Timothy Tennent, a conservative Methodist and president of Asbury Seminary, contends that in our current cultural moment Christians have largely come to be known more for what we are against rather than what we are for. And this is especially true when it… Read More ›
Contemporary Issues/Ethics
Some Thoughts on How to Pray for America
In a country that is shaking, God’s kingdom will continue to advance. Here’s how we can pray together for our nation’s healing.
Those Who Hunger for Justice Will Be Satisfied (Matthew 5:6)
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” — Matthew 5:6 (ESV). Jesus pronounces blessing on all those who have an appetite for “righteousness.” Why? Because they will have their fill. Their hunger will be… Read More ›
Longing for Presence
Back when the Covid outbreak was still in its early stages, I wrote a post about the biggest spiritual questions I was pondering at the time (you can read it here: Burning Questions). In the nearly two months since I… Read More ›
3 Things for the Church to Keep in Mind After the Coronavirus
My wife and I were grateful to be able to get together with some of our young adult ministry students for an online video chat last night. As part of the discussion, we asked everyone what they all thought was… Read More ›
Should We Take Communion Virtually?
Well folks, I was planning on writing a piece about whether or not churches who are in quarantine mode should partake of the Lord’s Supper/Communion virtually, when to my surprise I just came across an article by the folks at For… Read More ›
Five Crucial Implications of the Church’s Mission
Working off of my definition of the church’s mission as participating in the mission of Christ to proclaim the gospel in word and deed by making disciples who make disciples, teaching and obeying God’s word, and loving and serving others… Read More ›
Some Thought-Provoking Quotes on the Mission of the Church
After sharing about my understanding of the Christian church’s mission yesterday, here are four great quotes I’m chewing on about the subject. The first three are quoted in the introduction to Michael Gorman’s book, Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and… Read More ›
What is the Mission of the Church?
It’s awfully hard to hit a target if you don’t even know what the target is. Successful organizations know this — it’s why they have “mission statements.” Having a clear definition of your mission is the first step to achieving… Read More ›
Was Jesus a Bigot? A Response to Sarah Bessey on Affirming Homosexuality
Out of the blue, my sister recently sent me an email asking for my thoughts on an article she had read. It was a popular post by author Sarah Bessey called “Penny in the Air: My Story of Becoming Affirming.”… Read More ›