Dr. James Emery White

The core dynamic of evangelism is investing and inviting. Let’s start off with the invest part. Investing in someone is simply about building a relationship: getting to know them, spending time with them, entering into community with them.

Want conviction? Try the title of this article: “In the time you spend on social media each year you could read 200 books.” Ouch. But is it true?

The Reformation was more than theological; it was ecclesiastical. It was a reformation of the church. Even the famed 95 Theses nailed onto the Wittenberg door say nothing about justification by faith, the authority of the Bible, the priesthood of all believers nor any of the other well-known Reformation doctrines. Instead, they look like a treatise on church practice.

In light of its 25th anniversary, the online Scripture resource Bible Gateway revealed its five most searched Bible verses. The top verse searched probably wouldn’t surprise you: John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world…”).

The Christian faith is known as an orthodox faith. It is appropriately concerned with orthodoxy, meaning “right thinking.” This is often juxtaposed against an emphasis on orthopraxy, meaning “right practice.”

On the 4th of July, I’m always reminded of times I’ve traveled in countries where freedom is severely curtailed. Or where the people have been freshly freed from the chains of injustice, and the joy of their release was palpable.

A recent episode of Jeopardy, hosted by Mayim Bialik, found all three contestants stumped. Normally, this would not be something picked up by major news outlets. Yet fans of the show were so aghast, including Bialik herself, that it garnered attention.

Increasingly people are recognizing what Colin Wright, an evolutionary biologist at Penn State, and Emma Hilton, a developmental biologist at the University of Manchester, call in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece, “The Dangerous Denial of Sex.”

Ninety-six percent of Gen Z believe that businesses should be involved in solving social issues. One study of 30,000 employees found that 87 percent believe companies should take a stance on social issues directly related to their business. Seventy-four percent said companies should take a stance on social issues not directly related to their business.

The annual gathering of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) concluded last week, having dealt with much on their plate: the election of a president, reporting (and lack thereof) of sexual abuse, and the financial mismanagement of seminaries.

But without a doubt, the most attention was given to the disfellowshipping of a handful of churches that had women serving as pastors. One church was front and center: Saddleback Community Church, one of the largest and most influential SBC churches in recent history, pastored by arguably the most well-known SBC pastor in recent history until his recent retirement, Rick Warren.