A Few Good Reads

Last updated on: June 10, 2016 at 7:34 am By Scott Slayton

“Yes, Muslims Really Qualify for Religious Freedom“ In a recent editorial for The Christian Index, Dr. Gerald Harris argued that Muslims should not receive full religious freedom because of the faith commitments of some of its adherents. Dr. Harris’ editorial advocates a stunning departure from the historic Baptist understanding of religious liberty and Bart Barber responds with a thorough exposition of our position on this issue. Barber’s post explores the history of religious liberty and offers some thoughts on this... Read more

To the Discouraged and Weary Pastor

Last updated on: June 6, 2016 at 11:59 pm By Scott Slayton

“Discouragement is an occupational hazard of Christian ministry.” John Stott may be able to lay claim to some of the truest words ever spoken. I wrote a few months ago that pastors sound ridiculous when we talk about the ministry like it is the world’s hardest job, but it does have unique challenges, difficulties, and discouragements. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul lists the hardships he faced as part of his ministry. He received beatings and imprisonments. He endured the forty lashes... Read more

A Few Good Reads

Last updated on: June 2, 2016 at 10:44 pm By Scott Slayton

“10 Ways to Grow Your Marriage While Having Young Kids” Gavin Ortlund hits on an important issue for young families who face the consistent temptation to forget about their marriage in the midst of raising small kids. His encouragement is practical and should be committed to memory. “When planning a date night, I often think, Can we afford this? But when we do it, I always think, I’m glad we did this—we needed it. It’s so important to have times of laughter, recreation, and... Read more

I Could Have Been the Mom at the Cincinnati Zoo

Last updated on: May 31, 2016 at 5:23 pm By Scott Slayton

Many have been talking about the incident at the Cincinnati Zoo this weekend. A young boy slipped away from his mother and climbed into the exhibit with the zoo’s gorilla. Many said the gorilla was acting protective toward the young boy, but the zoo staff believed his posture was threatening and shot him. In the days since the incident many on social media have pointed fingers at the little boy’s mother. Many have quipped that the gorilla took better care... Read more

A Few Good Reads

Last updated on: May 26, 2016 at 7:06 pm By Scott Slayton

“Why are We Flushing Thousands of Years Down the Toilet?” David Murray addresses the confusion in our culture about gender and sexuality. He wonders why we would rush changes in our culture ignoring thousands of years of precedent and comes up with fifteen reasons why we might do so. “Until we understand the motives behind these decrees and decisions, we’ll never be able to argue successfully at the deepest level of the heart and mind. And we’ll never get to... Read more

Stop Saying “God Gives Second Chances”

Last updated on: May 24, 2016 at 10:26 am By Scott Slayton

Often pastors and Christians use well-intentioned, but unhelpful phrases to try to convey the great truths of the Gospel. One of the worst offenders is the phrase, “God gives second chances.” Usually we hear it expressed this way, “We are all sinners and even with the best intentions, we continue to sin. But God gives us a mulligan, a second chance to redeem ourselves. As a matter of fact he gives us third and fourth chances. Our God is so... Read more

A Few Good Reads

Last updated on: May 19, 2016 at 11:42 pm By Scott Slayton

“7 Ways Parents Unfairly Provoke Our Children” As parents we tend to spend much time thinking about the ways our children disobey us and how we need to correct their behavior. Unfortunately we don’t spend as much time thinking about our own interactions with our children and how we need to grow as parents. Tim Challies shares seven ways we disobey God’s command to not provoke our children to anger. “Every parent needs to discover it as well. Parental pride... Read more

Why We Need a Strong Dose of Proverbs in 2016

Last updated on: May 18, 2016 at 10:48 am By Scott Slayton

If you grew up in the United States you have spent your entire life hearing that we are on a progressive march towards a society that is more caring, prosperous, intelligent, and healthy than the societies that preceded it. We mock ideas by appealing to what year it is and marveling that people still hold to what we see as outmoded notions in our wise, sophisticated, and tolerant culture. Any survey of life in our culture in the year 2016... Read more

How to Stop Losing Your Temper

Last updated on: May 12, 2016 at 8:23 pm By Scott Slayton

Some sins feel like they stick around for decades. This is especially true for those who deal with a quick temper and outbursts of anger. You see one or both parents struggle with it, you struggle with it, and it seems like a family trait you just have to endure for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, the progress seems so slow in fighting it that you face the temptation to give up and say it’s just the way you... Read more

What My Mother’s Day Sermon Would Have Been

Last updated on: May 5, 2016 at 9:31 am By Scott Slayton

I won’t be preaching this Mother’s Day. Our family is on vacation and one of our elders will be preaching for our church family. As a pastor I struggle with what to do for Mother’s Day. The day can be associated with a lot of pain for those struggling with infertility, miscarriage, the death of a mother, or relational estrangement from a mother. Do I really want to have people come to worship to hear the good news and reopen... Read more