Culture
Finding the Story Behind the Story
Every story, whether in movie or music, has a story behind the story. I’ve learned a lot about this from the work of my friend Mike Cosper, who I’ve interviewed several times. Another voice is Kevin Harvey, who has written a new book, All You Want to Know about The Bible in Pop Culture: helping Christians see…
Read MoreWhat The Stories We Consume Say About Us
Have you ever watched a good movie, read a good book, or heard a popular song and wondered, “What is this saying?” This is the questions we should ask when we consume media. What questions are being asked by this particular piece of pop culture and what answers does the gospel offer? One of the…
Read MoreSome Of My Recent Articles: 5/8/2015
Here are a few of my recent articles: I wrote for The Gospel Coalition on “Why You Can’t Escape from the Culture Wars.” The title is intentionally provocative, as I’m arguing against a “culture war timeout” that, in my view, would a) be impossible and b) show a lack of compassion: The shape of our…
Read MoreJosh McDowell and The Reliability of Scripture
One of the most popular apologetics resources in the 20th Century was the classic Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. In many ways, Josh set the standard for apologetics work that would follow. Perhaps the most compelling evidence for the validity of the claims of Christianity is the increasing volume of manuscripts continually discovered by archeologists.
Well Josh McDowell is back with some new manuscript research. I interview him about this new discovery, about inherency, and his perspective on the future of the evangelical movement. Here is one of my questions:
Why Christians Should Be Clear
This week I’m over at the Lifeway Church Leader’s blog opining on three essential traits for countercultural Christian leaders: courage, clarity, and civility (how’s that for some serious alliteration?). This comes from 1 Peter 3:15. Here is what I said about that second point: The second thing Peter urges for counter-cultural leaders is clarity. “Have an…
Read MoreCan You Love Jesus and Hate Jesus’ Followers?
The last few years have seen an explosion of books that try to separate Jesus from the church. Most of these are well-meaning efforts to distinguish genuine faith in Christ from hand-me-down, works-based religion. This is important in a culture still influenced by a nominal Christianity, where many think a ticket to heaven simply requires regular church attendance.
Read MoreThe Church As the Answer for Loneliness
We are be the most connected generation ever, with no shortage of ways to communicate with our fellow man. And yet, we may be the most isolated, individualistic generation ever. In some ways, Facebook, Twitter, IM, texting–has brought us closer together. And in other ways it’s kept us apart.
I talked about this interesting paradox with Erin Davis, author of an important new book, Connected. Here is one of the questions I asked her:
Read MoreTeens and Screens: Advice for Parents
As a father of four children under ten, I am constantly thinking about our kids’ interaction with technology. On the one hand, I want them to be read and equipped to leverage technology to fulfill their God-given mission in this age. On the other hand, I see technology as a kind of loaded weapon that…
Read MoreJerusalem, Judea, and the Uttermost Parts
Pastors are always wrestling with an international and a local focus as they think through ministry emphasis. I asked David Platt about this in my weekly interview for Leadership Journal. He’s written a new book, Counter Culture, challenging Christians to think soberly about how the gospel compels them to think critically about pressing social issues.
Read MoreChampions for Life In Every Generation
As I think about the fight for life, I’m struck by the fact that this is a cause every generation of Christ followers must embrace. Every age, until the full consummation of the kingdom, will be beset by brokenness and feature incursions on the Imago Dei.
Read MoreEnjoying God’s Good Gifts
Is it okay for a Christian to, gulp, enjoy a nice steak, the laughter of good friends, or, even a football game between two good teams? Joe Rigney says yes. He’s not a new book out, Things of Earth, Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts. Last Friday I had the chance to interview him about this:
Read MoreAlzheimer’s and the Imago Dei
Alzheimer’s may be the most feared disease of any in our culture because of the slow and painful way it sucks the life of out of people we love and the burden it places on caregivers. How should Christians think about this disease in a way that’s unique from the rest of the culture? How does the Christian concept of imago dei force us to consider the dignity of those held by the grip of Alzheimers? This is a question I posed to Dr. Benjamin Mast, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and an Associate Clinical Professor in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Louisville. He’s the author of a brand new book, Second Forgetting, Remembering the Power of the Gospel in Alzheimer’s.
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