Under the Whirling Sword, Under the Cross

The end of Cain’s history, and so the end of all history, is Christ on the cross, the murdered Son of God.  That is the last desperate assault on the gate of paradise.  And under the whirling sword, under the cross, the human race dies.  But Christ lives.  The trunk of the cross becomes the [...]

Getting the Balance Right

It is highly likely that most Evangelical Christians have, at some time or another, heard this famous quote (often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi): Preach the Gospel at all times.  If necessary, use words. The sentiment behind such statements generally goes something like this: the church too often focuses too much on talking at people [...]

Eat Like A Christian!

From To Jerusalem: Truly, my experience serving food has uncovered a side of Christianity that is appalling and disheartening. Nowhere have I seen Christians be more un-Christian than when sitting down to eat. In their attitudes and actions I have seen many, many Christians completely ruin their witness toward servers, waiters, and cooks. And I [...]

Why I Love (Pure) Religion, But Hate False Dichotomies

As I’m sure everyone who has Facebook knows, Jefferson Bethke’s “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” video is lighting up the internet.  Currently, his video has over 6.5 million views on YouTube.  Clearly, something about his message is appealing to many people (it also helps to get a shout-out from The Resurgence). In light [...]

What Is the Mission of the Church?

Trevin Wax recently posted an extremely insightful “critique” (softened through the use of questions) of Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert’s new book, What is the Mission of the Church.  I think all of his comments are spot on and are an important counter-balance to a Gospel-only missional mindset. Here are his most compelling questions: 1. [...]

Horton Interviews McKnight About The King Jesus Gospel

The White Horse Inn has posted the audio of a really interesting and helpful interview with Scot McKnight concerning his new book, The King Jesus Gospel.  In the interview, Michael Horton pushes McKnight on a few issues related to McKnight’s definition of “gospel,” but it seems that both men are pretty close in much of [...]

Your “Conversion Experience” Isn’t All That Important

Russell Moore: Many believe if they really have embraced the gospel, they ought to have a moment, a date, they can point to as the instant they passed from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Sometimes our churches reinforce this misunderstanding. Preachers talk about assurance of salvation as though it were about [...]

Fighting Pride and Despair with the Gospel