The sighs The undergraduate evangelism course I instruct is as good as any at the art of wandering down the rabbit trails of theological reflection. Evangelism. One term. That’s it. Precisely just how one thinks the depths of evangelism can be mined in one term, frankly, escapes me. Despite a torrent of potential content, a common theme has arisen concerning …
Lord knows the week of Easter can exist as a stressful, challenging, frustrating, adrenaline-laced time for most pastors. It continues to surprise me how much administrative work resurrection creates for the local church pastor. While Holy Week can generally be busy for the pastor, the workload can be particularly challenging for church planters, given that they often work with smaller …
How might a person on mission learn to read the book of Acts? As might others, I’m swept up into near uncontrollable emotion when I recall the little nativity set erected with sacred precision every Christmas in my childhood living room. That pristine manger transcended my suburb existence; it had a blissful quality akin to magic. The scene still sits …
Prophets are the church’s immune system. Without prophets, we are left to the mercy of whatever sicknesses we’re exposed to from season to season. The prophet, like an oncologist, inflicts a kind of communal pain which, when received, brings healing. Their hard words bring a better world. Perhaps more than ever, prophets are in great need to revitalize the American …
One of the difficult practices that has saved my bacon on more than one occasion—even though it is challenging to do—is that I’ve refused to be told by those who steward our church’s finances who it is that gives to our church financially, how much they give, and who doesn’t give. I simply can’t handle the knowledge. There are two …
As Paul crafts the first known letter to the Corinthian church, it becomes clear he is addressing a great swirl of problems within the community. A group of church members, for one, have begun to elevate their experience of the Holy Spirit above others’ experience; what Ronald Knox once called “enthusiasts.” In chapters twelve through fourteen, one can clearly hear …