As believers, we often fall prey to the assumption that those who are busiest, are most spiritual. We look at the people in our churches who are involved in all the committees and are at every meeting and assume that they are the ones with the greatest measure of spiritual health. But do you think…
As promised, I bring to you today the bonus January giveaway. Each month, for as many months as I can convince authors to sign and send their books to me, I will be giving away two copies of a Christian book autographed by the author. Yesterday I was able to give away two copies of…
Yesterday afternoon I wrote about discernment and the importance of walking with the wise. If a Christian wants to gain discernment, he must seek wisdom, and to find wisdom he must walk with the wise. Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song called “Walk with the Wise” which contained these words: “I’ve learned to look for…
Thanks to all those who participated in the Total Truth giveaway. The giveaway closed at midnight last night and the winners have now been selected. Each of the two winners will receive an autographed, hardcover copy of the book. So without any further ado, I would like to announce the winners. They are: Bob Rouse…
I am a subscriber to the Reformed Baptist Discussion List and yesterday a member of the list asked an interesting question. He is a pastor and a member of his congregation asked him how he could become a more critical thinker. The pastor pressed him a little and essentially the man was asking how he…
Last week Ellison Research released a report on the use of internet technologies amongst churches. The results were consistent with the findings and predictions of the Barna Research Group three years earlier. The research found that while 90 percent of Protestant pastors use the internet for church related business, only about half of them pastor…
Deceived On Purpose is probably the most important contribution in the ongoing discussion about Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life and all things Purpose Driven. It is one of only a couple of book-length treatments of the subject and the one that brings the most to the table. The author, Warren Smith, is a former…
If The Purpose Driven Church is the “what” and “why” of the church growth movement and all things Purpose Driven, Transitioning represents the “how.” “If the thought of switching from a traditional church to a purpose-driven church leaves you with mingled feelings of excitement and fear, good! It means that, as a pastor, you know…
I am a firm believer that just as one cannot have too many good friends, so one can never have too many good books. Having said that, I must admit that I have far more books than friends, and even then my book collection is quite small. I was speaking with someone this week who…
The silence. This book is all about the silence. Whether that silence is part of the religious practice of Buddhists, Hindus, Sufi Muslims, New Agers or Contemplative Christians, Ray Yungen, author of A Time of Departing argues convincingly that it is all one and the same. As the subtitle suggests, a universal spirituality is changing…
I have often lamented the overuse of the term “life-changing” amongst Christians. It is not unusual to hear people walk away from a particularly captivating sermon or conference saying “that changed my life!” The real measure and test of life change is time, for only in time will we really know what has made a…
It is easy to grow discouraged at the state of the church. As a matter of fact, as one who has invested a lot of time and attention to studying the church, her health and what Jesus requires of her, I often find myself lamenting her state. Writers from all backgrounds and denominations have written…
Death is inevitable. When my time comes, I can hardly think of a better way to go than Rev. Jack Arnold, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church outside Orlando, Florida. He was in the pulpit preaching and died in mid-sentence of a sermon after saying “And when I go to heaven…” And just like that, he…
This article represents the fourth in a series I’ve entitled Five Things Every Christian Needs To Know. The first article served as an introduction to the topic and the next two discussed The First Thing Every Christian Needs To Know. This was identified as “The Bible alone is the infallible rule of faith for the…
Columbia House, that company we have all subscribed to at least once which sent us 12 CDs or cassettes for nothing but the exorbinant cost of shipping and handling (as long as we bought six more in the next two years), has decided to expand its product base to include pornography. While the business will…
Evangelical Outpost is hosting the first quarterly EO Blog Symposium. The topic for this month’s symposium is an article written by David Gelernter entitled “Americanism—and Its Enemies” which appears in the most recent issue of Commentary magazine. Gelernter writes about Americanism which he defines as “the set of beliefs that are thought to constitute America’s…
So much to talk about and so little time. First off, if you have not yet entered the draw for a free, autographed, hardcover copy of Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey, you really ought to do it. She wrote me yesterday to say that the books have been signed and sent to me. The contest…
Yesterday I wrote about my slow realization that Naturalism, a belief system that flows naturally from Darwinism, is more than merely poor science, but has become a postmodern mindset. It is a full-blown worldview, and in reality, is a religious system that stands in direct opposition to Christianity. If you have not read this article,…
This week I received the joyous news that this very site has received two design awards, one prestigious (in my view) and the other nearly unheard of. We’ll start with the nearly unheard of award – The Canadian Web Award. Apparently the Canadian Web Awards are awarded to Canadian sites that are unique, user-friendly, informative…
In the past weeks and months I have been attempting to come to a greater understanding of the North American, postmodern mindset. As a long-time Christian – one who never experienced adulthood without knowing God and who had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home – it is often difficult to understand what…