Wouldn’t it be nice if Christians only ever got along? Wouldn’t it be grand if all the discord we see in the world around us was completely foreign to the church? Wouldn’t it be heavenly if believers ever only experienced peace? I suppose it would be heavenly and, therefore, more than we can realistically hope for in this life. That being the case, we need to learn to deal with conflict—conflict within both the local church and the wider church.See Also A La Carte (June 27) The Beginner’s Guide to Conflict Resolution Meet the Ministries: Peacemaker Ministries ..read more

God’s design for gender and sexuality is fixed and unchanging. The way he created us is the way he means for us to live. The instruction he provides in the Bible is all we need to understand his purpose and live it out in a way that honors and pleases him. The wisdom he provides in the Word is all we need to understand how he made us and how he intends us to express our sexuality. God has spoken and it falls to us to believe and obey. A Field Guide on Gender and Sexuality Ligonier Ministries Buy from Amazon Yet the world is confused about these matters and always has been. Such confusion v ..read more

Quite a long time has passed since we witnessed the unexpected rise of a new kind of Calvinism. Few had anticipated that in the twenty-first century, so many millions of people spanning a host of nations and traditions would find themselves affirming such old and controversial doctrines. Yet many did so because they were wary and weary of the kind of big-box church-growth Evangelicalism that had been packaged and professionalized and very nearly franchised out. Growth and Change Andrew Heard Buy from Amazon As a movement grows from infancy to maturity, it becomes necessary to ask some ques ..read more

Peter lives in the shadow of Paul. When we think of the early church, when we think of the Apostles, when we think of the doctrine of the New Testament, our minds probably go first to Paul. And perhaps rightly so, since he is responsible for the majority of the didactic parts of the New Testament. The Life of Peter Derek Thomas Buy from Amazon Yet it was Peter, not Paul, who was a friend of Jesus and one of his followers from the beginning of his earthly ministry to his ascension. It was Peter who was called “Rock,” Peter who witnessed Christ’s transfiguration, and Peter who served as a cl ..read more

There are some things I’m good at. Whether by nature, nurture, or hard practice, I have accumulated some skills and been given some talents. But I’m not good at everything of course. Not nearly. One thing I’m very poor at is waiting. I’m restless, impatient, and eager to be active and this leaves me prone to pray too little and act too impulsively. It leaves me prone to complain when Providence dictates that I must move slowly or not move at all. Waiting Isn’t a Waste Mark Vroegop Buy from Amazon Buy from WTS Books I have read many books in my lifetime, but never have I read a book about ..read more

A few days ago I happened upon the page of an especially mega-sized megachurch. The church is about to undergo a leadership transition from an older man to a younger one and a page on the site lays out the process through which this new pastor was chosen. I read with a morbid kind of fascination as it told about personality testing, leadership evaluations, compatibility assessments, and much else. But I couldn’t help but notice that it said not a word about doctrine, beliefs, or the ability to understand and teach the Word of God. It may as well have been a corporation hiring a CEO. In fact ..read more

I don’t think I am overstating the matter when I say that this has the potential to be one of the most important books you will read. It’s a book that may shape years of your life and transform the way you carry out one of the key roles God assigns to you. It’s a book about caring for your parents as they age. Making Good Return Kathleen Nielson Buy from Amazon Buy from WTS Books It has long concerned me that modern Western society doesn’t quite seem to know what to do with aging parents. What may be obvious and instinctual in some cultures, isn’t necessarily so in ours with its high pre ..read more

Surely few things in this world are more mysterious than sex. Surely few things give such clear evidence that there must be more to them than the sum of their parts. On one level, sex is a simple biological function that exists to populate the earth with human beings. On the other level, it is so much more than a biological function, for how else can we explain the longing for it and the pleasure of it, the shame of its misuse and the agony of its abuse? How else can we explain the righteous jealousy with which we guard it or humanity’s obsession with expressing it in anything other than the ..read more

I know I’m getting old and all that, and I’m aware this means that I’ll be tempted to look unfavorably at people who are younger than myself. I know I’ll be tempted to consider what people were like when I was young and to stand in judgment of what people are like today. Yet even with all that in mind, it’s undeniable that the younger generation today is different from the generations that came before it. That difference is expressed in many different ways, though perhaps the ones we notice most are the levels of anxiety experienced by young people along with their relationship to social med ..read more

Euthanasia makes a lot of sense. At least in our culture at this time, it makes intuitive sense that those who are ill without hope for a cure or those who are in pain without likelihood of relief ought to be able to choose to end their own lives. Our culture assumes there are few higher virtues than autonomy and that an individual’s right to self-government should extend even to matters of life and death. Hence we see the rising acceptance and legalization of euthanasia throughout the West, though it comes in the form of several variations and euphemisms—physician-assisted death, physician ..read more