Theology Archives - Helping Churches Thrive

Christian Hedonism: Three Timeless Truths

“In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.” Afro-American Spiritual “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25,26 “For me, to life is Christ, and to die…

What In The World Did We Expect?

Having the right expectations really matters. Just think about the expectations with which you entered into: High School College Marriage Your spouse’s extended family Your first full-time job Many American Christians are reeling right now because of their expectations. They thought that the unusual (from a historical perspective) conditions which we had in America for…

Eight More Reasons To Expect Persecution

An old friend who is a keen student of Church history has been telling me for thirty years that “The only hope for the American Church is persecution.” I fear that he’s right, and as much as I’d love to see a vibrant Church in my country, I can’t say that I’m embracing persecution. But…

Fresh Starts Needed; How Nostalgia Holds Us Back

Many church leaders are telling us that there isn’t going to be a return to “normal” any time soon, or ever. Even if your “good old days” were in 2019 (instead of 1955), the 2019 version of “church as usual” isn’t coming back. Even churches which weren’t even slightly interested in experiencing revitalization are facing…

Can The Government Destroy The Church?

“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in…

Four Opportunities For The New Year

“The secret of the Christian life is a series of new beginnings” George Sweeting In my home area of northwestern Wisconsin there is a village which is prospering and attractive. It’s not my home-town, I’m sorry to say, it’s ten miles up the road. Back during my adolescent years, my village was prospering and the…

Ten Questions For The Post-Covid Church

I’m seeing a lot of internet traffic these days on the subject of the Post-COVID Church: the way evangelical Christianity is going to look, in America, after the pandemic is over. I appreciate every attempt I’ve seen and heard to make sense of this crazy year and to predict the future. I don’t have a…

Seven Positive Things Pastors Can Do Right Now

These are difficult days for my pastor friends! I keep hearing about anger and division over: COVID prevention strategies, President Biden’s election, charges of voter fraud, threats to civil liberties, local church political involvement, etc. Pastors are taking it on the chin like never before. While there’s little a pastor can do about any of…

Three Reasons To Not Bring Your Politics To Work

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may…

Three Dangers In Mixing Politics And Religion

It’s easy to mix a little politics in with our Christianity. As evangelicals, we avoid the old “social gospel” like the plague, as well we should. The social gospel is what the Apostle Paul would call, “another gospel which is not another,” (Galatians 1:6) for it confuses the good news that Christ came to die…

The Two Best Things I Never Knew About The Holy Spirit

I could not more highly recommend Fred Sander’s, The Deep Things of God (How the Trinity changes everything). This is theology at its best: Biblical, thought-provoking and heart-warming. It has changed my thinking and my worship. It has shown me that the gospel and the God I cherish are even better than I thought they…

The Three Best Things I Never Knew About The Trinity

This is not a book review but I have to give credit where it’s due: Fred Sanders’ The Deep Things of God (How The Trinity Changes Everything) was an eye-opening, heart-warming, worship-inspiring experience for me, and continues to influence my life and work. Like all evangelical pastors, I believed in and taught the doctrine of…

Three Trendy Imperatives The Bible Doesn’t Teach

The Apostle Paul gave his beloved young co-worker Timothy some timeless advice when he admonished, “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” (NAS) With a little imagination we could paraphrase that…

Five Things Every Christian Should Know About Karma

It seems like everybody’s talking about Karma these days. When it comes to ourselves, every good thing we do is seen as contributing to our reservoir of “good karma.” When it comes to others, every bad deed is seen as contributing to a growing cesspool of “bad karma.” Hmmm. Our words matter. Our beliefs matter. …

Churches And Politics: Rethinking The Issue, Part One

For a number of years, I’ve urged pastors and churches to stay out of politics. While writing for a mega-blog, I tried twice to write posts about this subject. The editors were so concerned about staying away from politics that they wouldn’t print my posts about staying out of politics! (A bit extreme, I thought.)…