No doctrinal dispute has ever been contested more fiercely or with such long-term consequences as the one over justification. There were other ancillary issues debated in the 16th century, but none so central or so heated as this.

My first date with David Guthrie was on New Year’s Eve. And when he left at 3 a.m. on that first day of 1986, I blissfully fell asleep. I knew I had found him, the one. When Valentine’s Day weekend came around a little more than a month later, I didn’t like it that he…

One of the high points of my year is attending the Christian Sociological Association’s annual conference. I’ve attended its June meetings — except when disrupted by global pandemics — for almost 25 years. Sociologists, and especially Christian sociologists, are an odd (yet delightful) bunch that look at the world in an unusual way. Over time,…

Most Christians spend their working lives hoping that God will find some way to use their labor for his priorities. They pray that he will provide some real connection between their daily grind and the eternal glory of his purposes. But they need help to know the connection between Sunday’s worship and Monday’s work. An…

We long for more. We are constantly told there is more. Spiritual Formation practices are often sold as a perfect solution, until we realize that we bring our fallible selves along for the ride. I want to discuss the problems our selves pour into the journey of Spiritual Formation. Then I will offer a vantage…

For those involved in leading worship, Sunday mornings are often anything but restful. Tim Nicholson, director of music at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville, cited an example of one church musician who for years had been unable to sit in worship and participate in the Lord’s Supper with his family due to professional church responsibilities….

Most everyone in the world is cheering for Ukraine. We’re praying for the country’s victory and for its people and for the shopkeepers, teachers, and businesspeople who — outgunned and overmatched — have taken to the streets to defend their country. God hears those prayers and responds to them. And he is surely more powerful…

God wants us to know that He is amazing. He is revealing this now.

As a pastor for over 25 years, I have seen many people experience hardship in life. Some pass through the storm, coming out the other side with an even stronger faith in Christ. Others shipwreck and walk away from Christ and His Church entirely. What makes the difference? Spiritual ballast. To understand what I mean,…

Your pastor is going to leave. Maybe not this year, but he is leaving someday. PCA Yearbook data (2019 edition) shows that 75.3% of reporting PCA pastors have served in more than one church. Among the 1,587 pastors with more than 15 years of ministry experience, 71% (1,127) have served in three positions, while 51.8%…