Preaching That Engages the Skeptic: What? (Part 2)
Skepticism about Christianity is on the rise. That’s why we need to engage the skeptic in our preaching. The skeptic isn’t just “out there”; he or she is sitting in your church. Perhaps they’re confused and hoping for solid answers. In this article, we’re going to look at what doesn’t work and what might work […]
Preaching That Engages the Skeptic: Why (Part 1)
In Charade, a 1963 movie starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, dangerous thieves have been cheated out of their stolen money by a fellow thief. Apparently, they kill the thief but aren’t able to recover the money. So, they turn their attention toward the widow, a woman named Regina (played by Audrey Hepburn). Unfortunately, this […]
Progressivism and the Resurrection of Jesus
Orthodox, biblical, historic Christianity does not stop at the death of Jesus. It goes straight from Jesus’ death to his resurrection—which is the flip side of the same redemptive coin. In the death of Jesus, we get our sins forgiven, and in the resurrection of Jesus, we get a new life. Progressives often struggle with […]
Who Is to Blame When a Faith Deconstructs?
Deconstruction. Have you been hearing that word a lot lately, too? What does this trending term mean? Well, just like it sounds, deconstruction is the opposite of construction. When used about a person’s faith (as it often is), it means rethinking and discarding previously held beliefs. The word has been used by skeptics who leave the faith altogether as […]
Who Am I? An Exploration of Our Identity as Human Beings
Who am I? Our identity is that we are image bearers of the God who created us. This means that to be human means to be relational, to uniquely reflect God’s attributes, and to rule over creation as representatives of God. The 20s/30s ministry at my church is going through Mark Moore’s Core52 for the […]
Deconstructing the God of Sexual Identity
What follows is the manuscript of a sermon delivered in Ozark Christian College’s chapel on 2/25/2021. I feel some conflict this morning. It is a strange thing to be asked to preach about a god you no longer believe in. I’m not sure I ever actually believed in this god. There was a time I […]
What Is Progressive Christianity? 9 Tendencies
What is progressive Christianity? Progressive Christianity is a rewriting of essential and important elements of biblical teachings to fit Western secular values. Progressives tend to pick groups they feel are the underdogs and then read the Bible through a lens of what will help people in those groups achieve self-actualization. For many evangelicals, progressivism feels […]
Faith Didn’t Heal My Daughter: A Deconstruction Story (Part 3: The Aftermath)
Faith deconstruction sometimes begins with tragedy. Mandy Parsons recounts a personal tragedy and how it made her question everything. Here’s Part 1 and Part 2. Two lessons I learned rather quickly in the early days of Taylor’s death: 1) there is no escaping grief, and 2) there is no escaping God. After the funeral, I […]
