A few weeks ago, someone I know posted a graphic on Facebook of a pyramid that was designed to depict his understanding of how a local church should be structured. The graphic was a pyramid that [...]
French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”[1] Christians [...]
William Estep (1920–2000) was a brilliant church historian and Baptist scholar who taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for more than three decades (1954-1990). This book is a [...]
Shrimp is a widely accepted food among Christian communities today. I haven’t met any Christians who have argued that eating shrimp is sinful. However, some may point out that shrimp is [...]
In 2006, the show Dexter aired. It was a hit. I’ve never watched the show, but several of my friends loved it. The show paves the way for an interesting ethical debate. If you’re not [...]
“Church history is the record of God’s gracious, wonderful, and mighty deeds, showing how he rules his church and conquers the world.” ―Nils Forsander, Swedish theologian [...]
Before joining CBS, Stephen Colbert hosted a satirical news show called The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. There was a segment on that show called Better Know a District. In this segment he [...]
Most people in the western world today would say that polygamy is wrong. That is mostly because of the influence of Christianity upon western societies—Christians have condemned polygamy for many [...]
Christian missionary stories have made a huge impact on our culture’s generation today. Through prayer and introducing Biblical principles, Christian missionaries have influenced education [...]
In Matthew 28, Jesus exhorted us to “make disciples of all nations” and to teach those disciples “to observe all that [he] commanded.” Making disciples is our aim! But how [...]
Dedicated in passionate pursuit of God’s calling on her life, Amy Carmichael has been an inspiration to many missionaries over the past century. Who was Amy Carmichael? Amy Carmichael was an [...]
During the 1960s and 1970s, various evangelical scholars debated the nature of Scripture—in particular, they debated its veracity, its historicity, and its intent. Several books were written on [...]
God did many amazing things through the life and ministry of the apostle Paul. The gospel was spread to many people across the known world thanks to Paul’s efforts, despite the severe [...]
For most of western history, education was mostly inspired by and founded upon the classical approach to education. The ancient Greeks (and later the Romans) understood that character development [...]
Many people in ancient Greece were concerned about democracy. They believed that ordinary people couldn’t be trusted to make good decisions. Plato famously said that the voters would [...]
Born in Scotland in 1824, John G. Paton was a Christian missionary to the cannibals on the New Hebrides Islands of the South Seas until he died in 1907. His life was filled with many trials. His [...]
In the late 1800s, some Christian scholars debated John Calvin’s view of Scripture. The debate was largely fueled by the writings of Presbyterian scholar Charles Briggs. Briggs was later [...]
How can you devote yourself more to the Christian faith and develop in your Christian maturity? How can you be more and more like Jesus every day? The ideal way to grow is to implement a good [...]
How are Bible plans helpful? Bible reading plans are helpful because the Bible is an elaborate document. In fact, it is 66 different documents written in different styles. If you are to read it [...]
Have you ever stopped to consider why you have the gospel? The simple answer is (most likely) because someone brought the gospel to where you live. For centuries Christians have sent out [...]
In John 4, Jesus meets a woman at a well. This interaction has captivated the hearts of many Bible readers. But what is the significance of the story? What can we learn from this monumental [...]
When it comes to discipleship, there are many ideas and opinions on what is best and what isn’t. Discipleship is an important aspect of the church and is a crucial way to bring new members [...]
After his death and resurrection, Jesus gave the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the [...]
You may be wondering what one-on-one discipleship is, how it works, and more importantly, how to be successful at it. What is one-on-one discipleship? When one Christian is intentionally spending [...]
All Christians are called to make disciples. It’ll look different from person to person, but we’re all called to be a part of disciple-making efforts. But are there any qualifications [...]
Why is discipleship important? Discipleship is important because it’s the process (or instrument) by which people grow in their faith. We want other people to become mature committed [...]
How does leadership impact and inform discipleship? And how does discipleship impact leadership? There are a lot of pastors and church leaders in our society. I’ve corresponded with plenty [...]
We as Christians want to share the good news and make disciples. I wanted to learn what the qualities of discipleship are so I researched the topic. What are qualities of discipleship? Qualities [...]
The work of missionaries is inspiring to say the least, and for those who may be considering this path for themselves, it can be helpful to hear some of the quotes of wisdom passed down by those [...]
Often times, we know we should pray but struggle to find the words to say. Or, we don’t even know what we should pray. The Bible has told us both how to pray and gives us examples of [...]
The relationship between discipleship and missions is significant. These two key elements of the Christian life cannot be separated, nor can one be done without the other. We do missions because [...]
I’ve been a Christian for more than 25 years and have served in pastoral ministry for more than a decade. In that time, I’ve had a lot of conversations with people about discipleship. [...]
Throughout the Gospel of Mark, there are several great examples of Jesus calling people to discipleship. Mark gives us a clear picture of what Jesus means when he calls people to follow him. How [...]
Joy is a beautiful emotion to experience. It’s the feeling you get when you’re ecstatic about going on vacation, when you’re laughing with friends, or when you’re simply with a loved one. Joy is [...]
One of the most influential books in evangelical history was penned by the brilliant journalist-turned-theologian Carl F. H. Henry (1913-2003). The book was The Uneasy Conscience of Modern [...]
One prominent question that comes up when a Christian dies is whether cremation is appropriate. I’ve heard a few people say they fear that their loved ones will not be able to enter into [...]
One of the questions I’ve been asked most: “Is masturbation a sin?” This is not surprising being that more than 78% of adults report masturbating on a regular basis.[1] This is [...]
How do we know what’s good and what’s evil? How do we determine right from wrong? How do we decide what laws to pass? How do we know what human behaviors ought to be normative? These [...]
Have you ever been curious about this natural world? God intentionally created the universe with a specific design in mind, and that specific design teaches us things about God. We can learn [...]
Today is Friday the 13th. Supposedly an unlucky day. Friday the 13th has inspired a novel, a series of short stories, a horror film franchise, and even a late 19th-century secret society. But is [...]
Many local churches and faith-based organizations have attempted to create processes that take people from unbelief to belief and then toward spiritual maturity. These sorts of discipleship [...]
If you are going to grow in your Christian faith and develop as a disciple of Christ, you’ll want to obtain wisdom. One of the best ways to pursue wisdom is by reading great books. There [...]
Death is obviously a heavy topic. But as Christians, we ought to approach death differently than others do. The Bible gives us some very important things to consider when we’re thinking [...]
