“the spread of a thin, undertheologized pop-dispensationalism and the decline of scholarly dispensationalism—are the essence of what I mean by the ‘fall’ of this doctrine in the last half century.” - Daniel Hummel
Confusion, Strategy Shifts, Layoffs: What’s Happening at the American Bible Society?
“The historic and well-funded organization has seen two years of turmoil: five CEOs, money fumbles, and a pullback from global work. It is searching for a fresh start.” - CToday
The Coming Shortage of Pastors and Missionaries
“Ministerial enrollment generally declined in recent decades and then declined precipitously in recent years. Numerous Bible colleges and seminaries have struggled to remain open, while others have closed” - P&D
Partners in Ministry
One of the biggest takeaways from my study of The God Ask by Steve Shadrach (Fayetteville, AR: Via Nations, 2023) and my participation in Via Generosity’s Support Raising Bootcamp was the importance of developing partners in ministry.
This will be my final installment in a series in which I’ve attempted to provide an overview of my experience in this training, sharing some of the most valuable insights I received.
Southern Baptist ERLC releases practical guide for addressing gender confusion
“ ‘God’s Good Design: A Practical Guide for Answering Gender Confusion’… contains a theological framework addressing the topic of gender from a biblical worldview and offers answers to practical scenarios that churches or pastors may face.” - BPNews
The Rise of the Non-Christian “Evangelical”
“Fourteen percent of Muslims say that they are evangelical - it’s the same percentage as Roman Catholics. Even 12% of those identifying as nothing in particulars and Hindus say that they are evangelicals!” - Ryan Burge
Alabama Supreme Court, Embryos, and the Confusing Ethics of IVF
“Asking the question “what are they?” was long overdue, given that approximately 1.5 million embryos left over from IVF services are currently stored in freezers in the United States” - Breakpoint
CS Lewis' 'Prince Caspian' hits the stage at Museum of the Bible
“The production, presented by The Logos Theatre, a division of the nationally acclaimed Academy of Arts Ministries based in Taylors, South Carolina, will run at the Museum of the Bible from March 1 through April 27.” - CPost
"Is the power-seeking now prominent in evangelical circles a fever or a fatal disease?"
Book review: “That’s one important takeaway from Land of My Sojourn: We are more than one conversation away from figuring out how to keep the ‘evangelical’ ship from sinking.” - Marvin Olasky
Does 1 John 3:9 Refer to Living Out Our “Born” Identity?
For more context on this question, see the article and discussion at “Does 1 John 3:9 Actually Say a Christian Can’t Sin?”
The basic interpretive problem in 1 John 3:9 is that John seems to say Christians do not sin. We know this can’t really be what he’s saying, because he says pretty much the opposite in 1 John 1:8 and 10.
Calvin University President Wiebe Boer resigns after misconduct complaint
Trustees: “The report did not include allegations of sexually explicit communication or physical contact, but the alleged conduct is concerning and inappropriate.” - RNS
Noncommercial Religious Broadcasters Seek Supreme Court Help with Disproportionate Royalty Fees
“Noncommercial religious broadcasters are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review copyright royalty fees, alleging they favor secular speech over religious expression.” - BPNews
‘Two Cities,Two Loves’, A Look at Christians and the Culture
“when I heard that P&R Publishing was going to rerelease Two Cities, Two Loves: Christian Responsibility in a Crumbling Culture by James Montgomery Boice, I was eager to read it.” - Chorus in the Chaos
How AI Assists in Global Bible Translation
“We’re not talking about dropping the Greek New Testament text into a tool like ChatGPT or Google Translate and expecting it to output a polished translation in any language.” - TGC
A Simple Word of Hope for All of Us Praying a Long Time for Non-Believing Loved Ones
“At this time three years ago, I and others had been praying for my mom’s salvation for more than 46 years…. In the latter part of February 2021, we were still praying and hoping. By the end of March of that year, though, God had moved mightily in Mom’s life.” - Chuck Lawless
The Authority of the Son Midrash, Part 2: Authority, Sonship, and the Great Moses-Like Prophet
1-in-3: A Record Share of Young Adults Will Never Marry
“Many commentators will blame these declines on the increased delay in marriage…. the situation is extreme at higher ages, too. As the figure below shows, ever-married shares today are at historic lows for 35-year-old and 45-year-old men and women.” - IFS
Seated Upright, Fully Clothed, and in My Right Mind: Musing About Hermeneutics
“please allow the normal, everyday use of literature (like my appeal to the story of the maniac) to take a central place in biblical hermeneutics before grasping at secret readings….That’s how God intends language to work.” - Mark Snoeberger
Taking sides: A growing divide over the theology of sexual brokenness threatens to tear evangelical institutions apart
“since Butterfield’s address, Cru has updated its training and other materials, removing some content and adding new language. A new tab on its website called ‘Sexuality and Gender’ spells out its position. In some cases, the statements directly conflict with Sprinkle’s position.” - WORLD
Why Do We Valorize Busyness?
“That is the trap of busyness: believing that the busyness itself is what matters, instead of placing all our work and all our rest at the feet of our maker.” - Public Discourse
Sing Old Hymns to Encourage New Life
“We’re often told singing in church ‘isn’t about us.’ But Scripture does tell us to address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19).” - TGC
“Christian Nationalism is distinct from conventional Christian conservatism”
Christian nationalists “are typically post-liberals who want some level of explicit state-established Christianity. [Conservatives] have been and largely still are classical liberals who affirm traditional American concepts of full religious liberty for all. - Mark Tooley
Book Review: Nate Pickowicz’s ‘The Kindness of God: Beholding His Goodness in a Cruel World’
“The book wraps up with a pair of chapters that show how God’s kindness is also reflected in Christians… and in his grace to the nations” - Challies
What about SBC churches with female children’s pastors?
“the Law Amendment does not make removal automatic. Someone would still have to refer such a church to the Credentials Committee. The Credentials Committee and the EC would still have to vote whether or not to recommend removal, and upon appeal so would the messengers.” - BPNews
John MacArthur defends man who toppled satanic altar in Iowa Capitol: 'Noble stand'
“You have to take the consequences if you do it, but that was a noble thing to do….That was something that he felt very deeply in his heart.” - CPost
State of the Christian Workplace 2024 report highlights employee engagement trends
“For the first time, results from Best Christian Workplaces research are publicly available in an accessible and statistically valid format.” - RNS
Trump promises a revival of Christian power in speech to National Religious Broadcasters
“If I get in, you’re going to be using that power at a level that you’ve never used before” - RNS
The First Best-Selling Bible: A Reformation Story
“Although it was immediately banned by Duke George of Saxony, Frederick’s cousin, the September Testament received the warmest of welcomes by the populace. It sold an unprecedented 3,000 copies or more in its first run” - Word by Word
Prepping for the Impending Apocalypse
“Extreme preppers are prone to two sociological sicknesses. Either they isolate from society and scorn the ignorant herd who simply aren’t paying attention, or they cast themselves as the future saviors of a hapless humanity.” - Ref21