Recently I shared on my blog about The Houston Chronicle’s Report on Southern Baptist Sexual Abuse, and the Lessons for All Evangelical Churches. I want to respond to a couple of the comments I received about it. One person wrote, “If I wanted to find dirt in any organization, I could; the press thrives on slandering the church.” Another commenter said, “So you have ask, how come all of a sudden now all these accusations. It seems like part of the... Read more
The premise behind my novel Lord Foulgrin’s Letters is simple: Given demons’ insights into reality and their plot to deceive and destroy us—this is one conspiracy theory that’s right on target—wouldn’t it be a major coup for us to place a wiretap in hell’s war room? What if we could plant a bugging device where we could overhear our enemies assessing our weaknesses and strategizing how next to attack us? This book took me by surprise. I have long been a fan... Read more
I first became aware of tithing as a teenager when my pastor preached on the importance of supporting the local congregation. His sermon drew on Galatians 6:6: “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.” As a new believer, I was already giving significantly beyond 10 percent to world missions and organizations working with suffering Christians. However, what I determined to do at that point was to give 10 percent to the church. I... Read more
When God’s people were robbing Him by withholding tithes and offerings, He said, “Test me in this…and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it” (Malachi 3:10). It’s as if God is saying there is something very special about giving. He doesn’t say, “Don’t commit adultery. Test me in this. Give not committing adultery a try and see if I don’t bless you.” God... Read more
I was a pastor for fourteen years, and still have countless conversations with pastors. Many of the challenges and issues that pastors face in discipling and teaching those in their churches have remained the same since I was pastoring over 25 years ago. But there are also many new challenges for pastors, including helping Christians navigate digital technologies and social media platforms. Ed Stetzer, who serves as Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College and... Read more
Hundreds of thousands of Christians have at one time or another been part of multilevel sales organizations. Here’s how the Federal Trade Commission defines multilevel marketing: In multilevel or network marketing, individuals sell products to the public — often by word of mouth and direct sales. Typically, distributors earn commissions, not only for their own sales, but also for sales made by the people they recruit. In referring to multilevel marketing practices, I don’t mean “pyramid schemes” based on the multilevel... Read more
Philip Yancey, a writer I often appreciate, wrote an article about his own struggle to carve out focused attention for reading, and how his own personal experience reflects our culture at large. The decline in reading books is something I feel strongly about, as those who aren’t dedicated readers most likely won’t be dedicated readers of God’s Word. Here’s an excerpt from Yancey’s article: I am going through a personal crisis. I used to love reading. I am writing this blog in... Read more
You can listen to the audio of my answer or read the edited transcript below, which has some additional material added. Sometimes we legitimize being mad at God, and we need to start by correcting that. There’s a difference between being profoundly disappointed, discouraged, or even depressed by a bad situation, and being mad at God about it. Being mad is blaming God, and saying, “It’s your fault.” And blaming God is a dead-end street, because in doing so we turn away... Read more
Today’s blog is about a nonprofit that’s making a big difference in the lives of kids with medical needs, and also in the lives of youth in local schools. Our ministry has the joy of being a part of this through sponsorship! Here’s more from Laura Queen, the Portland program director with Sparrow Clubs USA. I think you’ll be touched by reading about their work and seeing the pictures of a child who has been helped. It was so fun... Read more
On February 10, the Houston Chronicle released the first of a three-part series titled “Abuse of Faith: 20 years, 700 victims: Southern Baptist sexual abuse spreads as leaders resist reform.” Below are a few excerpts from the article—though please read it for yourself. (And remember, while this article and the investigation focuses on Southern Baptist churches, it largely applies to all evangelical churches.) In June 2008, [Debbie Vasquez] paid her way to Indianapolis, where she and others asked leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention and its... Read more
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