduction to smartphones for residents of Westminster at Lake Ridge, a retirement community in Prince William County, Va. Christian began volunteering at the facility a year ago, helping... Read more

Daniel K. Williams: In the early 1970s, when the pro-life movement framed itself as a politically liberal cause that favored the expansion of social welfare benefits to pregnant women, it was difficult for opponents to caricature the movement as a cause of heartless misogynists.  By the end of the twentieth century, though, it was more difficult for pro-lifers to plausibly argue that they cared about women’s rights and women’s health when they were allied with conservative Republicans who opposed federally... Read more

Ruth, how do you think “complementarianism” is connected to abuse in marriages? The most obvious way, I believe, is its silence on domestic violence in relation to its own persona. Rather than denying there is any connection between the two, those who hold the doctrine of male headship should be out in front speaking out against abuse of women. Although my book was released less than a week ago, there have been many positive responses—responses that make me fear I’m... Read more

From Phil Payne, Philip Barton Payne, author of Man and Woman, One in Christ, (PhD, Cambridge) has served with his wife Nancy for the Evangelical Free Church Mission in Japan for seven years. He has taught New Testament studies at Cambridge, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Gordon-Conwell, Bethel, and Fuller, and is known for his studies on textual criticism, the parables of Jesus, and Paul’s teachings on women. He blogs at www.philipbpayne.com. As its title implies, Kevin DeYoung’s article, “Our Pro-Woman, Complementarian Jesus,” makes... Read more

Darren Patrick Guerra: Perhaps the strongest indication that serious evangelicals are not the backbone of Trump’s campaign was seen in the question that asked “which candidate qualities mattered most in deciding how you voted today?” Trump is off the charts among voters who said “telling it like it is” is their main concern; Trump garnered in some cases 70-80% of those voters. However, among those voters who said that “shared values” mattered most Trump performed horribly; he only attracted an... Read more

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. BCP Read more

Source: The conversation that needs to be had over this is not megachurch vs. small church, though that is a good topic for discussion, but What is a church? There is an image of “church” in Stanley’s proposals, a set of assumptions, that needs to set in some kind of theological context. I have lots of respect for Andy Stanley, don’t agree with all he says, and on this one I’d like to get to the bottom of what is... Read more

Mark Sayers is the senior leader of Red Church. Sayers has written several provocative and probing books including The Trouble with Paris: Following Jesus in a World of Plastic Promises (Thomas Nelson 2008); The Vertical Self: How Biblical Faith can Help us Discover who we are in an Age of Obsession (Thomas Nelson 2010); The Road Trip that Changed the World: The Unlikely Theory that will Change the way you View Culture, the Church, and, Most Importantly, Yourself (Moody 2012);... Read more

Great for Amelia Meyer: On Friday night, Jill Meyer asked her young daughter if she was excited about the next day. Meyer’s daughter, Amelia, said that she was, and so her mother followed up, asking the 8-year-old why she felt that way. “Because I get to pick up trash,” Amelia replied, according to Jill Meyer, who relayed the story to a Fox affiliate in Kansas City. Amelia Meyer was the recipient of a special day from the Make-a-Wish Foundation in late February, time that she spent picking up trash. Cleanups were held around the Kansas City,... Read more