My family loves the movie The Greatest Showman. Its the (highly embellished) account of P.T. Barnums rise to success. Theres a moving scene where his prospective father-in-law tells Barnum hell never be good enough for the mans daughter. He says, Shell see that and one day come back; shell grow tired of the poor life […]
I keep hearing people say, “When it is back to normal …” Well, that ship has sailed. Even when it is “back to normal,” it will never be the same again. It will be a new normal. Church as we know it is over. The debate about online church is over. Online won. Stop trying … Continued
Throughout the years, many have turned to H. Richard Niebuhr, who classically outlined the various responses that could be made in light of the interplay between Christ and culture, with such famous typologies as Christ Against Culture, Christ of Culture and Christ Above Culture. Yet what Niebuhr actually explained is how two authoritiesnamely Christ and Christians cultural engagement strategycompete with each another.
The Scriptures are clear that as believers we are to be different. “Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth.” —1 Peter 2:11 Pretty clear, right? Fellow Christian, uniqueness should be our goal. But how? Are we to be weird? I don’t think we are to be weird in a “I don’t want … Continued
Conspirata is a sequel to Robert Harris novel Imperium, which chronicles the rise of Cicero in ancient Rome. Harris is a great novelist, and he sticks to the facts and to the actual speeches of Cicero as much as possiblewhich is what make this book so valuable. You feel you know these people afterwards, especially considering the Roman culture Jesus entered. Conspirata […]
One of the most important tasks before us as leaders is declaring the certainty of God’s future in the face of the multiple crisis facing our people, our nations and our churches. Jeremiah had a 50- to 60-year ministry during multiple times in his day—from the failed invasion of the Assyrians, to the total destruction … Continued
You can shut the building, but you can't stop the future of the church.
As this season of COVID-19 has extended, most states here in the U.S. are doing some level of reopening. Most countries in the world are beginning to reopen as well. The question is how does reopening impact churches and their ministries? Implementing a strong ministry pivot strategy is essential. I have served in ministry now for almost two decades. The majority of time […]
The contention of this series of articles is that the Bible is set in the land of wild things. That is, the Bible is more fantasticalbeautiful, dangerous and strangethan we give it credit for. What we incorrectly call the natural and the supernatural, as if they are distinct and isolated realms, are actually part of a single fascinating, and intertwined world, revealing our enslavement to the law.
The Holy Spirit is truly 'God the Evangelist,' drawing sinners into fellowship with Christ. Here is how he works.
