Posts by Todd Pruitt

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On Sunday I took a break from our series through Job and preached Psalm 139. It is entitled "Search Me O God" and can be listened to or downloaded HERE .
Christians in parts of Africa and the Arab world are going through great tribulation. In fact Christians are the most persecuted group of people on the planet. It's breathtaking. From Nigeria to Iraq to North Korea and China, Christians are being murdered, arrested, beaten, systematically...
It seems that a secret from my past I thought had been well buried has now come to light. To find out more listen in on the latest Mortification of Spin ... Crisis! Todd's past comes back to bite him. This Promise Keepers-sweatshirt-wearing hooligan and the rest of the gang discuss a continually...
Preachers ought to tell the truth. I'm afraid that truth-telling may be an overlooked virtue when it comes to preaching. I'm not talking here about the obvious violators who claim to have healed people from AIDS and raised the dead without any verification. I'm not talking about those pastors who...
The latest Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit is up and running. "If you will agree to tithe your income for 90 days and you don't receive a blessing from God, you'll get your money back, guaranteed!" This sort of spiritual mumbo jumbo is, as Carl nicely sums up, bonkers. Those who propose these...
In recent weeks I have been preaching through Job. The series is not a verse-by-verse exposition but a thematic overview. I suspect the series will consist of nine sermons. However, I always reserve the right to call an audible. Preaching Job is a privilege. It is also quite challenging. Each week...
On The Brink: Grace for the Burned Out Pastor is the title of a new book by Clay Werner. I don't know of another book on the subject quite like it. Werner does a faithful job of offering encouragement, some correction, and much hope for the weary pastor. Throughout Werner demonstrates the necessity...
When you get a chance, check out the videos from the Taking God at His Word conference that was hosted by WTSbooks . The featured speaker was Kevin DeYoung. There were also panel discussions with Drs. Carl Trueman, Greg Beale, Scott Oliphint, David Powlison, and Jeff Jue. //player.vimeo.com/video/...
On Sunday I preached part 6 in our series through Job. It is an overview of chapters 4-27 and is entitled "A True Believer". You can listen to download it HERE .
The new issue of Credo is dedicated to the life and ministry of George Whitefield. Credo is one of my favorite places on the web. This most recent issue, like all issues of Credo, is well worth your time.
The latest Mortification of Spin is up and running... The MoS posse toss around ideas about the biblical concept of finding strength in the midst of weakness. As Christians, we must draw our strength from our brokenness, sinfulness, and weakness. How can pastors shepherd their flocks of weak,...
Among contemporary theologians there are two I would rather read than all others. One is J.I. Packer and the other is Donald MacLeod. Like Packer, Donald MacLeod knows that theology is ultimately not for the academy but for the church. His most recent title is Christ Crucified: Understanding the...
Over at First Things , our friend Carl has written an excellent apologetic for the Reformed faith. Specifically, Trueman asserts that the Reformed faith is uniquely suited (over general evangelicalism and Roman Catholicism) for exiles, or what the apostle Peter called "strangers and aliens." It’s...
The latest Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit is up and running: Broadcasting from deep within the bowels of a college's frathouse, the wandering band of misfits address campus ministry. Bouncing off of an article published on First Things by Robert Gregory , the gang talks about campus ministry...
Over at Ref21 I have posted my final piece in the series on battered pastors.
In this, may final post in the series, I am picking up where I left off in part 4... 4. Devote time to reading works by and about battered pastors. All pastors need companions. This is especially true for the battered pastor who, out of a sense of shame, will draw inward into isolation. It is in...
On Sunday I preached part four in our current series through Job (2:11-3:26). It is entitled "Never Alone" and can be listened to HERE .
The latest Mortification of Spin is up and running. On this edition we interview Trillia Newbell on the blessings and challenges of racial diversity within the church. We know that God is saving for himself a people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. However, achieving a glimpse of that reality...
I am currently preaching a series of sermons through the Book of Job . Not surprisingly the subject matter of Job--God's sovereignty in suffering--brings up heart-felt questions. I am going to try to deal with some of those questions here as I have opportunity to write. Of course, more...
Christianity.com recently posted my response to Dr. Karl Giberson who has written that while Christianity can afford lose Adam and Eve, it cannot lose it's theistic evolutionists. Strange reasoning to be sure. Giberson does us quite a favor in the final words of his article which read: “...
On Sunday I preached part 3 of our current series through Job (1:13-2:10). It is entitled "My Only Comfort" and can be listened to HERE .
In a recent article posted at The Daily Beast , Dr. Karl Giberson laments that there are vocal elements within the CRC (Christian Reformed Church) who still believe the Bible and their own confession of faith concerning human origins. In an article filled with troubling statements, Giberson's final...
On Sunday I preached the second message from our current series through Job. It is entitled "God Holds Court" (1:6-12) and can be listened to HERE .
In this morning's sermon I mentioned Dr. Peter Jones' excellent book One Or Two: Seeing a World of Difference . Walking around in a blur? Afraid to talk about Jesus? Not sure how Christians fit with other religions? One or Two will help you see a world of difference between the only two worldviews...
On Sunday I began a series through the book of Job entitled "Out of the Storm." My goal is to preach through this amazing book in 9 sermons. We'll see relatively soon if I will be successful in this. The first message is entitled "A Well-Ordered World" and can be listened to HERE .
One of the things that characterize contemporary evangelicalism is the aesthetic of niceness. Evangelicals will tolerate charlatans and false teachers. What they will not tolerate is anyone who violates the canons of niceness. In this episode of Mortification of Spin , we address the ill-defined...
Last week (June 17-20) the 42nd annual General Assembly of the PCA was held in Houston, TX. Being a rather newly minted Teaching Elder in the PCA, this was my first General Assembly. For the most part I was encouraged. Here are a few of my observations: 1. It was great to meet and spend time with...
On Wednesday of General Assembly, the Gospel Reformation Network sponsored a luncheon with Derek Thomas as the featured speaker. His subject was sanctification. It is an address that is desperately needed in the church today. As recent months have proven, it is desperately needed within the PCA...
Back in April of 2012 an article entitled "Silent Clergy Killers" ran in the Huffington Post. I would encourage you to take time to read it. "Clergy Killers" is also the title of a book by G. Lloyd Rediger. That book was quite helpful to me several years ago during a particularly challenging season...
On Monday evening prior to the official start of the 42nd General Assembly of the PCA a gathering took place called "An Evening of Confessional Concern and Prayer." The purpose to the open event was to address four rather controversial issues facing the PCA: 1) Procedures for dealing with errant...
The latest Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit is up and running. The ragtag group of vagabonds takes on the issue of pastoral plagiarism, and as usual pulls no punches. After scoffing at the "manly" Father's Day items Aimee is considering buying for her husband, they get down to the issue. How...
I am in Houston for my first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America. I may or may not have more to post on this experience later. The reason for this post is to highlight an exciting new resource from Great Commission Publications (GCP). For those of you who don't know, GCP is the...
On Sunday I preached Psalm 16. It is entitled "The Sheltered Life" and can be listened to HERE .
The title of this post may be a bit misleading because I have no intention of trying to address this very dense and conflict-laden subject. In a week I will be attending my first General Assembly as an ordained teaching elder in the PCA. I am looking forward to it. There will no doubt be some...
Recently over at Ref21 I posted a list of recommended books for graduating high school seniors. Each of the titles in this post have my enthusiastic recom mendation. There are others that could easily be added to this list, but the following will get us started: Taking God At His Word by Kevin...
The latest Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit is up and running: The question of women’s roles in the church is as old as the church herself, but in the past ten years the numbers of women teaching theology has skyrocketed. Women teach on blogs, posts, and tweets from all over the world. Is it OK...
Each of the titles in this post have my enthusiastic recom mendation. There are others that could easily be added to this list, but the following will get us started: Taking God At His Word by Kevin DeYoung This title earned my coveted and highly publicized "Most Important Book of the Year Award."...
On Sunday I preached part 15 in our current series through Acts. It is entitled "So The Word of God Spread" (6:1-7) and can be listened to HERE .
Congratulations to Westminster Theological Seminary for their wise appointment of Dr. Iain Duguid as Professor of Old Testament. I have long been helped by Dr. Duguid's outstanding work. Westminster Bookstore is currently offering three of Dr. Duguid's commentaries for the low price of $20 (that's...
Today's episode of Mortification of Spin is dedicated to a sober and timely subject: child sexual abuse in the church. We interview Dr. Diane Langberg who has spent years counseling both victims and church leaders concerning this tragic reality. Among the issues we explore with Dr. Langberg are how...
On Sunday I preached part 14 in our series through Acts. It is entitled "The Honor of Being Dishonored for Jesus" (Acts 5:33-42). You can listen to it HERE .
Liberate (Tullian Tchividjian's latest vehicle) seems to be morphing rather quickly into a denomination complete with a directory of churches . Pause for a long sigh... What is it these days with pastors feeling the need to lead movements? In seeing the Liberate site today, a friend asked me what...
Liberate (Tullian Tchividjian's outfit) seems to be morphing rather quickly into a denomination complete with a directory of churches . Pause for a long sigh... What is it these days with pastors feeling the need to lead movements? In seeing the Liberate site today, a friend asked me what sadly...
From Fred Zaspel's excellent The Theology of B.B. Warfield : For nearly a century before Warfield arrived on its faculty, Princeton Seminary had stood out as the scholarly bastion of the historic Reformed faith. And due in large measure to the towering influence of Old Princeton, much of the new...
This is what Carl has to say about the latest Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit : In this remarkable age, where emoting in public comes as standard, where all disagreement is taken personally and requires online histrionics, and where the boundaries between public and private have been eroded to...
A loyal Ref21 reader recently made me aware of this shameless example of self-promotion:
Over at Ref21 I have posted on the ugly reality of child sexual abuse within the church. It is a wickedness of massive proportions when children are sexually abused. However, when a child is used for the sexual gratification of a spiritual leader within the church the evil passes into the realm of...
On Sunday I preached part 13 in our current series in Acts. It is entitled "We Must Obey God" and is taken from Acts 5:12-32. You can listen to it HERE .
It is a wickedness of massive proportions when children are sexually abused. However, when a child is used for the sexual gratification of a spiritual leader within the church the evil passes into the realm of the indescribable. Sadly this particular manifestation of evil has lurked within the...