Today we celebrate the legacy of a man of great stature, influence, and ability to polarize people years after his assassination. Oh, you don’t celebrate anything about MLK?  You demonize him as a Commie-loving, philandering, theological liberal, and await the unsealing of his FBI files to confirm your stance.  Or, maybe you venerate him Read more

Another great posting on the Gospel in Genesis by John Davis "Today, because of the triumph of Jesus Christ over sin and death, through His body, the church, His kingdom is quietly being extended through the earth and people of all nations are joining together in worship of the Triune God. Cities are not the Read more

I wasn't sure how to take it when a blogger used a recent article I wrote to demonstrate the difference between arguing like a conservative and arguing like a liberal. Me as an exemplification of liberal argumentation! Of course he wasn't calling me a liberal although I don't know if he would call me a conservative Read more

Here's an excerpt from and link to my brother John's blog and his series on “The Gospel in Genesis and in the City.” "Unfortunately, the church in cities has often reflected a disharmony similar to the family of Jacob. Often divided along racial and economic lines, the urban church fails to reach the nations around Read more

Listen to these words. Is this not worship?  Is not God honored by His people who acknowledge that His grace is enough?  I long ago tired of the worship wars and of ministries established solely to oppose any music that veered from traditional forms or was associated with groups outside their boxes. I am convinced that Read more

          If you plant an urban church you need to learn the local culture and traditions even if you never fully embrace them. In Philadelphia, among other things, we have the Mummers, cheesesteaks, hoagies (don’t you dare call them subs) and soft pretzels. And remember, when in Philly, you ask for soda, not pop. You ask for pop Read more

Recently, the city of Philadelphia wanted to change “Christmas Village” to “Holiday village.” Officials backtracked after threats of boycott and a firestorm of protests from citizens. Many Americans bemoan today what has been called the “War on Christmas.” I sympathize with many of their concerns. Even more concerning to believers should be how little the entrance of Read more

For the first time in my Christian experience I'm in a church which lights advent candles. I must confess that I had heard of this tradition but thought it was something that real Bible-believing churches didn’t or shouldn’t do. It was too, well, Catholic or something. Most churches who observed Advent in this way didn’t preach Read more

          As time goes on I find few ways in which I would want to be called or call myself a conservative. It’s a word that like many has served its purpose but has been stretched in so many directions (cultural, political, theological) that it requires endless qualification. Granted, in a small tight group of Read more

Dear Matt: My support of the direction of NIU expressed in your open letter may not matter to you and in the minds of some would not be helpful to you since I am no longer considered a fundamentalist or separatist by many, neither do I care to be known as such using their parameters. Read more