The Virgin Birth of Jesus is often taken for granted in Christian circles. Yet, there have always been doubters. We certainly live in a time when more and more people are skeptical of Christianity; at least certain parts of it. But that’s the thing—you can’t pick and choose which things from the Bible you want to believe and which you don’t. It’s an all or nothing deal. If Jesus was just a man, then the whole thing falls apart. So, you can’t say you’re a Christian or that you’re going to Heaven if you don’t believe in the Virgin Birth.   Skeptics and doubters still have to account for Jes ..read more

Reading about Tuesday’s elections, I can only conclude that most Americans value ending life more than celebrating it. Without a doubt, the abortion issue drove people to the polls this week; and they voted for the right to kill.   Ben Johnson summarized the election results in an article for The Washington Stand: The pro-life cause suffered major setbacks in the 2023 off-year election, as voters in Ohio adopted a vaguely-worded constitutional amendment creating a “right” to abortion until birth and other “reproductive decisions.” Ohioans also legalized recreational marijuana, while othe ..read more

A recent article from World Net Daily indicates that the distance from civil unrest to civil war may not be far away. The article is responding to a study by the University of Chicago Project of Security and Threats, which reveals that 30 million Americans (12%) think using violent force would be justified to keep President Trump out of the White House. There are also some 15 million who say violence is justified to prevent the prosecution of President Trump. So, how has America gone from We the People to You the Enemy? And what is the biblical response?   Lawlessness We all know that law ..read more

A recent headline from Fox News suggests the unraveling of Christianity. It reads, “Marriage collapse, absent fathers ‘unraveling’ Christianity in growing US crisis.” The subtitle says, “Churchgoers in their 30s who never married ranked the loneliest group in new survey.” There’s a lot to unpack in this headline but my first response as a pastor is, “duh.” I’m in my 40th year of ministry, so I’ve had a front row seat to much of what research is revealing. First, Christianity is not unraveling. If anything, genuine Christianity is being revealed.   Genuine Christianity There’s a huge ..read more

After every school shooting we face the question of, “Why?” Why did a woman shoot her way into a private Christian school in Nashville and kill six people? Well, some in the media want us to believe that an unfair law made this woman do a bad thing. They’re painting the shooter as a victim of laws and beliefs she may have perceived as an attack on her identity. In essence, they’re arguing that traditional Christian values provoke violence.   You see, the shooter was a transgender woman who identifies as a male, and Tennessee recently banned gender affirming surgeries on minors. Media spin ..read more

I recently preached a series of messages about life in eternity. I talked about Heaven, Hell, judgment, and eternal rewards. What’s interesting is how many people had never heard anyone teach on the judgment of believers and unbelievers, or the five crowns of reward mentioned in Scripture. Most of them have a church background of some kind. Yet, these churches never discussed major details of what happens after life on Earth ends. As church-going Christians, why don’t we talk about eternity anymore?   The root problem began decades ago with the church growth movement. Seminars and books e ..read more

As a new year dawns, many are energized by the idea of a fresh start or a new bucket list. I’d like to offer a different perspective. Instead of limiting your thoughts to the coming year, what if you viewed your New Year’s resolutions with an eternal perspective? Colossians 3 challenges us to think beyond this world by, “seeking the things above” and to, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth” (vv1-2). So as we think about 2023, how do we accept the challenge to lift our thoughts?   Humility Living with an eternal perspective starts with humility. In I ..read more

On Tuesday, Democrat Rafael Warnock defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Georgia’s Senate runoff election. Around 200,000 republicans chose to sit the election out. Many of those were evangelical Christians who viewed Walker’s character with skepticism due to a barrage of negative ads. So, what is the role of faith in the political arena? I think we can learn two important lessons about faith and citizenship from this, and other recent elections.   Faith and Hypocrisy While not voting might seem like taking a stand for our faith, it actually works to undermine biblical t ..read more

Who should be responsible for creating “meaningful change” in our nation? Americans are twice as likely to say it’s government’s responsibility than to say it’s the responsibility of Christian churches, according to a new Barna survey. The implications of this survey should be of great concern to born-again, Bible-believing, followers of Christ. Why? Because government has replaced the role of God in the minds of the masses. And there are always consequences when government plays God.   Truth and Political Preference Anytime a false god is put in God’s place, truth is the first thing to g ..read more

Throughout history we see the rise and fall of world empires. Some even rose to the point of seeming invincibility. It’s only through hindsight that we clearly see why each of these great civilizations fell. With all that’s happening these days, it’s not hard to imagine the downfall of our nation as we’ve known it. Could America become just another fallen empire?   I don’t desire to see the country I love disappear or be destroyed. I’m grateful to have been born an American citizen. I feel like I grew up in the sweet spot of American life—born in the early sixties and graduating high scho ..read more