Believers are commanded in 1 Peter 3:15 to always be ready to “to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Being able to provide such a defense requires the believer to have a practical understanding of the faith in which...
Lies We Believe About God is the latest book from the author of The Shack, WM. Paul Young. The author originally penned The Shack at the request of his wife as a Christmas gift to his six children. First published in 2007, this book has sold over 20 million copies...
Reality is a subject that every person should be interested in. Reality stares us in the face each day and reminds us of the bare facts. Perhaps the most important realities to come to grips with is the Christian worldview. Gregory Koukl presents the major...
Issues surrounding the dignity of human life have been the loudest topics of conversation lately in political and social spheres. We are witnessing a society that simultaneously argues over the legitimacy or criminality of abortion, what the framework for marriage...
Christmas for many people is a difficult time. Whether it's fighting, bad memories, the death of a loved one around this season, or some other reason, Christmas is hard for many people. The gospel story, the incarnation, sinless life, death, burial, and...
The past fifteen years have seen a massive increase in conversation and debate about what Islam teaches. From US politicians proclaiming that Islam is a religion of peace to pronouncements that Islam isn’t a religion of peace, and everywhere in-between there are...
Few authors over the past decade have exerted as much of an influence outside of the Bible as Tim Keller, Albert Mohler, and John Piper on my thinking about the Christian life and ministry. Whenever they release a new book I know I want to read it. I know in the...
There are at least 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world – a stunning number to the unsuspecting. It would be a massive understatement to confess that Rome has had and continues to have a titanic influence on Western thought and culture. In recent years, some...
It seems that now more than ever, the “public square” is becoming an important component of Christian living. In fact, with the rise of social media, the public square has become nearly inescapable. Cultural commentary is only a click away, as our news feeds are...
Good Survey of Apologetics The task of doing apologetics can be a bit of a burden. Apologists devote their lives to learning the ins and outs of various arguments and how competing views think about the existence of God. Doing apologetics is meant to be a slow and...
When it comes to the conversation of same-sex attraction, we have seen a sort of “Red Rover” happening among some folks. We’ve picked our sides and dared others to come join us. The focus is on building our viewpoint, our “camp” so to speak. Along the way, when...
Those of us interested in the subject of apologetics find ourselves normally dividing into two categories – presuppositional, interested in engaging with the presuppositions of the unbeliever, or evidential, interested in engaging with the evidence before us. Both...
The challenges posted towards the exclusivity of the Christian gospel are not a new phenomenon by any means. But as our culture continues to grow post-Christian, the “Coexist” bumper stickers increase, academia starts to muddy the waters and blur the lines between...
As Christians, it is difficult to sometimes know how to move the ball forward in terms of proving the existence of God among skeptical culture. We feel that in order to defend God against atheists and agnostics, we must be well-versed in the areas of science and...
This year I’ve been reading Carl Henry’s massive six-volume set “God, Revelation, and Authority”. To be honest I haven’t done very well reading it thus far. I’m still in volume two but I am enjoying it. Reading it slowly has helped me to understand this great man...
We live in a time when what once was considered right is now viewed as intolerance. Arguably, this paradigm shift in our culture is most evident when it comes to the subject of gay marriage versus biblical marriage. The recent Supreme Court decision ruling gay...
People today in our culture often claim that religion should be kept private. These same people are also the one’s who loudly declare their opinions about a variety of political and societal injustice. Sadly as our culture continues to move in it’s seemingly never...
Few issues pertaining to Christian theology are as under attack these days than the doctrine of Scripture. Understanding what the Bible is and how the story of Scripture relates to our lives is critical in our day. This is especially true given the rise of biblical...
Russel Moore is, I believe, the voice that is giving many younger Evangelicals hope. Many young Christians are frustrated, discouraged, and disenchanted with the Evangelicalism of their parents. This was the kind of Evangelicalism that blended American...
Racism. This is a word that conjures up deep emotions from everyone in this nation. Whether you are black or white, Asian or Hispanic, we all deal with this issue on a daily basis. Truthfully, racism has been an issue in the world since human beings fell into sin....
Deut. 6:6-9, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall...
What does it meant to ask good questions? In part it means to listen for answers. It has become exceedingly popular in recent years to celebrate doubt. There is, of course, a place for doubt, and I have written on its place in the Christian life. Yet, doubt often...
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. This old adage rings true today. For many people, they want to go back to the “good old days” when people weren’t questioning traditional morality and values that Christians have for millennia held to. For some,...
Why should anyone place their full faith and trust in the Bible? After all, there are numerous other self-proclaimed spiritual works available that are viable options for connecting with God, right? How do we know that the Bible is correct and all other choices are...
How did we get here? This is the question that We Cannot Be Silent seeks to answer. In the wake of the massive tidal wave of recent events regarding redefinition of marriage, sex, and morality, this is a question many evangelicals don’t have an answer for. When the...
Our modern culture has granted a certain kind of power to personal biography. Whether we are reading about a child who “visited heaven,” or allowing a journalist to communicate their authentic self-identity, personal stories are regarded as sacred in our culture....
We are living in a period of time where there is a great deal of change. From the economy to politics, to changing views on traditional values, our culture is in the middle of changing times seemingly across every facet of life. This has caused many people to talk...
The Bible clearly teaches that every Christian is to be engaged in the task of apologetics. From the Bible’s description of “always being ready to give an answer for the reason for the hope we have” (1 Peter 3:15) to contending for the faith once and for all...
One of the greatest areas of opportunity for pastors and ministry leaders exists in the sphere of helping them to read the Bible rightly and well. The problem of biblical illiteracy is a real issue in our day but so also is the neglected topic (at a lay level) of...
As the already post-Christian society we live in grows more post-Christian by the day, it is becoming increasingly more important that we pinpoint exactly how to defend our faith, stand for truth, and engage differing opinions lovingly and willingly in...
The Cookie Cutter. It's great for making cookies, isn't it? When using cookie cutters we're able to crank out dozens of cookies, perfectly shaped and made to our liking. As a society, we've seen the success we've had in applying the "cookie-cutter" approach, and...
Few issues today are as volatile as homosexuality and same-sex marriage. In my experience, writing on the issue of same-sex marriage, I’ve found that that people are very interested in what the Bible teaches on this subject. Now that we’ve seen a radical...
Since the Supreme Court's decision to affirm homosexual relationships as sufficient for marriage, the Church as a whole has spent a few months trying to determine next steps in how we should be responding, how to approach the issue in our own congregations, and how...
In recent days, many people have questioned whether Adam and Eve are really persons or not. Typically the people who question Adam and Eve also question whether the Bible is authoritative, inerrant and sufficient. Most of these people are scientists with no Bible...
One of the greatest needs in the Christian Church today is helping Christians understand what a biblical worldview and why it matters in their everyday interactions with people. For example, understanding what a biblical worldview is will help you to be able to...
If there is one hot button issue both within and outside the church that has risen above all others it is undeniably the discussion swirling around homosexuality and same-sex marriage. With Christian bakers and photographers being sued and the seemingly...
The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:16 notes “we have the mind of Christ.” To have the mind of Christ means to have as our purpose thinking about all things in the manner Christ did, namely the approach of doing that which God declares. In order to have the mind of...
There is arguably no more significant issue outside of salvation that garners the great discussion than the debate on suffering and the sovereignty of God. The question is often posed as to if God is so powerful and loving, why is there evil and suffering in the...
Recently I had a conversation with someone at a coffee shop that I frequent often. During the course of this conversation, this person repeatedly told me while they were sharing what they believed that, "This is my personal philosophy." That is, what he believed...
Grace and truth are to be the key markers of all Christian relationships. Often we find that we can be good with one or the other of these characteristics, but to combine both takes great sensitivity and ultimately the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The balance of...
We all communicate each and every day in one form or another. Since we are commanded in Scripture to always be prepared to give an account for the reason we believe, it behooves us to be capable communicators when sharing the hope that is within us, namely the...
One of the greatest needs in contemporary Christianity is to understand evangelism. Sure there are many ministries to help Christians out there understand this vital ministry. Yet, there needs to be much more written on this vital topic. By more written, I mean...
Who is Jesus? Seems like such an easy question. He is the Son of God, He came and died on the cross and rose again, and will one day return for His bride. But who is Jesus? Do we really grasp this Messiah, this history altering figure? Are we able to share with the...
Mention one or more of the hot button social issues of our day like abortion, homosexuality, pornography, sex tracking or any other issue like it and you’re guaranteed to get a variety of opinions. In response to these issues, Christians have a treasure trove in...
There are many who look for any way possible to denigrate the authenticity of Scripture, in particular matters related to history. One such element of Scripture that has been viewed with skepticism or at least has generated a bit of discussion as to the exact...
There has been an effort in recent years by authors such as liberal scholar Bart Ehrman to try and present Scripture as being in error. Such challenges, while really nothing new in the history of the Church, do present an issue for the Christian, especially due to...
Few men have so championed and articulated a liberal and progressive view of Christianity as Dr. Bart Ehrman. Ehrman is a four time New York Times bestselling author, speaker and professor at UNC Chapel Hill. His books speak to issues related to the Bible that most...
Ideas have consequences, as evidenced by the history of mankind. On that fateful day September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers of New York City were hit by two planes packed to with innocent passengers and a handful of Muslim terrorists. These terrorists took their lives...
We live in a world where every day biblical Christianity is challenged on a variety of fronts. On one front Christianity is attacked by the idea that it is intolerant. On the other we’re told what we believe is outdated. Even from within our own ranks we’re told...
To say that Christianity and by extension the Word of God is under assault in our world today is arguably the biggest understatement of the century. Seemingly everywhere one looks, biblical truth is viewed as antiquated, intolerant, and subject to the shifting...
Every day the news reports on ISIS/ISIL and whether Islam is a religion of peace or a religion that promotes war. While people will likely continue to argue over that question for a long time, every Christian needs to understand what Islam teaches. Recognizing the...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was an important figure within the Confessing Church in Germany during the time of the Nazi regime of the 1930s. His better known works include titles such as The Cost of Discipleship and Ethics. Fortress Press has released a collection of the...
The discipline known as Pauline studies has certainly had its share of ups and downs over the years. Furthermore, much ink has been spilled on the subject of Paul and the New Testament epistles he wrote. Thus to a certain degree, there can be a sense of confusion...
We all make ethical decisions all throughout the day. If I leave work early surely the boss won’t mind if I don’t note that early departure as vacation time. After all, I work hard for the company and they owe me. Only 45 mph in a construction zone? There is nobody...
The overarching theme of 1 John is that of how the believer relates to the world in light of being a child of God. It is an epistle replete with calls to stand firm on the fundamentals of the faith in a world that increasingly rejects that message and in response...
If you have not noticed, we live in a culture that is hostile to the Bible and Christianity in general. One of the dominating criticisms of the Bible from non-Christians is it's lack of verisimilitude, or the ability for it to contain absolute truth. This raises...
How can a book written by many different authors over 2000 years ago have anything relevant for us today? Why I should I believe the claims of this book, namely the claim it is the word of God. Who is this God and why should I care? Why should I take this book...
Today’s Christian is confronted by challenges on nearly every side with the rising tide of relativism, secularism, paganism and many other “ism’s” that vie for the attention and affections of Christians. Following his excellent book One or Two: Seeing a World of...