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When I was around twelve, I got swept up into a “Men’s Leadership” class at my suburban Detroit congregation. The class intended to prepare a new generation of young men to be able to lead in the worship assembly.

The problem was that we never learned how actually to lead anything.

We learned how to dress when called upon to serve. We learned what place on the front row to sit in, when to stand, and how many communion trays to take for our position. We learned to make sure our shirts were tucked in and our pants zipped before stepping up to lead a prayer. We learned how to hold doors and pass out bulletins as ushers.

We learned all the physical duties associated with leading, but nothing about how to lead. Consequently, when the call came asking me to lead a communion devotional a few years later…I was terrified and unprepared.

Today, as a church leader in the post-COVID era, not much of the pomp and circumstance I was taught remains. There is no need for a processional of servers when each person can just grab a “rip n’ sip” communion packet on their way to their seat. The atmosphere at our church is familial, comfortable, and relaxed.

Even so, we face the same old problem: people being asked to lead the congregation into a deep and meaningful celebration together at God’s table who have had no real training on how to do that. So, we decided to do what “worked so well” years ago when I was a kid. We had a class!

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Chip and Joanna Gaines are a husband-and-wife duo best known for their hit series Fixer Upper, where they combined home renovation with warm, family-centered storytelling to win over audiences across North America. Their shows—especially through Magnolia Network—have resonated deeply, especially with Christian viewers, offering wholesome, values-driven content that many feel comfortable watching with their families.

When the Gaineses launched their new show Back to the Frontier earlier this year, many Christians expected the same kind of faith-friendly programming the couple has long been known for. The reality series follows three modern families as they give up contemporary conveniences to live like 1880s pioneers, testing their resilience, faith, and relationships in a rugged, off-the-grid environment. So it was surprising—and for many, disappointing—when the show quietly included a same-sex couple raising twin sons as one of the families, without any theological framing, conversation, or acknowledgment that this portrayal runs counter to historic Christian teaching.

The Gaineses have never positioned themselves as preachers, but their brand and platform have long reflected traditional values that resonate with many believers. For them to normalize same-sex relationships—without clarification—feels like more than just a casting decision. It signals a growing trend in the church: drifting from biblical truth not through loud rejection, but through quiet surrender.

As someone who experiences same-sex attraction myself—and who leads a ministry that helps others navigate that reality while remaining faithful to God’s Word—I believe this moment says something important about where the church is heading. And it’s not a direction we should take lightly.

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When people spent time with Jesus, how was he able to help them? When people interacted with the Buddha, in what ways did the interaction benefit them? In this article, we will contrast the outcome of spending time with these two founders. One quick answer is that the eventual results of these interactions were heaven and nirvana, respectively. But what was the actual substance of these interactions; what was being accomplished in them?

Let us reflect on three stories about grieving women, the first two of which would go on to become esteemed nuns.[1]

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*Editor’s Note: How should Christians view masculinity? As something godly to be cultivated? As something toxic to be suppressed? John Eldredge’s 2001 New York Times bestseller Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul gave millions of young men permission to pursue adventurous, valiant masculinity. At the same time, some within evangelicalism accused the book of dangerous implications, even excusing violence and the viewing of women as commodities. In this article, Jeremy Bacon, author of Sermon on the Mount: 40 Days of Learning the Ways of the Kingdom, weighs in on what Eldredge’s landmark book says well—and what it could say better.

I read Wild at Heart shortly after it came out almost 25 years ago. I hadn’t put much thought into what it means to be a man, so Eldredge’s analysis hit me like a lightning bolt. It resonated. I did see in myself a desire to fight a battle, to live an adventure, and to love a beauty. What stunned me and took the Christian world by storm was his argument that in Christianity these impulses find their deepest fulfillment.

Now that I have sons on the cusp of manhood, I revisited the book (the expanded edition), and a lot has changed. Our old cultural scripts for masculinity and femininity are being revised. Unfortunately, the new script for women is about fifteen years ahead of the one for men. Never has masculinity been more homeless. This disorientation (“Where do we fit? What is our role?”) is causing a backlash as many men cling violently to the most oppressive and alienating features of the old model. Welcome to the age of “toxic masculinity.” Yet the counter-reaction to this backlash comes dangerously close to acting like all masculinity is toxic. You can’t tell half a society that they have no constructive role to play and expect that to end well.

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*Author’s Note: Paul’s encounter with Christ led him to a greater understanding of the faith, and from that encounter, Paul developed a theology of mission that affected everything about him, specifically in four areas:

Each of these contributes to the missiology of Paul, and from them, we can learn much about God’s missio Dei, his desire to reach all nations with the good news of Jesus Christ, and the offer of salvation he extends to each of us. In this article, we’ll explore Paul’s practice of contextualization, and how this formed Paul’s theology of mission.

Contextualization is the means of presenting the message in such a way that it is culturally relevant and understandable, without compromising the truth of the message (syncretism) or watering it down so much that it no longer matters (irrelevance). “In order for the Christian message to be meaningful to people it must come to them in language and categories that make sense within their particular culture and life situation. It must be contextualized.”[1]

Paul’s efforts to spread the gospel took him into numerous different cultural, ethnic, and religious settings. In order to bridge such diverse differences effectively, Paul had to pay attention to three key areas: culture, language and communication, and worldview.

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*Editor’s Note: Is Jesus-style disciple making the core mission of the church today—or was it meant to be a pre-Pentecost paradigm? Does contemporary disciple making work? Or does it leave behind crucial areas of spiritual formation? Recently, New Testament theologian Dr. John Whittaker entered a dialogue with Dr. Kyle Strobel of Talbot School of Theology and the Institute for Spiritual Formation. Strobel argues that discipleship is the wrong paradigm for the church today. In interacting with Strobel, Whittaker offers a helpful perspective as both a theologian and disciple making practitioner. He explains what Strobel gets right and wrong about discipleship.

Kyle Strobel is a theologian at Biola University focused on spiritual theology, and he is the head of the Institute of Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology. He’s also a teaching elder at his church. He, along with John Coe, has written what I consider to be one of the best books on prayer titled Where Prayer Becomes Real, as well as several other very helpful books (if you’re a church leader in any capacity, you should check out The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb).

Earlier this year via his Substack, he sent out a blog titled “Why Discipleship Doesn’t Work”, which pointed to the release of a mini-course on his Substack on “Reimagining Discipleship.” In it, Kyle questioned the entire discipleship framework that has been re-emphasized for the last 30+ years and is central to the ministry of RENEW.org.

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From AD 54-68, the Roman emperor was Nero. Here are some of the hallmarks of his reign: He married five people (three women and two men), having one of his wives killed in order to marry his friend’s wife. He had his mother killed in a power struggle. When much of Rome burned, he blamed it on the Christians and had some of them burned alive to light his gardens. It was under Nero that both Peter and Paul were killed (Peter by crucifixion and Paul by beheading). If you had been a Christian living during this time, can you imagine the relief and joy it must have been to know that the real king who would have the ultimate victory was Jesus?

In our own time, we can find ourselves feeling lied to by people in power. Have you ever been disappointed when your candidate got elected and didn’t make good on their promises? Ever been disillusioned after your preferred political party got in power? Maybe they didn’t quite deliver on what they said they would do?

Against this backdrop of disappointment, it’s a beautiful thing to know that Jesus is king. In his earthly ministry, Jesus showed us what his kingdom looks like: the sick are made well, the dead are raised, the downtrodden are lifted up, the lost are found. Captive to sin and death, our world is broken. We desperately need King Jesus. The gospel tells us that Jesus was crucified for our sins, raised to life, and that he now reigns as king and will return in glory. What better news could there possibly be?

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When is the right time to teach kid(s) about sex, sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ+ topics?

I wish it were as easy as offering a specific point in childhood development; unfortunately, it is not that simple. There is no particular age that applies to every child. Every youngster is different, which means that every child’s maturity level is unique. Also, the “right time” can depend on you and the values and culture you’ve instilled in your home. You are the expert on your own family and children. You must pray and seek advice to discern the right time for your child. Remember that this may even vary from child to child within your home. Just because you taught your oldest about sex at eight or nine does not mean your youngest will be ready at the same age. Be adaptable to meet your child’s specific needs.

As you are determining the right time for your child, here are four things to keep in mind:

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In this post, I’m going to do something very unpopular. I’m going to defend billionaires. Kind of. First, a little context. Recently, I’ve seen people—some who are Christians and some who are not—claim that it is inherently wrong or sinful for a person to be a billionaire.

Some of these statements have been stirred by the election success of the totally-not-a-communist candidate for mayor of New York City who believes that billionaires shouldn’t exist (unless of course they are funding his or his friends’ politics). This is a statement that goes far beyond the typical political position that says billionaires need to pay “their fair share,” whatever that sentiment means in the moment. No, this isn’t an economic statement. He is assigning a moral judgment to the status of billionaire. He is implying that it is wrong to be a billionaire, which invites the question—is that correct?

There are certain ideas in Scripture that are clear enough that everyone should be able to eagerly agree upon them. The idea that wealth presents a unique moral temptation is one of those ideas. It is true that Jesus has some harsh and radical things to say about wealth and the wealthy. We see some of these same themes carried over into the writings of Paul, James, and the author of Hebrews (Apollos). We see the language of judgment being applied to the wealthy throughout the New Testament in places like the Gospels and Revelation. 

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In an earlier article, we defined the Old Testament Apocrypha as a collection of Jewish books written from the fourth to the first centuries B.C., included in and apparently canonized in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint or LXX) of Alexandria, Egypt. This collection contains works of wisdom, legend, history, and at least one apocalypse. Though some of these works were originally written in Hebrew, others were written in Greek. Our best and most complete collections of these Apocryphal works today survive in Christian manuscripts of the Greek Old Testament dating from the fourth and fifth centuries A.D.

The common theme of almost all the Apocryphal books is the need for Jews to survive as Jews in hostile cultures. The Apocryphal works describing earlier times, such as Judith, Tobit, and the additions to Daniel and Esther, speak of Jews during times of foreign conquest and captivity. The Apocryphal works describing life in Hellenistic times speak of Jews resisting Greek culture. Either way, one can read these works with a degree of sympathy, for it was difficult to remain faithful to Jewish life in a hostile world.

So, what’s in the Apocrypha? In this article, we will give an overview of the eighteen most commonly included books of the Apocrypha (although not all of these make the cut in every list). We’ll list each with a brief description and then include a quote from each to give you just a taste. The order here is that found in the Common English Bible translation, which includes all eighteen books of the Apocrypha.

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The most well-known feature of Calvinism is its famous five points, often referred to by Calvinists as “the doctrines of grace” and represented by the acronym TULIP.[1] There is much more to Calvinist theology than this, of course, but TULIP is definitely the centerpiece. The acronym summarizes the Calvinist understanding of salvation like this:

Each of these points expresses a key component of Calvinism’s understanding of how God saves people. In this article, we’ll take a look at “perseverance of the saints.”

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