Evangelical Blogs

I recently sat down with Dr. Gregg Allison. Gregg is Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Gregg recently co-authored a book titled The Unfinished Reformation, with Chris Castaldo. In December Gregg agreed to sit down with me to discuss his new book, as we at Redeemer Church had [Read More...]

Its official. Recent research has shown that the divisions in the USA are so great it has led to some people becoming delusional. The Washington Post reports the most staggering thing I have read so far in this whole saga. A full 41% of Trump voters when shown the photos of Obama’s and Trump’s inauguration [Read More...] The rest of this article is available by following the link above

I recently heard a popular teacher of Calvinism argue that unlimited atonement (“Christ died for all”) cannot be true, because such a notion cannot include eternal security for the believer. This teacher did not seem to realize that it is possible to believe that Christ died for all and that, after one is born again, [Read More...]

We hear a lot today about the effects of immigrants on American religion, and the rise of a majority-minority country. I am always surprised that in such discussions, writers rarely pay attention to an era of US history that is today more relevant than ever, namely the mass influx of immigrants in the previous great [Read More...]

THE EARTH, O LORD, IS FULL OF YOUR STEADFAST LOVE; TEACH ME YOUR STATUTES! — PSALM 119:64 I love creation and I love looking at the majesty in everything the Lord has created. I love looking at the minute detail in a tree leaf and the intricate detail in a butterfly. I love looking at [Read More...]

Editors note: Below is a guest post from Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. teaches at Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Florida where he also serves as a teaching fellow for Ligonier Ministries. He is the founder of Highlands Ministries and former editor of Tabletalk magazine. It is a sure sign that sin messes things up that we keep watching [Read More...]

The Spirit acts as a kind of adhesive, preparing and enabling the human subject to be joined to the body of Christ.

JACKSON, MI – A local man is thrilled that he has finally found use for his copy of the book, The Shack. He was given the book from a person who will "forever remain nameless” last year and has been scrambling for uses ever since. It is now stabilizing a, previously un-level, workbench in his shop.

Does the movie and the book, The Shack, give us a distorted view of God? The Shack The Shack, by William P. Young (2008) has been called heretical and unbiblical, as far as what God is like and the attributes of the Three Persons of the Trinity, even though the book is primarily about how [Read More...]

Last Thursday, February 2, was Groundhog’s Day! But, I’ve been seeing a different kind of shadow. And I don’t know how many more weeks of bad weather are heading our way.Division has become more than a word in our vocabulary. It’s become a way of life, and making it increasingly difficult to keep people together literally and spiritually in the local church.

In 1954, President Lyndon Baines Johnson pushed through a law that would revoke the tax-exempt status of churches and other non-profit organizations if they get involved with politics.  President Donald Trump wants to get rid of that law. What do you think?  Granted that an overtly political focus can make a church this-worldly instead of attending [Read More...]

When I read the stories in Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade, I’m reminded of our own family’s journey of loss—the whispered conversations, the hurried runs over to Grandma’s house, the phone calls with out-of-state family, the boxing up of a house of memories, and the quiet goodbyes. Grandma left us long before she moved [Read More...]

What is a “feathery Christian”? In this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Stephen Nichols explains the significance of the great Puritan pastor Thomas Watson. Have you ever heard of “feathery Christians”? It’s a line from a book by Thomas Watson. Here’s what Charles Haddon Spurgeon had to say about the book: “Thomas Watson’s Body [Read More...]

The road to hell is a broad, paved, smooth gradual slope. By the time a man must abandon hope of redemption, his little graft, his passive aggressive anger, or his little bigotries have become monstrous. Does it really matter if I tell that racist joke? Is it so important that I gossip a bit or [Read More...]

The following questions and answers are from my contribution to Women and C. S. Lewis: What His Life and Literature Reveal for Today’s Culture, edited by Carolyn Curtis and Mary Pomroy Key. I highly recommend this unique and well-reviewed book, which has excellent contributions by 26 others, including Alister McGrath and Kathy Keller. Question: The [Read More...]

This is not a drill, over at theLab, Craig Evans writes on a new cave discovered at Qumran, including some new parchments! This is known as Cave 12 with a possible Cave 13 still to be found. [Randall] Price and his team made a truly significant discovery. Although the cave that the archaeologist and his [Read More...]

As Christians, our devotional lives come first. But at the same time, when we prioritize the devotional the kingdom work naturally follows. This is because our relational encounters with God change us. Their natural effect is to sanctify us and to produce in us a desire to do kingdom work. Who has been the most [Read More...]

What about the testimonies of children who survive botched abortions?

Have you ever given a gift and it just didn’t have the effect you desired? Maybe you’ve given one too many gift cards and you’re ready for something different – something creative! There are better ways you can give – the Bible even has something to say about it!  Below are some better ways you [Read More...]

Privileged to feature this guest post from Monica Matthews is the mother of one amazing daughter, a Grammy-nominated vocal artist, musician, Christian ministry leader, EQ consultant, author, speaker, and host of The Monica Matthews Show. Her new book When Jesus Isn’t Enough releases February 14, 2017! Follow her on Twitter @monicaonairtalk  Many of us don’t really know whose, [Read More...]

For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. (1 [Read More...]

Those who have read my books Revise Us Again, Jesus: A Theography, and From Eternity to Here, are aware that those who follow Jesus Christ are not under the Law. Instead, we’ve been given the... **Click the title of this post at the top to read the rest of the article on the blog. Once you're on the blog, you may also post a comment at the end if you wish.**

What are the 4 Trials of Jesus?

Over-caffeinated hysteria forms the backdrop of the Presidency of Donald Trump. At first, the hysteria seemed the inevitable aftermath of a particularly nasty and at times vitriolic political campaign.  With two such dislikable and polarizing candidates, a winter of discontent was coming no matter who became the 45th President of the United States. But the range and intensity of [Read More...]

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s last words to Barack Obama, as described in his National Prayer Breakfast remarks, are perhaps the most fitting summary of Obama’s anti-biblical and anti-Christian legacy. He said, Obama: “led this nation to champion the killing of the unborn, and not only within its own borders, but in that of other nations across the [Read More...]

The senate confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education was more contentious than any nominee in memory. Senators were divided over her qualifications and education philosophy, and Vice President Pence stepped in cast the deciding vote on Tuesday. The public focus on education and Ms. DeVos created a stir among Evangelicals as well.  Dr. Andrea [Read More...]

You can don ancient vestments, light candles, and chants prayers amid clouds of incense; you can preach like Martyn Lloyd-Jones, sing great hymns accompanied by pipe organ, and love the dappled rainbows the stained glass throws; you can put up the largest LED screens, hire musicians that rock, get the stage lighting just right, and [Read More...]

As I waited for my plane, I was stumped by what I was looking at. If Chinese understood the English on the KFC sign, no one would want to eat there. It simply read, “finger lickin’ good.” (See the pict below) For anyone who knows Chinese culture, this slogan would be like Colgate advertising that [Read More...]

For the last five years I have tried, and often managed, to write something for every Good Friday. There is some overlap, of course, but it’s mostly in the theme of the line at the end of the first column, about my unusual reading for the day: “Jesus and the Holocaust gets the mood and [Read More...]

By Michelle Van Loon www.MomentsAndDays.org and www.MichelleVanLoon.com Hear O Israel, the Lord our God. The Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Readers familiar [Read More...]

A shockingly large segment of the population suffers from the delusion that all artistic judgments are subjective. For instance, when confronted with a claim such as “John Singer Sargent is the greatest portrait painter of the 20th century,” they believe what is being presented is an assertion of opinion rather than a statement of fact. They [Read More...]

Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 Is Life Pointless? Is life pointless? That is the question that the author of Ecclesiastes asks. It is the question we will explore over the next few months as we dive into this great book. I’m not sure many of you have read Ecclesiastes. But I think you will be surprised how much [Read More...]

Just 42 percent of Americans identify the resurrection of Jesus as the point of Easter, according to a 2010 Barna survey, and only 2 percent “describe Easter as the most important holiday of their faith.” I find this astounding. The Resurrection is the faith. A Christian faith not centered on the Resurrection is not fully [Read More...]

So Friday before last, President Trump signed the new and controversial Executive Order reducing the amount of refugees who could enter the United States. Since it was on a Friday, the worship order for our church assembly that coming Sunday had already been planned for a couple of weeks and this was a real curveball, probably for pastors all [Read More...]

On today’s program, I continued my walk through the Lutheran Confessions. I discussed the Formula of Concord including both the Epitome and Solid Declaration. I discussed the history and major teachings of these documents. Here is the program

Republican U.S. President Donald Trump reacted to Judge James Robart’s temporary block of the President’s recent executive order to instantly ban nationwide all people who are citizens of seven named countries in the Middle East that are predominantly Muslim from entering the U.S. by calling Judge Robart a “so-called judge.” U.S. Vice President Pence later [Read More...]

Andrew's reflection upon yesterday's LGBT massacre in Orlando. There is a time for anger and activism; healing and hope. Now is a time for mourning. Don't let your anger for what happened turn into their hate.

Kudos to the New York Times for publishing two excellent articles on Christmas, and on Christmas... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  Truth be told, I haven’t been doing well. Depression weighs heavily on me, and the worst part is that I know I’m not really. It is just a feeling, suffocating the life out of me. Don’t tell me to read my Bible more, I already do. Don’t tell me to look for sin in [Read More...]

Christmas has always been an amazing season in my home. Growing up, I remember waiting for Christmas with intense excitement. Sure, much of that had to do with the latest gift I was anticipating, but as I have grown and have a family of my own, I realize that a deep sense of family and [Read More...]

In the midst of a sporting event that half of America watched, there are 7 incredible teachable moments for today's church leaders.

We must live our lives in a larger structure of meaning than we can build for ourselves. If as a father you cannot trust popular culture to provide it for you, where do you look for it? It is more or less assumed that traditional notions of fatherhood have been debunked. Those of us who happened [Read More...]

I recently read a book by Louie Giglio — The Comeback: It’s Never Too Late and You’re Never Too Far. My “inner lawyer” was riled (as Paul Tripp might say). I object to the notion that God offers his people “comebacks.” There is too much suffering. Too much pain. Too many stories of defeat that end in [Read More...]

This post is part of a larger conversation on the subject of Christians and guns at Patheos around the new documentary, The Armor of Light.  For more responses to the film, click here. Is there any contradiction between a culture that celebrates the sanctity of human life and a culture that celebrates the instruments of death? [Read More...]The post Open Letter to Sarah Palin: We Need to Change Our Tone on Guns appeared first on Philosophical Fragments.

Some of my favorite Seinfeld episodes feature Jerry’s visits to see his parents in Del Boca Vista, a fictional south Florida retirement community. In one scene, Jerry reacts to the petty politics and middle-school social dynamics among residents by saying, “These people work and wait their whole lives to move down here, sit in the [Read More...]The post Why Your Deflated Retirement Dream Might Be God’s Open Door appeared first on Pilgrim's Road Trip.

Thanks for those of you who offered your feedback on yesterday’s post about why I almost left the church. In the comments, good ol’ Basement Berean (a Basement Berean is less aggressive as the Attic Berean, but not as friendly as the rare Closet Berean) called me on the obvious reason I stayed. OK fine, [Read More...]

And now on to Katie Couric. I expect everyone has already seen this little clip. You really should watch it for the breathy cheerfulness. But if you have bad internet (like I do) here is a snip of what she said, “In the later stages of development, it’s when your brain is wired, and sometimes a surge [Read More...]

One of my favorite books in grad school was Henry F. May’s The End of American Innocence: A Study of the First Years of Our Time, 1912-1917. The book is a masterful treatment of the variety of literary, philosophical, and political developments that replaced Victorianism with a modernist sensibility. Turns out, after President Trump’s moral [Read More...]

Today I present a statement I have agonized over, knowing it will be misinterpreted by many, particularly my friends in conservative Evangelical circles.

How should Christians respond to the Trump administration executive order relevant to refugees? In the flurry of activity since the new President took office last month, it has been difficult to stay on top of happenings in the news, obtain clear facts about them, and then think clearly about a biblical, Christian response. I work [Read More...]

I sat in the church as a visitor, invited by a loving friend. I initially felt oddly out of place, but that was dispelled by the warmth of everyone towards me. The music started and the choir swayed. It seems that everyone in the congregation was swept up. Then the message began. And I was [Read More...]

What we believe to be the motives of our conduct are usually but the pretexts for it. –Miguel De Unamuno The Tragic Sense of Life President Obama’s remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast noting several historically accurate examples where Christianity was used to justify terroristic amounts of violence means that as a historian of American religion, [Read More...]

“ERASMUS” ASKS: Why do the religious authorities feel strongly about what we wear when we go about our daily lives, when we worship — or indeed when we swim? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: One evening The Religion Guy was at the house of a physician who got an emergency summons to visit a hospital patient. [Read More...]

My graduate assistant, Hilary Yancey, and her husband, Preston, need our generosity. They are proud parents of Jackson, born on September 28th with a craniofacial microsomia.  Little Jackson requires a series of expensive surgeries. Please consider donating at gofundme.com.  Hilary arrived at Baylor in Fall 2014 as a PhD student in philosophy. She has served as [Read More...]

Is belief in a 'real, historical Adam' necessary for authentic, biblical, orthodox Christianity and, if so, how does one reconcile that with modern science?

I’d like to invite readers of this blog to come with me as I set up shop in a new place. My new homepage will be my main blogging platform now. I also have a new post about millennials and the culture of “story.” Here’s an excerpt: For a millennial, a story isn’t just a [Read More...]

Imagine you are young man in high school. Excellent grades, aspiring young basketball star – the world is your oyster. Enter the back pain, the initial medical consults, and the first cancer diagnosis. Surgery and redo surgery. Basketball career over, in and out of hospitals, a new reality takes form. Repeated spine surgeries not only have the [Read More...]

I try to learn from everyone. Regardless of field and area of expertise, if someone speaks I listen. And I try to pick up tips on how to better my craft. I have a strong belief in common grace. So naturally as I was reading Colbert’s latest interview in GQ, I was simultaneously thinking about [Read More...]

pp. 215-16– He goes with the ‘knows how to acquire his own vessel (i.e. wife) translation of 4.1-8. In every other passage in the NT, the verb ktaomai means to acquire, take, get and in ben Sira 36.24 it means acquire a wife. p. 218– Josephus says “The Law recognizes no sexual connections except the [Read More...]

One of the most rewarding areas of study I’ve engaged in over the last several years is in the area of philosophical theology. Even though my primary area of expertise is biblical exegesis and biblical theology, I love reading in the areas of theistic metaphysics and philosophical theology. Reading the work of David Bentley Hart, [Read More...]

Since any church’s goal should be to serve the spiritual needs of its members and reach out to its community, marriage should be on the forefront of its agenda.

You are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:31 As the chill night has fallen this winter, a little red-capped bird has taken refuge in the grapevine wreath hanging beside our front door.  He tucks himself in behind the decorations for the night.  We don’t see him until we open the door to walk out, and [Read More...]

“Where do I go to find the meaning of existence and the meaning of life? For me, it’s Christianity. That’s the real saving grace of our world, of our species really. What is it? What do we have to do to make Christianity real and realize it? How do we behave?”   + Martin Scorsese, Academy [Read More...]

If you have children, you’ll know what I mean when I say kids, especially your own, teach you about yourself. I have a talking mirror who follows me around – my son. He is one of the most wonderful gifts God has ever entrusted me, and he is a reflection of me (in more than [Read More...]

As I continue my doctoral journey it seems most natural for me to periodically offer up reflections or updates on both the process and my discoveries, personal and academic. This is currently taking the form of a pseudo-series entitled, “The Work of Research.” The actual insights and learnings may be categorized as “insider baseball” for [Read More...]

Every believer is beset by doubts from time to time.  There is plenty of evidence for this in the lives of the great saints and theologians. I have found that the best remedy for doubt is reading the gospels.  Seeing their realism and observing the stunning miracles and crystalline words of Jesus strengthen my faith repeatedly. [Read More...]

On the goodness and beauty of this world I can hardly keep still. I fidget with excitement. To see another mountain range. To discover a new path. To stand on the side of a remote gorge and listen to utter silence. To discover a three foot icicle hanging from an inordinately beautiful mound of moss. [Read More...]

The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is right now, in this very present moment. Just as it was in the now-moment two millennia ago in the ancient Near East when Jesus first announced it, this Kingdom has arrived and in it broken lives are made new. And yet so often this same Kingdom seems elusive. [Read More...]

My day job is writing for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, the folks behind “BreakPoint.” We also do a daily radio minute called “The Point,” hosted by Colson Center president, John Stonestreet. I co-write these broadcasts, so my boss has asked me to share my favorites here as regular blog entries.  Three out of [Read More...]

Richard Niebuhr wrote in The Kingdom of God in America, “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.” I don’t know if President Trump has ever read Niebuhr, but this quote reminds me of how the new President views his relationship with [Read More...]

Eric Metaxas lives in a curious space among those who admire and study German pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In one universe dominated by evangelicals outside of academia, Metaxas is viewed as a Bonhoeffer scholar. In another dominated by academics and Bonhoeffer scholars, he is considered to be a Bonhoeffer revisionist, someone who has hijacked [Read More...]