If Jesus wanted a Christian nation, he would have established one, but he didn't. He established the church. Whenever we Christians forsake our call to be the church for a "Christian empire," the results are always catastrophic. We are called to be the church, not an...
When Jesus was taken to be executed on the cross, 11 of the 12 men abandoned him, but the women stayed. When Jesus’ body was buried, the women were the first ones at his grave. When Jesus rose from the dead, the men were hiding, so the women announced his...
Staying home to "watch church" is like staying home from a friend's wedding to watch the ceremony virtually. And keeping your wedding gift with you. Your presence and solidarity and love and hugs and eye contact and singing are needed. It's not just about passively...
We have bowed too low for too long at the personal altar of individualism. We need one another. We need the church, the family of faith.
Sometimes it bothers me, the number of people who can quote my songs, or they can quote the songs of several different people, but they can't quote the Scriptures, as if anything a musician might have to say would be worth listening to. Really, I mean, what musicians...
If America’s original sin is slavery, the original sin of the church is anti-Judaism and antisemitism. Before the New Testament was fully written. we see evidence of it... If you look at the passion accounts in the four Gospels in chronological order, you see Rome...
Many churches are like submarines. They close the hatch on the outside world and submerge themselves in an ocean of apathy. Before long, they’re caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
The church isn't losing the next generation of Christians because of pluralism, secularism, or liberalism. The church is losing the next generation of Christians because of pursuing political power by any mean necessary rather than the power of Christ's love with...
I was wrong and embarrassingly ignorant to assume--no, believe!--liturgical churches of any kind were dry & boring with meaningless rituals practiced by detached people and that liturgical churches (across the board!) did not value the Scriptures OR the gospel the...
A microchurch will become a different expression of church than its congregation-based cousin. It is not for everyone, nor is it the replacement of centuries of church practice. But it might well serve the post-congregational Christians who, for a variety of reasons,...