Culture
Christians and Online Engagement: Some Great Links
How should Christians engage online? What should inform the words we use the debates we engage? I’ve been studying this question for a particular project (more on that whenever there is more on that). In my study, I’ve come across some terrific articles. I thought I’d pass them along: “An Open Letter to My Politically…
Read MoreFriday Five: Andrew Walker
I’m thrilled today to chat with my friend, Andrew Walker. Andrew researches and writes about marriage, family and the moral principles that support civil society. As a policy analyst in The Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society, he also focuses on how ethics inform public policy decisions and investigates the role that…
Read MoreYou May Have Something that Michael Jordan Doesn’t
Over the weekend, I stopped what I was doing to read this brilliant ESPN piece on Michael Jordan by Wright Thompson. The article, a transparent window into the soul of this great athlete, left me a bit sad for Michael. You have to understand that I grew up in Chicago during the apex of Jordan’s…
Read MoreIf There is No Sin, There is No Grace
Be of sin, the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure – Augustus Toplady There is a hesitance, actually more like a firm resistance, to calling any behavior, “sin.” When the issue of sexual lifestyles are discussed, even evangelicals are wary of labeling any one behavior as sin. It’s the word we want to…
Read MoreThe Kingdom of Disney and the Kingdom of God
As I write this, our family is wrapping up a long vacation in Orlando, Florida. We took our kids to a long-awaited, much-anticipated trip to Disney World. Specifically we spent our time at the Magic Kingdom, the epicenter of Disney world. Even though it was a herculean effort to lead four children through the teaming…
Read MoreWhat Advent is and Why We Should Celebrate
There is something really wonderful about the word, advent. When you Google the word, one of the definitions you get is: the arrival of a notable person, thing or event. We know this word from other contexts besides religions. We say things like, “Since the advent of the automobile . . . .” Or “Since…
Read MoreA God For Every Part of this Tragedy
Thus says the LORD: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15 ESV) As a father of four young children, it was hard for me to process the horrific news of the…
Read MoreThe Sin About Which No One Will Speak
Envy is like a fly that passes all the body’s sounder parts, and dwells upon the sores. – Arthur Chapman There is a sin that nobody in our world really wants to discuss. It’s the fashionable sin, that fuels our great social movements and has become an engine of our politics. It’s the sin of…
Read MorePeggy Noonan on Abortion
This is a memorable quote from the always eloquent Peggy Noonan: The Democratic Party is the party of abortion; it supports the widest possible interpretation of choice, and is heavily funded, literally, by the abortion industry. Abortion involves the killing of children. Sometimes Democrats speak of it, publicly, in such a way that it sounds…
Read More5 Ways Pastors Can Encourage Working Men and Women
Yesterday America celebrated Labor Day, the holiday reserved as a tribute to American workers. This is a good time to discuss ways pastors and vocational ministry leaders can encourage working men and women in their congregations. This is an oft-neglected, but essential part of ministry, because most Christians who attend church on Sunday don’t draw…
Read MoreImmigration Policy and Ministry
The Gospel Coalition is running a two-part blog series I coauthored with Matthew Soerens of World Relief on the sensitive subject of gospel ministry and immigration policy. In the first part we concentrated on a pastor’s role in shaping the attitudes of Christians toward immigrants, both legal and illegal. In the second part, we dived…
Read MoreFriday Five: Bob Waliszewski
If you’re a concerned mom or dad, then certainly you’ve made good use of Plugged-In Online. It’s a terrific resource from Focus on the Family featuring detailed and up to date entertainment reviews. Today I have the privilege of interviewing Bob Waliszewski, Plugged In director. Waliszewski reaches a large radio audience weekly with his syndicated “Plugged In…
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