Check out this powerful article from the Wall Street Journal.

As I prepare for the third part in my current series of messages I am struck by the fact that nowhere in Scripture does God seem to give His people a seminar in how to do evangelism. Certainly the Bible makes it clear that regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit (John 3) and that unbelievers are...

In keeping with my recent post on the five books I would like every church member to read I thought I'd follow up with a few more recommendations. As many of you know I love to read the Puritans. Their way of wedding passionate spirituality and sound doctrine stands to this day as a model for us...

"One of the most sinned-against biblical principles is that of the grace of God in the gospel as the pattern, motive and power for Christian living. Let us take the example of Jesus. The Christian church has always acknowledged the role of the imitation of Christ as a valid principle in Christian...

This week I have been reflecting a lot on the last two years. They have been, for me, very hard years. In fact these two years have been among the most stessful of my life. Jesus said that unless a seed falls into the ground and dies it cannot bear fruit. What a great image for us to cling to when...

I have need of endurance these days. The task of caring for the church is feeling particularly heavy. There are times when the stress and the sadness is so great that my knees begin to buckle. I often think of the apostle Paul's account of his own suffering. He experienced things like ship wreck,...

Southern Baptists cannot find between 50 and 60 per cent of our members. Southern Baptist Church attendance is less than half of the membership we claim. What is more, many SBC churches are populated with baptized individuals who demonstrate scant biblical knowlege and little, if any desire for...

"In the 1970s and 1980s, on every side and in almost every way, it was becoming clear that ways of doctrinal thinking were wearing very thin. The capacity to think doctrinally was being lost as new leaders emerged, as the leadership of the evangelical world shifted from the older pastor-theologians...

I started blogging last May. I have enjoyed the process. It has helped me to be more observant about what is going on around me and in the world. It has also helped develop in me more discipline to reflect theologically on these things. The following are a few posts from the first few months that...

"We used to think that the good news of the gospel was that sinners could be saved, or salvaged, from the wreckage of original and personal sin. Today, it seems, there is a new focus. In the old gospel, the problem was, 'How does a holy God accept sinners?' For the new one, the problem appears to...

http://youtube.com/v/uUl99id2SvM Okay, I'm laying my cards on the table. Christians should not vote for Barack Obama. Those of you who know me know that while I do speak to political issues I am very careful not to endorse any candidates or use my pulpit for political causes. But we know that the...

Dr. Tom Ascol is a brother I really appreciate. He is the Executive Director of Founders Ministries and the pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida. For the last two years at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention Tom has submitted a Resolution for Integrity in Church...

Tim Keller of the Gospel Coaltion has responded to the question, "What is the most crying need in the church today?" Keller writes: I’m throwing in with Jim Boice on this one (cf. his Two Cities: Two Loves.) The evangelical church must stay true to its Biblical foundations, and it must maintain and...

This is a shot of my table by the waterfall during free time following the afternoon sessions.

John Hendryx has posted this helpful critique of the emerging church's understanding of the Gospel. This same approach to the Gospel can be seen among the "Red Letter Christians" like Tony Campolo.

Thabiti over at Pure Church posted these two clips ( here & here ) of Alistair Begg on the subject of preaching. This is one of the reasons why I come to the Basics Conference every May. I get this kind of thing for three days. I thought these two clips were particularly important in light of...

Some of the council members of The Gospel Coalition have recently addressed the question: “What is the greatest, most crying need in the American church today?” C.J. Mahaney answered this way: "The greatest need in the American church today is the recovery of the church’s central message, the...

I drove to Cleveland, Ohio. That's a pretty long haul. Actually I really do enjoy road trips. I am in town for the Basics Conference at Parkside Church. I come to this conference for pastors every May. It is a wonderful time. I always find my soul revived a bit during these days. On my way I was...

Great stuff from The Boar's Head Tavern. This post captures so well the modern American religious ethos.

Here is a great article from Brad Wheeler in the latest issue of The Nine Marks Journal .

Tim Challies provides this helpful review of "The Shack." Chances are you have heard about this book or know someone who is reading it. Brothers and sisters, we must avoid being swept up in the latest fad. Rather, we must think biblically and reject that which is peddled to Christians which is...

I have been very concerned for some time about the lack of spiritual discernment in the Southern Baptist Covention. It can be seen in the enthusiastic approval of the church growth movement and the influence of the emergenet church movement. Lifeway Christian Bookstores (owned by the SBC) regularly...

God has ordained music and singing for the purpose of His praise. The Scriptures are full of exhortations to God’s people to sing and make music for the Lord. This is a blessing. God was gracious when He gave us the means of music that we might use to honor Him. But Scripture is clear that music in...

http://youtube.com/v/iHI-foSNccA It's the weekend. I'm having fun.