Gospel Focus
Apart from the gospel, what does the church really have to offer? After a few critiques of evangelicalism’s lack of gospel focus, it seemed time to clarify what focusing on the gospel should look like in the context of our…
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Tag Archive: Gospel
Legalism by Any Other Name
The church has found religious ways to mask its penchant for handing out the bible’s commands like prescriptions for what ails the congregation and society. But legalism by any other name is still legalism. Piety, sanctification, and biblical application are…
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A Recovering Theologian
We theological types tend to research, analyze, and apply spiritual truths as if they were lectures in a seminary classroom where the audience is agreeable and as pious as we think we are. I’ve earned multiple advanced degrees in theology…
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7 Reasons I Decided to Join a Lutheran Church
After having joined a Lutheran (LCMS) church approximately six months ago, what have I learned? As a traditional, conservative Baptist my whole life and still Baptistic in a few theological distinctions, there are several things that initially drew my interest…
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Simplicity and Focus
Cultural engagement is a topic taken up by books, blogs, podcasts, conferences, and even sermons. How should Christians interact with the culture? Should we go into our evangelical bunkers? Should we take up arms and fight in the culture war?…
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Unamazing Grace
No, the old hymn writer didn’t get it wrong but sometimes we do. God’s grace is a kingdom reality that actually strengthens, extends mercy, and offers hope practically and daily. Grace is amazing; however, we relegate its sheer power when…
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Unbelievably Good News
The steadfast love of God chiefly displayed in Christ’s death and resurrection on our behalf is the aroma of life to life and death to death. The pronouncement of innocence despite undeniable guilt because of Christ’s atoning work is news…
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Marketable Christianity
Surely our faith goes deeper than church merch and social media campaigns. This begs an important question. Can we really get people to buy into what was freely given? The notion that we may have turned the cross of Christ…
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Kanye, John MacArthur, and the Evangelical Merry-go-round
If arrogance and needless division were Christian virtues, then evangelicalism would be virtuous indeed. There is an inclination to take sniper shots at anything that slightly deviates from our interpretation of Christian doctrine or practice. Grumpy old theologians are a…
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For Sinners
Christ came for sinners. We must not replace this truth with the veneer of some posh and polished version of redemption. I fear we’ve so sanitized Christianity that we no longer need grace. In so doing, the appearance of redemption becomes…
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