For years now there’s been plenty of moaning and groaning among conservative evangelicals about progressive churches and their approach to faith. Entire YouTube channels are devoted to calling out the unscriptural practices and teachings of liberal Christians. The apostasy of such churches is an assumed fact. And, yes, much of what’s going on in these congregations is pretty darn outrageous.  But lately I have been wondering how much blame conservatives themselves should assume for the growth of progressive Christianity. How much of present day liberal church lunacy is a reaction against the conservative propensity for a more Calvinist-style Angry God…

In Phil 1:21, the Apostle Paul writes, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” It seems to me that modern American Christians tend to get this backward. We spend our lives “making a living” and getting more and more stuff. Our highest goals involve making ourselves and our family members as comfortable as possible. The name of the game is accumulation.  Meanwhile, we assume that once we die – and are confronted with the reality of God’s existence once and for all – suddenly we will develop a keen love for Jesus Christ and an…

I listen to a lot of various preachers online throughout a normal week – while I am making breakfast, as I drive to the office, while I walk the dog – and what strikes me most often is their confidence. And how often it seems misplaced. The pulpit could use more humility. Especially when the preacher is tackling some topic on which honest believers differ profoundly.  One phrase that always raises red flags for me is: “You won’t find a single verse in the Bible that supports X from Genesis to Revelation” where X is some belief held by millions…

A thoughtless “I’m busy” once cost the life of a friend, inspiring Mohammed Qahtani to give serious thought to the incredible impact of words. In 2015, Mohammed Qahtani put those thoughts together with his friend’s story in a speech which bested 30,000 other contestants to win a Toastmasters’ competition.  Although he doesn’t reference the Lord in his winning entry, Mohammed Qahtani’s thesis does reflect the urgency of Paul’s command in Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit…

Ever the optimist, I am hopeful that our culture’s pendulum might swing back toward normalcy and decency in the coming years. I have become convinced that when and if it does, one sign by which we will recognize it will be an emphatic push to protect our children and young people from the disorders of our adult culture (especially the sexual confusion) – instead of rushing to indoctrinate them in those disorders.  One would hope that the pendulum has reached its nadir – or soon will. I see some signs that the momentum for exposing our young people to all…

[It is only right for me to give you a warning up front about the subject of this post. It is what is commonly referred to as “adult content”. And while I feel compelled to give you this warning, the local high school did not feel it necessary to give anything similar to students or parents.] I guess I am still living in the past – the age when a parent didn’t need to question the reading material the local schools were assigning for English class. My youngest is a junior this year and taking Advanced Placement English Literature. For…

There’s too much talk of God’s forgiveness in Scripture for Him to act in a strictly unforgiving manner towards all of humanity ultimately. (I am not suggesting universalism – I am saying that however we might conceive of it, Christ’s death conceived as absorbing all of the Father’s wrath as our substitution doesn’t seem to fit the thrust of Scripture and the portrayal of God’s character contained therein.)   For just one example, how do we make sense of Penal Substitutionary Atonement in light of Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18?  Remember? 23 … The kingdom of heaven…

Penal substitutionary atonement is the idea that when Jesus went to the cross he carried on His back all of humanity’s sins – past, present, and future. He did this, so the theory goes, to endure the wrath and punishment from God the Father that we ourselves deserved. So Jesus served as our substitute and He paid the debt that we could never pay.  In Jesus, our account is finally settled with God. Sound familiar? It’s pretty common, but PSA is far from uncontroversial and is widely debated.  Some embrace it unreservedly, some deny it vehemently, and others simply include…