No, true encouragement points us to God and His promises. When the text says that he strengthened his hand in the Lord, it’s clear that this is the case when we consider the summary of Jonathan’s own message: “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be... Continue Reading

“‘At that moment,’ E. Bulver assures us, ‘there flashed across my opening mind the great truth that refutation is no necessary part of argument. Assume that your opponent is wrong, and explain his error, and the world will be at your feet. Attempt to prove that he is wrong or (worse still) try to find... Continue Reading

 Many Christians, keenly aware of the evils of early modern slavery, have suggested that the slavery mentioned in the New Testament was far more humane than its American counterpart. Yet the historical data suggests that Greco-Roman slavery could be just as oppressive and abusive as the later system — and in some ways even more... Continue Reading

My point here is not to rail against Semler, Botz, or Turner et al. but to note how they illustrate the personality-driven, churchless nature of contemporary evangelical (to the degree that evangelicals are funding Semler’s mission to mainstream the Q of LGBTQ into the evangelical bloodstream) theology, piety, and practice. It is rootless relative to the Great... Continue Reading

Our Savior’s kindness is not tepid, selfish, or utilitarian. This is demonstrated clearly in the moments of His greatest suffering. Jesus, while bearing the curse for humanity, made arrangements for the care of His mother after His death, prayed for the forgiveness of those who killed Him, and spoke kind words of comfort to the... Continue Reading

Might it not be that the effectiveness of sermons depends as much upon the prayers of the unseen saints as the preparation and delivery of even the greatest preachers? Might it not be that true power comes not from the one standing on the stage but the one kneeling behind it? Might it not be... Continue Reading

This quest differentiated him from other preachers of the day who seemed more concerned with impressing listeners with rhetorical and oratorical expertise, fueled by a desire to be seen as one with intellectual and academic dexterity.  The critique often levied toward the practice of academic writing and speaking is that it’s “confusing and dense, that... Continue Reading

When we come together in worship, we should do so aware of the multi-dimensional aspect of what we are gathering to do. The God who fills the heavens and the earth, directs our attention to everything that He is does outside of us, around us, and inside us. In this way, no event is more... Continue Reading

It’s unfathomable to think about what Christ did on the cross, that He bought something for us, but He also bought something for God. Jesus secured both our inheritances, and now God waits in expectation to fully inherit His.   I’m not a musician, but even I know “O Holy Night” best for the impressively high... Continue Reading

In the final analysis, while the Puritans were not 21st-century liberal democrats, neither were they intolerant theocrats. They created some of the most republican political institutions the world had ever seen and strictly limited civic leaders by law. They valued liberty and had, as David D. Hall puts it in “A Reforming People,” an “animus... Continue Reading