Why We Need Women in Ministry
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A Wonderful New Book on Parenting Teens
Ok, let’s just get it out there. Parenting is hard. And parenting teens is particularly hard. Even more, parenting teens in our current cultural moment is exceptionally hard.
While every generation has “new” challenges, it is fair to say that the current generation has more than its fair share. We are faced with an increasingly secular culture, unprecedented social media pressures (and temptations), and record-breaking rates of depression and anxiety.
Unfortunately, Christian reactions to this matrix of challenges is not always healthy. Some parenting models become super aggressive, overly restrictive, and operate out of a fear-based mentality, sometimes exacerbating the very problem they are trying to solve. More than ever, … Continue reading...
Speaking the Truth in Love
When it comes to today’s volatile and divided ministry environment, these words stand out as particularly relevant: “Speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15).
Some conversations have a lot of truth but very little love. Other conversations have a lot love and affection, but very little truth. The biblical ideal is that we have both things.
It is for just this reason, that I am excited about the new book by Cheryl Marshall and Caroline Newheiser, When Words Matter Most: Speaking Truth with Grace to Those You Love (Crossway, 2021).
Cheryl is the director of women’s ministries at Founders Baptist Church in Spring, Texas. Caroline is the assistant coordinator of … Continue reading...
Men, Are You Submissive?
Submission.
Of all the words in the Bible, this may be one of the least popular. After all, our cultural moment is not one that values a posture of submission to authorities. On the contrary, our world insists we should challenge and critique those over us.
The classic bumper sticker captures it well: “Question Authority.”
And if submission is already an unpopular concept, it only grows more unpopular in verses like Ephesians 5:22: “Wives submit to your husbands as unto the Lord.” Indeed, this passage (and its counterpart in 1 Pet. 3:1) has been ground zero in the submission wars, both in our churches and the broader … Continue reading...
Check Out the @RTSCharlotte Women’s Bible Study on the Book of Hebrews
Back in 2017-2019, I taught a weekly Bible study for women on the RTS Charlotte campus. For 33 weeks, about 150 women gathered together to study the book of Hebrews in all its richness and depth.
Thankfully, our great video team here, led by Matt McQuade, captured that series in HD video. We have made the entire Bible study available to the public for free, including handouts for each installment.
Since their release, we have been so encouraged to see how these videos have been utilized by groups all over the country and the world. I have received emails from places like Slovakia and Indonesia, telling us that they … Continue reading...