Blog
The first job of the shepherd: protect the flock
From Phil Johnson’s message at the Shepherd’s Conference: We’re often told by gurus of church-growth and guardians of postmodern values in the evangelical community that we mustn’t erect “boundaries.” I gather from the way such comments are often bandied about…
Depression: Don’t Waste It
Christians get depressed. The causes are varied. But God is always purposeful which means our depression is not meaningless. Depression should not be wasted. As a teenager I was morose and deeply depressed. I wrote morose things and believed that…
A thought on the homosexual marriage debate
As Christians in the UK and elsewhere engage in discussion among themselves and with civil authorities about the nature of marriage, it seems that many are concerned that such battles are indicative or even productive of a coming judgement. It…
‘My name is Michael Cain, not a lot of people know that’
When I was a young Christian I was given the advice of reading an evangelistic book regularly. It’s good for the soul and I think one of the benefits is it keeps reminding you of the simplicity of the gospel…
The Extremist
No one wants to be labeled an extremist. We perceive people to be wise when they can find a middle ground and comfortably reside there. Unless it is a sport, of course. Extreme sports are cool. And the people who…
The cross brings an end to “the glory story”
“The cross is itself in the first instance the attack of God on the old sinner and the sinner’s theology. The cross is the doing of God to us. But that same cross itself, and only the cross, at the…
The Shrinking Influence of Evangelicals…
David French has written an article for National Review Online which examines the diminishing influence of evangelicals upon the wider culture. He sums up his thesis with three reasons behind this decline: 1. We are more focused on meeting the…
Growing The Church God’s Way
“The most potent expression of fearing man is pragmatism. It occurs when the lust for church growth trumps the fear of God. It is the willingness to let ‘whatever works’ determine our agenda. The bad news is usually the first…
On Cars, Vows and the Slow Death of the Church
A friend just brought the following article to my attention. It is worth reading and a reminder that the cultural influence of evangelicals is waning even as the noise within evangelicalism about ‘engaging the culture’ (whatever the verb and the…