April 25, 2025 “If necessary, use words.” The original (Saint) Francis purportedly said this. Preach the gospel all the time, and—if necessary—use words. To this, we talkers want our chance to reply. First, we might point to when Paul asked, “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” Second, we […]
*Editor’s Note: A common slogan within LGBTQ+ communities is that “love is love,” implying that any consensual sexual expression is a legitimate form of love. At the same time, love is a longtime cornerstone ethic of Christianity. How does love as taught in Christianity compare with this popular view of love? To help us think […]
It was in the spring of 2007, if I’m recalling correctly, that I first traveled to Slovakia. I was younger then, though not so young as to believe I had seen enough of the world. I had not. And it was there I met Miro. He was about my age, but the soundtrack of Miro’s […]
Have you ever pondered the thought, “If Jesus started a discipleship plan, what would it look like?” Now, if you have been in ministry long enough, I am sure that at some point the question of how to do discipleship has arisen. Whether from local members, board members, or even new believers, the question of […]
Young John escaped the ravenous agnosticism tormenting the other disciples by insightfully seeing meaning in the evidence Jesus left in the tomb: the nearly undisturbed shroud meant Jesus had levitated through it, and the carefully folded headband lying apart meant Jesus had finished housekeeping before departing. It didn’t impact Simon Peter that way, however. And […]
What is Good Friday, and why do Christians celebrate it? Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. It is commemorated as the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified. For many Christians, it is a special day of fasting and repentance. Let’s explore Good Friday and what makes a day of execution something we […]
“These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering, which the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai in the Desert of Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord.” (Leviticus 7:37–38, NIV) […]
You want to make disciples because it was Jesus’ last command and one of the most important expressions of love you could show to another human being. I cannot think of a more important focus. Disciple making is to help a person place his or her faith in Jesus Christ (evangelism, conversion) and then to […]
It’s true that the Bible talks about parents way more than it talks about grandparents. The most foundational family discipleship passages in Scripture are written with the parent-child relationship in focus. For example: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7a, NIV) Listen, […]
They come out of their gates each morning and follow him down the street because they know him. In the evening they slip back through their gates as he walks along the street. I grew up as a missionary kid just outside of Mexico City. Our town had a population of 30,000-40,000 people. It was […]
*Editor’s Note: What is expressive individualism and how does it relate to contemporary trends regarding sexuality and gender? To help us understand this powerful worldview, I caught up with Dr. Chad Ragsdale, a Christian thinker on worldview and culture. In this conversation, we talk about modern views of truth and meaning and how Christians can […]
Author’s note: This is my fourth article dealing with pastoral burnout. Recent Barna research revealed that 33% of ministers had given serious thought to quitting.[1] My own research for a graduate studies project showed 63% of those surveyed had given or were giving serious thought to quitting the ministry. Previous articles provide an overview to […]
