So many of us are lonely. Modern Western culture — Christian and not — has all but lost its rich heritage of friendship. Below is my first try at writing out an idea I call “Covenantal Friendship.” I wrote this piece to get out of an assignment for a seminary counseling course. I’d treasure your feedback. What’s Wrong? In a 2011 address to the Biola University student body, Dr. Matt Jenson argued, “The Church is...
I recently watched the new James Bond film entitled Spectre. I must say that it was amazing, and well worth your money. I will also say that it is exactly like every other Bond film. No spoilers, but here is what happened in Spectre and in every other Bond movie: 007 gets the bad guy. The movie jumps right into the action in a bizarre location. This escapade seemingly has little to do with the...
After submitting my PhD thesis a few weeks ago I was able to spend some time at the Swiss L’Abri as a guest lecturer. Everything about my experience there was wonderful and I thought I’d share a little bit about it. If you’re not familiar with L’Abri, which was founded by Francis and Edith Schaeffer, you can read more here. The L’Abri community is genuinely one of a kind. Students of all ages, backgrounds, and...
“Lex orandi, lex credendi.” Or so goes the ancient Christian maxim, loosely translated, “As we worship, so we believe.” If the songs we sing shape the way we think, we should be very thoughtful about the way our churches are led in worship. Songs are short, memorable, and have the capacity to pack in a lot of ideas. Arius, the brilliant 5th century heretic, popularized his ideas with catchy songs and hymns. Marketing teams have...
The “potluck” is one of the greatest things about going to a small church. For those who have never experienced it, it is a full range buffet with only the most delectable foods made by the moms and grandmas of your church. Tables are set up so that all of the congregation may have their fill and then enjoy the company of one another. This usually happens right after the traditional “service,” however it should...
When I was in high school, our music classes were in danger of being cancelled. I’ll never forget the night I played fly-on-the-wall at a school board meeting while the powerful adults discussed the future of our program. Silent the entire time, I went home that night and cried – I had failed to speak up for the program I loved. What if my failure to speak up meant the end of the music program!...
Just the other week I was walking around St Andrews and I bumped into a pastor friend here in town. We stopped to chat for a minute and he asked me what I think of P.O.D.’s new album. WHAT?! There’s a new album?? is what immediately went through my head. And so I ran back to my office and immediately downloaded The Awakening. If you recall, last time P.O.D. created an album they did something...
This past week I had the opportunity to experience Hume Lake as a counselor. With nervous excitement, I made the almost 5 hour trip on a bus full of ecstatic kids aging from 4th grade to high school. I would be responsible for 11 high school guys who’s spiritual maturity ranged from agnostic to doubting christian. Some of them had grown up in church and had not yet made their faith their own, while others...
I grew up, like most Christians, immersed by Christian culture. Left Behind books, Kirk Cameron movies, Tee-shirts with Christian knock-off slogans. Half of me lived in this realm, the other half lived in secular culture. Stephen King, Jim Carey movies, and non-knock off tee-shirts. All people, Christian or not, care about culture. We want our lives to have meaning and purpose within our culture. We’d like to make a difference for the good. People do...
At many points in its colored history, the church’s unity and its holiness have appeared to come into conflict. On one side, people argue, “The only way we can call ourselves holy, is by staying united. Unity is holiness.”
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