Without the essential theological and intellectual foundations, business as mission often ends up being nothing more than business as usual but with Christian platitudes tacked on.
Michael Craven
For My Mother
For those mothers who are discouraged by the spiritual state of their children, take heart; I bear witness to the fact that the Lord can and does respond to the prayers of a grieving mother!
The Glorious Power of the Resurrection
As we begin this Holy Week there is no other issue, no other thought more demanding of our attention than that of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Bad News for Planned Parenthood, Good News for Parents
I imagine the folks over at Planned Parenthood are desperately trying to figure how they can best spin the latest results from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), released last month.
Democracy and the Role of the U.S. in the Middle East
For many Westerners, the hope of peace between the Middle East and the West rests in the spread of democracy. However, is our foreign policy driven by a naiveté that incorrectly identifies with the “revolutionaries” as kindred spirits?
Consumers or Creators: Being of the World or Being God’s People
After more than ten years of serious study and careful examination of culture—what it is, how it’s formed and its present influence on the church—I find that Americans generally flow in one of two directions. They either tend toward being consumers or being creators.
Empowered to Act: Why Christians Should Change the World
As a result of the overwhelming suffering, injustice, and evil that frequently seems to rule the day, many of us may feel overwhelmed by a sense of despair and may think that improving these conditions is not only futile but also pointless. However...
Being For People and the World Rather than Against
Too often, our attitude toward the surrounding culture and those who make it up is judgmental and condemning. We thoughtlessly criticize anything that isn’t distinctly Christian. We vilify and ridicule the representatives of “godless culture” and rather than engage with and love the lost, we take offense and withdraw into our Christian enclaves. This is devastating to the church and it's mission.
What Does the Christian Do?
If “all the Law” hangs on loving God and loving others, then to love God is to obey him and to obey him is to love others. But what does it really mean to love others? Should you walk down the street hugging everyone you meet saying, “I love you”? Should loving others be accompanied by feelings of affection? Are these feelings essential to loving others and if absent does this mean you’re not being loving?
DISCIPLESHIP SERIES: Why Knowing Yourself Matters
Contrary to a life of enforced austerity and the absence of pleasure, the denial of self is actually the means to true pleasure (joy) as one abides in Christ and discovers a new freedom from which one can truly enjoy life and the many and abundant gifts of God. How tragic that we resist the call of God because we foolishly listen to our deluded selves, believing that increased devotion will leave us in a lesser state, when in fact it is the path to unspeakable joy and enduring peace.
