Or Reflections on the Realities of Big Tent Christianity “As Christians, we are seekers after truth, not merely its custodians.” Michael Bauman1 The Situation “Christianity is in trouble,” everyone seems to be saying, for a variety of reasons. The rise of the “nones.”2 Increased dissatisfaction with institutional religion.3 The forthcoming disintegration of American evangelicalism overContinue reading “Mere Christianity for Today”
Tag Archives: Gospel
Work and Rest
As Americans, we’re obsessed with being busy. Even during a pandemic, we’re preoccupied with how much we’re getting done. Our culture fixates on and rewards efficiency and productivity, even at the expense of our own health and relationships. It’s even how we talk to one another. People always ask, “What are you doing this week?”Continue reading “Work and Rest”
The Challenge of Church Planting
This post is part of an ongoing series looking at church planting. Obviously, church planting is not all fun-and-games. There are plenty of challenges inherent in starting a new church, including those of:
Does Church Planting Overly Innovate?
This post is part of an ongoing series looking at church planting. As commonly framed, Christianity often has problems with new things. Whether it’s new ways of thinking about Jesus (as during those pesky Christological controversies in the early Church), framing theology (like during the Reformation), using academic scholarship to inform faith (as in theContinue reading “Does Church Planting Overly Innovate?”
How Does Church Planting Help?
This post is part of an ongoing series looking at church planting. There are numerous benefits to planting churches. Church plants advance the Kingdom of God.9 When more and more believers gather together, proclaiming the gospel, preaching the Scriptures, celebrating the sacraments, and living in community, the Kingdom of God tangibly advances in our world.
Why Plant a Church?
This post is part of an ongoing series looking at church planting. Of course, there are already a lot of established churches. So why do people plant new churches? First, church planting represents a tangible way for Christians to fulfill the Great Commission, to “make disciples of every nation” (Matthew 28:19-20). No place on earthContinue reading “Why Plant a Church?”
What Is Church Planting?
You’ve seen them in your community. They’re popping up in old buildings, fields, and other empty spaces. They show up with catchy names and make lots of loud noise, often attracting quite a crowd in the process. But what are they? Where do they come from? And why are they here? I’m talking, of course,Continue reading “What Is Church Planting?”
How to Tell If a Sermon is Good
Every week, millions of people around the world situate themselves in moderately uncomfortable seating and listen to someone talk at them for an extended period of time. I am, of course, referring to Christians who attend church services and listen to sermons. While Christian denominations differ on all manner of doctrine and practice, the proclamationContinue reading “How to Tell If a Sermon is Good”
The Resurrection
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, twoContinue reading “The Resurrection”
Ep15: How Should Christians Spread the Gospel?
This episode of the Church Debates series reflects on the question of How Christians Should Spread the Gospel by examining the spread of Christianity in the medieval period.
Pursuing Veritas 