How Dangerous is Money? A Great New Resource for Avoiding the Pitfalls
Ok, so we all know the main Bible verse about money: “The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil” (1 Tim 6:10). In fact, we know it so well that we rarely let it sink in.
If we ponder it for just a brief moment, we would realize that money, though it can be a blessing, can also be one of the most dangerous things in the world. If a person is not careful, it can shipwreck your life.
For this reason, I am very thankful for Jim Newheiser’s recent volume, Money: Seeking God’s Wisdom (P&R, 2019). Jim is director of the biblical counseling program here … Continue reading...
Do Christian Parents Have to be Perfect?
I recently did a number of videos for the TGC, and one of them was on lessons I’ve learned as a parent. We have three kids, 18, 15, 12, and have certainly learned a lot of lessons. Here’s one of the main ones:
[iframe width=”1000″ height=”500″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/pIm_gMY6QHE” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe]… Continue reading...
Is Capitalism Based on Greed?
Ever since Gordon Gekko’s character in the movie Wall Street uttered the phrase, “Greed is good,” there has been a wide-spread and oft-repeated myth that capitalism is based on greed. And, so the argument goes, if capitalism is driven by a sinful desire (greed), then it must be rejected as an immoral system.
Such issues have come up again in recent months as a number of new members of congress (and old members) are pushing the country away from capitalism and towards socialism, mostly on moral grounds. Even some well-meaning evangelicals, who have a genuine care for the poor, find themselves drawn to this new movement and its disdain … Continue reading...
“Let Them Not Share in the Affairs of Life”: How Ancient Christians Were Viewed as Dangerous to Society
Celsus “just can’t stand Christians.”
So, writes James O’Donnell (Pagans, 101) as he describes the vicious opposition to Christians in the earliest centuries, particularly from the second-century critic Celsus.
A few weeks ago, I began a short, three-part blog series about what people in the ancient world thought of Christians. In the prior post, we explored how Celsus viewed Christians as ignorant, uneducated simpletons.
In other words, one of the main problems with Christians was intellectual in nature.
But Celsus is by no means finished. In this post, we will see that he thinks that Christians also have a behavioral problem. Their actions are rude, anti-social, and … Continue reading...
Moving Beyond One-Dimensional Sermon Applications
Let’s just get it out there. Preaching is hard.
In the midst of all the disputes over preaching, this fact remains undisputed. Yes, preaching is wonderful and exhilarating. But, it is also exhausting, frustrating, and difficult. Whether a person has preached one time, or a hundred times, they know this.
Why is that? What makes preaching so hard?
I would suggest that it has to do with the nature of preaching. Preaching is not just delivering a message, passing along facts, or making a point (though it does include these things). At its core, preaching is something that calls for a response in the listener.
Put differently, members of the … Continue reading...