Exploring Faith and Spirituality

Religion

How to Conquer Sin (with the Right Light)

My friends Ben and Paige have a 3-year-old named Ruth who loves playing hide-and-seek. Ruth hiding from her dad is one of the sweetest things I’ve seen. For a moment, she tries (usually unsuccessfu...

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Don’t Become a Fallen Pastor

My mentor phoned me. His voice broke telling of another pastor disqualified over sexual sin. We didn’t see it coming. Neither of us imagined this man would be blind to the destructiveness he warned...

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The God Who Reigns (2 Sam. 7:1–27)

In this lecture, Don Carson examines the biblical concept of God as the reigning King. He contrasts modern perceptions of monarchy with ancient understandings, and he traces the evolution of Israel...

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Want to Grow as a Cultural Apologist? Learn from Augustine.

The North African bishop Augustine of Hippo (354–430) is one of Christianity’s most formidable thinkers. Many esteem him as a great theologian, others as an insightful pastor. More recently, a grow...

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Help Stop Deconstruction. Become a Non-Anxious Presence.

One of the hardest aspects of my pastorate has been trying to disciple someone experiencing deconstruction. Much of my pastoral effort in the last few years has been devoted to finding and caring f...

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Trump deportation threat puts US on collision course with Vatican

Pope’s appointment of progressive Robert McElroy comes as rightwing Catholics wield notable influence in US capitalWhen the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, sought to shut down a Catholic charit...

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When Contextualization Becomes Compromise

At a Christian youth rally, I observed something that gave me pause. As one of the worship sessions was winding down, the worship leader led us in the song “There Is None like You,” which is meant ...

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The Soul of the Pastor

“Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching,” Paul exhorts the young pastor Timothy (1 Tim. 4:16). For many of us, it’s dangerously easy to guard our doctrine but not our lives. How can a b...

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Being a parent means you’re never quite your own person again, but that self-sacrifice can pull off a miracle

Parents must frequently say ‘no’ to their own wants and needs to serve their child’s long-term flourishing – and growth into a wonderful adultRead more in our Making sense of it seriesI believe pow...

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What Are You Called to Keep?

After welcoming our first child recently, I feel a new calling to be a “keeper”—to keep watch over my son, keep his environment safe, keep him changed and fed, keep up with laundry, keep away signi...

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Is Meta Chasing the Anti-Progressive Vibe Shift?

If you traveled back to the early 1960s, you’d be hard-pressed to find Christians hopeful about the country’s trajectory. The sexual revolution, hippie movement, and summer of love suggested the co...

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Los Angeles Fires: How to Help

Even for a state used to dramatic natural disasters and not-uncommon apocalyptic scenes, this week’s wildfires in the Los Angeles area were especially scary and devastating. Large sections of promi...

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Beware the Fractured Mirror of Digital Technology

Our digital devices are history’s first “natural” technology. The printing press and the telephone, for example, each changed the world by doing a particular task. But digital technology doesn’t do...

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Why Coaching or Therapy Can Strengthen Your Marriage

Did you know that many married couples report feeling emotionally disconnected from their spouses on marital satisfaction? This is a silent crisis affecting families across cultures, including Musl...

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The Year of the Baptists: Jimmy Carter and the Election of 1976

When the aging Baptist preacher John Leland took to his diary in December 1826, he recorded “two remarkable events” that had transpired over the previous year. The first was that two former preside...

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From Plains to the White House: Jimmy Carter’s Legacy for Evangelicals

When Jimmy Carter ran for president in 1976, he mentioned almost casually that he was a “born-again Christian.” In an era before the rise of the Christian Right and “evangelical politics,” Carter’s...

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The Case for Retrieving Thomas Aquinas with Care

The Middle Ages are over and distant. Theology is no longer considered the “queen of the sciences.” So, what does a medieval theologian like Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–74) have to say to our contempor...

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Coming Soon: ‘Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age’

Last year felt like a turning point in the rising awareness of the detrimental effects of excessive scrolling. Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation released in March and quickly became a bestsel...

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The God Who Legislates (Ex. 20)

In this lecture, Don Carson discusses God’s role as both Creator and Legislator, challenging listeners to consider the Bible’s laws and their relevance in today’s society amid objections to Christi...

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The Guardian view on the Church of England after Welby: adapt to survive | Editorial

Appointing the first female archbishop of Canterbury would be a good start, amid a crisis of trust and directionJustin Welby’s last day in post as archbishop of Canterbury, on Monday, was spent pri...

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Imitate Israel’s Culture of Studying Scripture

“Why are there so many quotations and allusions to earlier Scriptures in the Scriptures?” This question gets asked regularly about my research on the Bible’s use of the Bible. New Testament author...

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