It is not uncommon for evangelicals today to lament that the college campus is secularizing. This is not a silly conclusion, considering the drift of modern elite culture. There is much to be troubled by. But I have been reminded of late that God is on the move at the American university. Some folks will recall that two years ago, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship group at Bowdoin, Bowdoin Christian Fellowship, was officially removed as a campus group (I was involved with... Read more
Every pastor is a theologian. Not just the nerdy ones. Not just the ones with doctorates from well-known schools. Every pastor. In my 2016 message at For the Church, a conference staged by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I made this case. (See the video above.) As I contended at FTC, biblical texts like 2 Timothy 1:5-14 show us that the pastor is inescapably, and preeminently, a theologian. How is this so? First, the pastorate is an office created by the... Read more
It has been a mind-bending, head-spinning few weeks. We’ve heard and watched Donald Trump say abhorrent things about women; many folks, me included, responded to these comments. Trump has been rightly condemned for his remarks. They are beyond the pale. We should note, however, that Trump’s comments and behavior fit rather well with an amoral, sex-at-the-center kind of age. America has largely vanquished the moral scolds–including many evangelicals–from the public square. Though it is unspeakably fuzzy in nature, many people... Read more
My 2015 book on Chuck Colson, The Colson Way, is currently selling for 99 cents on Amazon Kindle (click here to get it). This is obviously an unusual deal, and I’d encourage you to take advantage of it. I’m really thankful for the way The Colson Way has been received. It won an award from Outreach magazine as the Book of the Year (2015) in the “Evangelism” category. Here’s the official citation from Outreach. I was–and am–grateful to the Lord for this commendation. The good folks... Read more
I’m excited to announce that Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School will give the inaugural Scudder Lectures on Public Theology on September 22-23, 2016. Dr. Vanhoozer is one of the top theologians of any stripe in the world, and will be lecturing on “The Pastor-Theologian as Minister of the Gospel.” Here is the schedule for Vanhoozer’s visit to Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: Thursday September 22, 2016 6pm: Dinner (at Midwestern Seminary, free) 7pm: Lecture One | “The Pastor-Theologian as Minister... Read more
Alan Jacobs has just responded to my piece over at the Center for Public Theology, “Where’s Niebuhr? On Alan Jacobs’s Essay on Christian Intellectuals,” with one of his own. It’s called “A Response to Owen Strachan,” and you should read it. Typical Jacobs: very thoughtful, funny, and challenging on a personal level. In my piece, I made the case that Carl Henry, Harold Ockenga, E. J. Carnell, George Eldon Ladd, and others wanted quite badly to engage their culture, not retreat... Read more
I just had the privilege of reviewing Duncan Hamilton’s excellent new book on Olympic gold medalist Eric Liddell for Christianity Today. Hamilton’s For the Glory: Eric Liddell’s Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr (Penguin Press) is a must-read. I would commend it to anyone, Christian or non-Christian, history buff or beach-reader, adult or child, for Liddell’s unique story captured the attention of the world both in his own time and later, when the iconic film Chariots of Fire became an Academy-award winner... Read more
This is a question Christine Gross-Loh of The Atlantic raises in a story about the decline of lecturing in college classes. The article provokes thought and includes some defense of the traditional lecture. I especially appreciated that aspect of the piece and found Molly Worthen’s comments commendatory. Here’s one snippet from the story that caught my eye: Today, the shape of the lecture is evolving, due in part due to decades of research showing that students tune out after around 15 minutes. (No longer than 45... Read more
Today, I have announced my resignation from the presidency of the Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood. I’ve served CBMW since fall 2012, first as Executive Director, then from 2014 as President. It has been a rich privilege and a delight to serve this organization. (I am now a Senior Fellow of CBMW.) I first started thinking over my role a year ago. The responsibilities of full-time leadership and a professorship at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary were not small. Fundraising in... Read more
It is a live question: what is the future of the Southern Baptist Convention? Actually, this is a relevant question for any and all evangelical denominations and networks. As we head into what surely looks like a storm at sea, what do our prospects look like? Will we be able to plant churches in the domestic and global megacities of the future? Are laws regarding transgender and homosexuality policies (SOGI laws) going to bring churches to heel? Will evangelicals see that,... Read more
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