Are Missionaries the Only People Who Glorify God?

Last updated on: February 12, 2014 at 11:59 am By Owen Strachan

I just answered a form of this question in a just-released interview with Matt Damico of Southern Seminary. We discussed my new book Risky Gospel: Abandon Fear and Build Something Awesome and zeroed in on how every Christian can live a life of “gospel risk.” In short, whether you’re overseas sharing the gospel or at home changing diapers, you can live a full-throttle life for the glory of God. Here’s how: Christians can live fearlessly whether they’re staring down terrorists who want... Read more

The Pastor in the Public Square: An April 2014 T4G Course

Last updated on: February 7, 2014 at 12:10 pm By Owen Strachan

On April 7-10, 2014, I’ll be teaching the Together for the Gospel conference course entitled “The Pastor in the Public Square.” In addition to my lectures, I’m excited to announce three features of this really fun course! (Registration info below) 1) SBTS President Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. has agreed to give a special lecture on “The Theology of the Pastor in the Public Square” at 2:45pm-4pm on April 7, 2014. I’m thrilled to teach again with Dr. Mohler; we’ve taught together... Read more

I Broke My Ten-Year Rap Hiatus Last Week

Last updated on: February 7, 2014 at 5:49 pm By Owen Strachan

This is the evidence. I hadn’t rapped an actual song as an actual performance (to slander the term) in a good long while. Spencer Harmon and I (aka “Pale Reflection” as a group) did this song. It’s called “Boyce Anthem.” My Boyce College colleague Denny Burk put it on YouTube (recorded by student Matthew Carswell). Depending on your perspective, it may help your interest in Boyce College that a professor will rap live at halftime of a basketball game. It... Read more

Are You Young? Then Come to the FOCUS Conference February 15-17

Last updated on: January 31, 2014 at 12:54 pm By Owen Strachan

In a couple of weeks (February 15-17), I’ll be speaking on “Risking it All for Jesus as a Young Man or Woman” at the FOCUS conference in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. The theme of my talk is based on my new book Risky Gospel. If you’re in junior high or high school or have kids this age, you should come. (Today is the last day to get the early-bird rate!) Here’s the event description: FOCUS exists to aid local churches in producing... Read more

Your Neo-Pagan Neighbor and the Gospel

Last updated on: January 30, 2014 at 1:10 pm By Owen Strachan

If you want to write a tsk-tsk piece on American culture, the present moment is your muse. It’s a bit bewildering, really, not only for an evangelical like myself but for most anyone who values traditional things. We are all our grandparents now. I didn’t watch the Grammys (much), but I’m more or less aware of cultural trends and developments. I can see where things are going. It’s right as a believer to be alarmed, saddened, and discomfited by the... Read more

Chipper Jones Drove a 4-Wheeler to Rescue His Buddy

Last updated on: January 29, 2014 at 2:30 pm By Owen Strachan

Just saw this from ESPN. Pretty cool story in the midst of a scary time in Atlanta: ATLANTA — Chipper Jones is retired from baseball, but that didn’t keep him from helping out a former Atlanta Braves teammate. With thousands of motorists trapped on Atlanta’s frozen interstates by a deep freeze that had engulfed much of the Southeast, Jones hopped on his four-wheeler and aided Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, who had tweeted earlier that he had been stuck for five-plus hours in gridlock because... Read more

On “Shark Tank,” Income Inequality, and the Glory of Entrepreneurship

Last updated on: January 27, 2014 at 11:57 am By Owen Strachan

I don’t watch much TV. But I do enjoy the ABC show “Shark Tank.” Recently, according to the Daily Caller, the leader of the pack got in some hot water. “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary says a new report showing that the combined wealth of the world’s 85 richest people is equal to the combined wealth of the world’s poorest 3.5 billion people is “fantastic news.” I can’t agree with O’Leary here. This is not the best way to put... Read more

7 Steps to Go from the Pro-life Sidelines to the Frontlines

Last updated on: January 24, 2014 at 12:08 pm By Owen Strachan

Abortion is a fiercely controverted American issue. Arguments aside, in a piece I just wrote for The Gospel Coalition, I share a few stories from my involvement in a Louisville pro-life ministry that have encouraged me. Here’s one: I and others have seen women leave the abortion facility, tears pouring down their faces as they comprehend the magnitude of their decision to save their child. I have talked with the boyfriend of a woman who was going to abort her baby... Read more

3 Takeaways from Shocking Study on Planned Parenthood & Teen Pregnancy

Last updated on: January 23, 2014 at 7:04 pm By Owen Strachan

This report is nothing short of stunning. According to the Christian Post, when Planned Parenthood clinics close up shop, teen pregnancies drop like a rock. Here’s what a recent Texas-based study found: For decades, PPFA has publically maintained that it serves a key healthcare role for the American public by educating teens on “safe sex,” providing contraceptives, and reducing pregnancies. The breakthrough study titled “A Longitudinal Analysis of PPFA and Teen Pregnancy in the Texas Panhandle” refutes that claim. Found within a... Read more

The World Needs Pastors

Last updated on: January 21, 2014 at 12:03 pm By Owen Strachan

David Brooks just wrote an eloquent New York Times column entitled “The Art of Presence” on helping friends through suffering. Referencing a Christian family named the Woodiwisses who have experienced multiple tragedies, Brooks says the following is what such sufferers need in tough times: I’d say that what these experiences call for is a sort of passive activism. We have a tendency, especially in an achievement-oriented culture, to want to solve problems and repair brokenness — to propose, plan, fix, interpret,... Read more

What empire defeated the Assyrians and took control of Israel?