“Christianity unapologetically places fathers (or father-types) at the head of the church and the table and the household, but commands that they lead with a servant’s heart with Christ as their model. The problems stem not from obeying the godly mandate, but from shirking it.” The article goes on to look at the problem of fatherlessness in literature.
A Willingness to Listen
Yes! This was one of my big takeaways from reading Black & Reformed. “Making your church more diverse is about more than just adding another shade to your elder board. It often means having a willingness to learn and be challenged by opposing viewpoints.”
The Theology of Donald Trump
Writing for Christianity Today, Michael Horton takes a look at the theology of Donald Trump. His unfortunate conclusion: “If the working theology of American spirituality is a combination of ‘moralistic, therapeutic deism’ (Christian Smith) and pragmatism (William James), then perhaps Donald Trump is after all exactly the right candidate for the moment.”
Punting Isn’t An Option
“I hear women talking about wanting to go deeper with God, so they buy books written by women who talk about their experiences of God. To me, that is robbing ourselves of a much richer treasure. If you want to go deeper with God, go to the source: the Bible. That is where you will see God, high and lifted up, exalted, in His glory. That will change you.”
This Day in 1780. 236 years ago today, Thomas Chalmers was born. Chalmers was a pastor, social reformer, and one of the founders of the Free Church of Scotland. He preached the important sermon, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.” *
When Faith Is Under Attack
This one-minute video (a sermon excerpt) is worth watching.
Your Meaningless Ministry
“We all want to succeed. We all want our efforts to mean something in the end, to be worth it when all is said and done. But when death comes knocking, I would hate to find I received my entire reward here on earth.”
In Praise of Administration
Put your hands together for the invisible administrators who make our lives so much better and our churches so much stronger.
A healthy body that houses a sick soul is not something to be coveted.
—Eric Alexander