The Bible knows nothing of lone Christians, of believers who are willfully independent from a local church. Rather, Christians gather in communities to worship together and serve one another. And as God commands his people to gather in community, he also commands them to be led—led by men called and qualified as pastors or elders…
There is no sin that cannot be overcome, no transgression that cannot be put to death, no consequence so grave it cannot be undone in 365 days. At least, that’s what you might think as you read about pastors and other Christian leaders who rise, fall, and rise again. It’s the unwritten but often-followed “one-year…
The New Testament clearly, repeatedly, and unapologetically lays out the qualifications of a pastor. What is so remarkable yet so often overlooked is this: Pastors are called and qualified to their ministry not first through their raw talent, their finely-honed skill, or their great accomplishments, but through their godly character. Of all the many qualifications…
In many ways, the Reformed resurgence of the past couple of decades has been built upon a particular style of preaching. Many Reformed leaders have faithfully practiced and forcefully advocated what we might call “consecutive exposition.” This is the practice of preaching from the beginning of a book of the Bible to the end, then…
You know the rule with Iain Murray’s books, right? If he writes it, you read it! You can simply never go wrong. The rule proves itself true once again with his newest work, Seven Leaders. The thirteenth chapter of Hebrews exhorts us, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider…
So how many people go to your church? This is the question nearly every pastor faces at just about every conference he attends. I’ve written about the question before but, having spent the week at Together for the Gospel, and having been part of many conversations, it seems like a good time to revisit it.…
I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Of all the books I have received recently, here are the ones that appear most noteworthy. Christianity &…
There is etiquette that surrounds the disposal of a flag. According to VFW, the dignified way to dispose of a tattered or soiled flag is to burn it, but to do so with discretion and to ensure that it has been entirely consumed. The reason flags are treated with respect is that they are symbolic.…
This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by first-time sponsor Hendrickson Publishers. Hendrickson focuses on publishing Bibles and academic materials and they’ve got just the thing to interest you: The ESV Looseleaf Bible. They are offering five of them which means there will be five winners today. The looseleaf format is very helpful for studying…
Last year I put together a list of unique Christmas gift ideas. This year I wanted to reprise that post while adding and taking away a couple of items. Here are 9 unique gifts you might offer someone for Christmas this year–things that may not be on your radar but would still make a good…
I have always loved language, and the English language in particular. In fact, part of the reason I love to read is not to learn new things, but to learn how other people use words. When I read an author like Malcolm Gladwell, a very gifted writer, I learn more about language than about the…
I apologize for the extensive downtime yesterday. It turns out that one user somewhere in the world was working overtime at trying to bring my site down. Eventually the site administrators figured it out and blocked him. It seems now that all is well. Hopefully it will remain that way. Bibles on Sale – Westminster…
Ministering the Master’s Way is a unique little series published by DayOne. It is a series that knows exactly the audience it is trying to reach–the pastor or elder of the local church. Each of the books looks to a different practical aspect of the Christian ministry. Many of the titles deal with very niche…
Over the past few days I’ve logged into Google Reader to find a strangely large number of unread articles. As I’ve flipped through I’ve found that in each case a certain site is at fault and that this site has refreshed their entire RSS feed. First it was the Sovereign Grace Ministries blog, then Desiring…
The Future of Evangelicalism – Patheos has invited a long list of people to submit an article about the future of evangelicalism. Some of them are really quite good. Be sure to check out the one by Justin Taylor, Collin Hansen and Kevin DeYoung. A Shout Out to Moms – Jon Seger: “Any time someone…
ESV Bible + – The ESV Bible + app for iPhones and iPad is now available. In addition to the ESV, it contains the ESV Study Bible and the ESV audio. The God That Failed – Carl Trueman writes just a few words about Anne Rice’s recent statement that she can no longer call herself…
MacArthur ESV Study BibleCrossway has officially announced that the MacArthur Study Bible is coming in the ESV. You can watch this video to see MacArthur introduce it. The Importance of Seminary TrainingSpeaking of MacArthur, he and three others answered this question yesterday at the Shepherds’ Conference: “What is the importance of seminary training?” Math of…
I’ve never been mistaken for Brad Pitt. Not once. Neither has anybody ever stopped me on the street only to look disappointed, apologize and say, “I’m sorry, I thought you were Johnny Depp.” It just never happens. There’s a reason for this. Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp are remarkably handsome guys. While we all know…
Updated NIV in 2011Everyone’s talking about it. “Biblica, the Committee on Bible Translation and evangelical publisher Zondervan jointly announced the newest New International Version Bible — and acknowledged they were still singed by the fire and brimstone cast down on earlier update efforts.” In other words, the TNIV will disappear and will be replaced by…
Did Evangelicals Curb the Housing Bubble?“A new study by Christopher W. Crowe, an economist for the International Monetary Fund, found that during the last two housing booms in the United States, regions with high concentrations of evangelicals saw lower gains in home prices and less volatility than similar regions with fewer evangelical residents.” Saddleback SillinessThis…