There lurks within every human heart an intractable rebel, bent on refusing the rightful lordship of Jesus Christ. There is, of course, no answer to this defect other than the grace of God. The gospel changes the terms of the battle; the Spirit strengthens us; Scripture directs us in the fight. But even for believers…
Some of this blog’s readers have known me for many years, but I’m quite sure you didn’t know this: I was once a secret agent for the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). You see, FEMA developed a program called the ‘Clergy Response Team’ (CRT) to enlist ministers in calming the populace in the event of…
When Christians speak about open doors, we often mean something different than when Scripture uses this phrase. In Scripture, “open doors” usually refers to – well, um – open doors, as in actual doors opening to a temple, house, tent, prison, or even a bathroom. But Paul uses this concept four times as a metaphor…
Recently, I came across a fascinating article entitled, “The U.S. Birthrate Has Dropped Again. The Pandemic May Be Accelerating the Decline.” There are a variety of reasons why it’s significant that the birth rate continues to drop. Practically speaking, it will have drastic economic and sociological effects in years to come. But as a pastor,…
Bible verses, in and of themselves, are a good thing. What about printing them on t-shirts, bumper stickers, fast drink cups, socks, underwear, or baby diapers? “Now,” you say, “not all of those are the same!” I agree with you, but can you articulate why? Practices that seem like a good idea up close can…
What makes a thing “sacrilegious and blasphemous”? We’ve seen the terms connected to recent events. Much of the ensuing discussion expresses dismay at the actions of some and ridicule of this dismay on the part of others. I don’t want to get into the specifics of the incident here, we hope the controversy brought about…
Over three decades serving as a pastor I have had opportunity to witness many trends and fads in church life. Terms like “seeker” and “emergent” and “missional” and “relevant” and “contemporary” have all at various times found their way into the evangelical lexicon. While these cover a wide range of issues and involve many different…
It was the day of my dad’s open heart surgery when I received a prophecy that would come true 12 years later. The heart surgeon met with my brother and me and described the surgery. He then said something that I will never forget. “You boys are next!” That is exactly what every young man…
FrontLine | November/December 2021 | VOLUME 31 | NUMBER 6 Welcome to Dispensationalism! “Dispensationalism” is a big word, and people struggle to understand its meaning. Some people assume that if you believe in dispensations, then you must be a dispensationalist. But all Christians recognize that God has administered His plan in different ways at different…
I don’t know for sure. Maybe you do. One danger Christians face today is the tendency to approach scientific debates theologically. I am not talking about the creation or flood debate. Those events are clearly related in scripture. I am talking about scientific issues that the Bible does not address. Galileo and Copernicus were persecuted…