Hi Friends! I’m so excited to let you know that the Kindle eBook version of How I Became a Christian Despite the Church is finally live and available here! I hope to get the paperback version launched in the next 2-3 weeks. Before I do an official marketing campaign related to all this, however, I wanted you all to be … Read More
What I Learned from Megan Phelps-Roper
Although I’m sad that Megan doesn’t pray anymore, I get it given her upbringing, and I learned a ton from Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving Westboro Baptist Church. Westboro Baptist…yeah, they’re the ones with the website godhatesfag.com—the ones that for years have held up vile signs in the name of God and even protested at military funerals. Megan, … Read More
Four Gospel-Centered & Non-Political Things Every Pastor Can Do to Decrease the Impact of Abortion
*This article is adapted and expanded from one I wrote for Care Net and the picture above (from late 2018) is of my grandson Emmett representing! Abortion is a global issue that now affects 40-50 million unborn children every year.[1] As a pastor, I’m with others who see this as one of, if not, the greatest moral atrocity of our … Read More
Should We Judge a Movement By Its Abuses?
“Now, it is undeniably true that some of the more fundamentalist forms of Christianity— Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox— can do serious psychological and emotional damage to people… It’s wrong for Christians (or Jews, Muslims, and any other religious believer) to be so defensive about attacks on our faith that we deny that people within the religion can use its teachings … Read More
Halt vs. Help, Part 2
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback on the article last week. Below are just some of your great observations. For clarity, I’ve added a few words in brackets and put key ideas in bold: “I was… raised on the mission field… I find myself identifying more with the ‘help’ idea… I never thought of myself as part of a … Read More
Talkin’ Bout My Generation: Halt vs. Help
“Ok Boomer.” It’s certainly not a compliment and there’s more anger behind it than you’d think. “Ok boomer” is a growing fad—now on memes, t-shirts, etc.—among teens who are starting to push back against a certain type of older person. As one teen explained, “A boomer is really more of a type of personality, someone who is intolerant to new … Read More
Five Essentials of Spiritual Growth
On Sundays in many churches, personal use of a Bible in any form is unnecessary. Congregants know little of its contents and, barring a possible Sunday school or confirmation class, there’s insufficient training on how to handle it correctly. One mom scornfully described the classes of her own children’s church experience as “God loves you. Draw a tree.” Churches like … Read More
How Church History Helps Us
Last week, we discussed the question “should we judge a movement by his abuses?” Yet, it’s impossible to answer this question well without a basic knowledge of church history. Indeed, as I’ve said here: “a knowledge of history and tradition can provide perspective when church leaders fall or are exposed.” Last week, someone sent me a note asking me to … Read More
Expository Preaching and the Future of Christianity, Part 2
“The ultimate healing of the world’s hurt is not to be effected by legislation but by the redeeming grace of God, and the proclamation of that redeeming grace is the highest work to which any man can be called.” – Congregational minister, J.D. Jones[1] As we said last week, expository preaching is essential to building individuals and families that love … Read More
Expository Preaching and the Future of Christianity, Part 1
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Romans 10:14, ESV Last week, I talked here about the future of Christianity and how it’s tied to the importance of “moms and dads … Read More