How Rick Warren Harnessed the Power of Social Habits
And why—after plunging into depression—Saddleback's pastor now pushes spiritual habits through 'The Power of Habit' concept.
For years, he had suffered from anxiety attacks and occasional bouts of melancholy that friends told him sounded like mild depressions. But it had never hit this bad before. The next day, Warren and his family began driving to Arizona, where his wife's family had a house. Slowly, he recuperated. Some days, he would sleep for twelve hours and then take a walk through the desert, praying, trying to understand why these panic attacks were threatening to undo everything he had worked so hard to build.
Some Reflections on Peter Enns and The Evolution of Adam
Enns…is far too romantic about the reliability of mainstream scientific consensus
Hans Madueme is assistant professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and Themelios book review editor for systematic theology and bioethics. He recently completed his thesis, “The Evolution of Sin: Sin, Theistic Evolution, and the Biological Question—A Theological Account” (PhD diss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2012).
HHS mandate: An attack on all people of faith
We must be free to put our faith into action in the public square.
For the first time in our country’s history, we will have to impose religious tests on those we employ and those we help, in order to maintain our status as exempt religious employers.
The Problem with ‘Incarnational Ministry’
What if our mission is not to 'be Jesus' to other cultures, but to join with the Holy Spirit?
It’s important to offer a ministry of presence to those in need. But when the gospel is reduced to identifying with others, the uniqueness of Christ’s incarnation becomes an afterthought. In recent decades, scores of books, manuals, and websites advocating “incarnational ministry” have encouraged Christians to move beyond ministry at a distance and... Continue Reading
4 Disturbing Trends in the Contemporary Church
Disturbing trends that need to be checked and reformed in contemporary church life
Only as we turn our ears away from the false promises of this passing age to God’s Word, to His saving revelation in Christ as the only gospel, and to the glory of the triune God as our only goal, can we expect to see a genuine revival of Christian discipleship, worship, and mission in... Continue Reading
End Circumcision, Norway Official Suggests
Children's rights watchdog suggests symbolic option
Ervin Kohn, president of The Jewish Community of Oslo, said that Norwegian Jews “will not be able to live in a society where circumcision is forbidden.” Norway’s ombudsman for children’s rights has proposed that Jews and Muslim replace male circumcision with a symbolic, nonsurgical ritual. Dr. Anne Lindboe told the newspaper Vart Land last month... Continue Reading
Bill Hybels Shares Succession Plans at Leadership Summit
Hybels and his church elders are formally engaged in a succession process
Hybels described four different phases of succession that were planned for Willow Creek and said the first phase that was the planning phase, which took about a year, had already been completed. Willow Creek Community Church Pastor Bill Hybels, speaking during the opening session of a global leadership summit, took the occasion on Thursday to... Continue Reading
ARCHIVE: Why Evangelicals Should Pay Attention to Congressman Paul Ryan and the Battle over the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church
These concerns are genuine, and Evangelicals who are conservative politically should resist the temptation to take Ryan's side just because he is a conservative Republican. One should always be suspicious of politicians when they claim theological authority for their actions. Nevertheless, I cannot help but think that it is a good thing that Ryan is highlighting principles like subsidiarity, and the preference for the poor, and introducing them to the national dialogue.
Seminaries versus Local Churches
Where should seminary students primarly receive their spiritual formation?
Editor's Note: On Friday morning (Aug 10) we published a blog article by Carl Trueman on Seminaries and Spiritual Formation. During the day the Ref21 blog lit up with response from Sean Lucas, a brief rejoinder from Carl, a restatement by Sean, and final thoughts(?) by Carl. Since it appears to have ended, we are combining the last four posts together for your convenience.
Conservative Calvinist Mars Hill Church Claiming Methodist Sanctuary
The domed neo-classical 1906 sanctuary, which seats 1300, was once one of Methodism’s premier congregations
That Driscoll’s brand of robust Calvinism is thriving in Seattle, among other areas in the Pacific Northwest, seemingly defies claims by liberals in United Methodism and elsewhere that theological orthodoxy will not appeal in culturally liberal cities