I’m a Protestant who believes Luther made an awful lot of mistakes, but got the big thing right—the gospel.- Mark Noll This summer I traveled to Sacramento to attend the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). A highlight of my week was getting to hear EPC member and American historian Mark Noll. In honor of the 500th anniversary of the … Read More
What I’ve Learned from My Catholic Friends
In an interview celebrating the legendary friendship of J.R.R. Tolkien, a Roman Catholic, and C.S. Lewis, evangelicalism’s “patron saint,” British author Colin Duriez describes what Lewis learned from Tolkien: [Tolkien showed him that] “the nourishment he had always received from great myths and fantasy stories was a taste of that greatest, truest story– of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ… Lewis … Read More
Women in Church Leadership, Part 2
“Women have more to offer the church than mad decorating skills or craft nights. I look around: I see women who can offer strategic leadership, wisdom, counsel, and teaching.” ― Sarah Bessey, (egalitarian) “What women rightly long for is spiritual and moral initiative from a man, not spiritual and moral domination.”[1] -John Piper (complementarian) I mentioned last week that the … Read More
Women in Church Leadership, Part 1
In a previous fellowship of churches, I was often asked to speak when a pastor was away. On one occasion, I asked my daughter to read the passage I was preaching on that morning before I spoke. To my surprise, a fellow pastor in our denomination wrote a letter questioning why we would let a woman stand behind the sacred … Read More
Wary & Tepid No More
Abortion makes us uncomfortable. It’s an extreme topic associated with extreme politics—right or left—and we don’t like controversy. I understand. I must write about this, however, and here’s the reason: Although I hate partisan politics, I love children—especially their potential and this includes those yet unborn. Further, having experienced the joy of being a father, as a minister of the … Read More
In Pursuit of Authentic Worship, Part 2
In part one, I talked about church services that make me want to run rather than worship, and trends that may promote “less discipleship and more one night stands with Jesus.” On a constructive note—one that respects a diversity of traditions and styles not my own, below are six suggestions specifically for those who influence the weekly worship of others, … Read More
In Pursuit of Authentic Worship, Part 1
Some church services make me want to run from Christians rather than worship God. Just last month I attended a service led by a black guy on rhythm guitar, a barefoot white girl with an amazing voice, and an Asian on lead guitar. In the background, a keyboardist, bassist, and drummer added to the combined musicianship, which was first-rate. This … Read More