Last spring I had the privilege of speaking at a conference for NFL players put on by Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO), a group which exists to unite a community of pro athletes and couples to grow as disciples of Jesus and positively impact their spheres of influence. They have a fantastic outreach to professional football and baseball athletes and their wives. I’ve seen firsthand the amazing difference they’re making. In the off-season I exchanged emails and texts with dozens of NFL players and cha.. Continue reading→
Home
Thoughts
Motherhood Is a Marathon
I wanted to do great things for God. In the spring of my senior year of college, on the brink of embarking upon my own journey into adulthood, my future was undecided and that was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. As a philosophy major, my path was narrower than I had realized, but I was sure it would take me on some grand and glorious adventure. I knew the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. “Glorify” sounds like such a grand term. It evokes images of battlefie.. Continue reading→
1 Peter 5:7–8: How Not to Battle Anxiety
Anxieties attack our faith and torment our peace. The question with anxiety is not whether it will come, but rather, how can I fight it when it does? Watch Now Continue reading→
Is Love of Money Really the Root of All Evils?
Is the love of money the “root of all evils” or only the “root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10)? “All evils” is the formal English equivalent of the original Greek (pantōn tōn kakōn). It is remarkable that all older versions of the Bible translate 1 Timothy 6:10 in the more literal way: “The love of money is the root of all evils” (or all evil). This includes the Wycliffe Bible, Luther Bibel, Geneva Bible, King James Version, Douay-Rheims, Darby Bible, and Revised Standard Version. Bu.. Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Pastor Greg Laurie says trials happen so Christians can grow up spiritually
Pastor Greg Laurie says, 'Many Christians are surprised to find that the Christian life is not a playground but a battleground.' Trials are difficult, and during these moments, Christians are left wondering if God is still watching over them. Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship says that people should not harbour these doubts because God is always with them. "Trials are a bit like a cloud that may obscure the rays of the sun. When you go .. Continue reading→
Hidden notes in rare Christian Bible show subversive use of Latin
Annotated page from England's first printed Bible For centuries, the Reformation has been regarded as a "clean break" of the Protestant Church of England with Rome. Secret texts discovered in a rare Bible at the London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury reveal that it took far longer and was a more complex process than many imagine. Using the latest scientific techniques, researchers have found notes that had remained hidden for nearly 500 years between the pages .. Continue reading→
‘A breath of fresh air’: Franklin Graham praises Maria Sharapova for squarely admitting drug mistake
Maria Sharapova of Russia wipes her face during her women's singles match against Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic during the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, in this June 1, 2015 file picture. It is difficult for people to admit their mistakes, and this is why Reverend Franklin Graham was really impressed when tennis star Maria Sharapova bravely confronted her drug use allegations and did not try to pin the blame on anyone else. "Sha.. Continue reading→
Hot Topics
To My Sisters in Christ
Contrary to Ben Carson’s explanation this sort of talk is not how most men talk about women in their absence. We do not believe that the number of a man’s sexual conquests or his willingness to force himself upon a woman is the measure of manhood. Quite the opposite. For many of us the arrogant swagger and adulterous boastings of Trump are the negation of genuine manhood. He is a petulant child grasping for validation by bragging about his sexual prowess to strangers on a bus. Over the weekend.. Continue reading→
Can Depression Be Cured? Latest Research
Depression is a serious disorder that impacts the whole body, it is progressive, and it needs to be treated. 60% of people with depression in the United States remain untreated. The most effective way to treat depression at present is a combination of talking therapies and medication. In May 2016, the Library of Congress and the John Kluge Center hosted a symposium on Can Depression be Cured? at which four of the top medical researchers into depression and its treatments presented their latest .. Continue reading→
Notes From The Didache On The Early Christian View Of Abortion
The moral rigor of the Didache is also in contrast to the way some late-modern Christians speak about sexual ethics generally. The Didache unequivocally condemns sexual immorality. Again, it is hard to imagine the Didache countenancing the nomenclature, “gay Christian.” This much seems clear from the blanket condemnation of sexual immorality in 3:3. One of the more difficult and fascinating texts in the collection of texts known as the Apostolic Fathers is the Teaching of the Lord to the Gentil.. Continue reading→
How to Actually Help When Tragic Events Happen in the World
This is the beauty of the church. In it, we get to partner together as the body of Christ to accomplish more than we can ever hope to do alone. If we want to make a difference this week—or the next time tragedy strikes—we should look no further than our own local churches. Whatever the reason—be it the modern news cycle or the never-ending flow of social media reports—we’re all inundated with bad news every day. The latest school shooting and an unpredictable hurricane were the issues this wee.. Continue reading→
Life & Society
Ohio Ballot Proposal Would Prosecute Abortion as Aggravated Murder
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A proposal to amend the Ohio Constitution and classify the performance of an abortion as an act of aggravated murder has been presented to the state attorney general for approval as a ballot measure. “No person shall perform, procure or attempt to perform an abortion,” the proposed text reads. “Whoever violates this section is guilty of aggravated murder and shall be punished in accordance with the penalties for that crime …” It notes that the measure would not apply to contra.. Continue reading→
People reminded that prisoners are Christians, too: ‘We have a duty to support them, not segregate them’
It's true that prisoners have committed crimes and therefore have to pay for it. But Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster believes that prisoners should not be treated differently than others, since they can still deepen their faith and start new lives after returning to society. "We have a duty to support them, not segregate them. Without this welcome, any redemption they found in prison and any motivation they have to reform will be wasted, along with all that they have to .. Continue reading→
Parents angered by pranks at Catholic high school that showed a Jesus mascot dancing with the devil
A lot of parents got upset after some students of the Notre Dame Prep Catholic high school in Scottsdale, Arizona pulled some religious pranks at a football game, which included the vandalism of a Virgin Mary statue as well as a dancing Jesus Christ mascot. The pranks were staged last week before the school's Friday night football game against Desert Mountain, according to the Catholic News Agency. Some students thought it would be hilarious to place a mask of Hillary Clinton ov.. Continue reading→
Sensitivity Video Teaches Police to Ask Transgenders Their Preferred Pronoun, Allow Restroom Preference
A sensitivity training video recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) teaches police officers nationwide to ask men who identify as women and vice versa which gender pronoun they prefer, and to allow them to use the restroom that correlates with their gender identity. The video, Law Enforcement and the Transgender Community, was produced by the DOJ’s Community Relations Service and features role playing skits to show officers how they are to respond to certain scenarios involvi.. Continue reading→
Movies
Goodbye, Family Christian Stores
This week, it was announced that Family Christian Stores — one of the world’s largest Christian retailers — will close all 240 of its stores. This isn’t really shocking; Family Christian had gone through bankruptcy a few years back. But it will have an impact; more than 3,000 employees are going to lose their jobs as the stores shutter and Christian culture loses one of its largest and most diverse suppliers of books, music and trinkets. Granted, this is just the nature of the beast these days. .. Continue reading→
Have you caught up with “It’s My Favorite”?
Hey everyone, Not going to lie: it’s been a week. Work, school and home life have been busy, and the general insanity of our world right now has really robbed me of a lot of energy and will to write. It’s a shame, because I have some really good stuff on deck for you. One new series I want to write and one Oscar-related miniseries of articles, and I’m hoping that starting this weekend those will start posting. And in the weeks ahead I’m going to really be jumping into the reviewing pool again ha.. Continue reading→
Watch: New music video for The Shack with new footage
Itching to see The Shack — or at least to get a taste of it before it comes out five weeks from now? Well, maybe this will tide you over: the powers that be have released two new songs from the film’s soundtrack, one of which even has a music video. Here is the video, for a new acoustic version of Skillet’s ‘Stars’: The studio has also released the full version of ‘Keep Your Eyes on Me’, which is sung by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and has previously been heard in the trailers. Here is a Spotify .. Continue reading→
The Story of God: Proof of the Divine
Photo by Amanda Slater, Flickr. C.C. Licensing. Season two of “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) on the National Geographic Channel. Once again, I’m writing about it here each week from a Christian perspective as a preview. This post is about episode three, the season finale, “Proof of God.” In the final episode of “The Story of God’s” second season, Morgan Freeman travels the world speaking to people who believe they’ve experienced proof — often tang.. Continue reading→
Oscar nominations — my own two bits, and a complete list
It looks like La La Land is the movie to beat at this year’s Oscars. The film, a jazzy musical that stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a musician and an actress trying to make their way in Hollywood, racked up 14 Academy Award nominations this morning — tying the record set by 1950’s All About Eve and 1997’s Titanic. However, because La La Land was nominated twice for original song, it is actually nominated in 13 categories — which is more than the 12 categories that All About Eve was nominate.. Continue reading→
Let’s talk Oscar noms!
Some quick thoughts on the 2017 Academy Award nominations, which were announced earlier today. A full list of nominees is available here. At first blush, my biggest surprise is that there isn’t a ton here I would bicker with. The list of nominees this year is really darn good, spread out over several movies. Maybe it’s because I saw fewer movies than normal this year or simply because so many of the nominated films are on my best-of list, but I can’t really find a bad choice among the films. Re.. Continue reading→
Star Wars Episode 8 gains a title
Earlier today, the official Star Wars Twitter feed ended more than a year of speculation by revealing the title of the latest entry in the saga, due out this December: It’s official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedihttps://t.co/ySkVwQcMTPpic.twitter.com/eHrPgbsRJq — Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2017 [Read More...] Continue reading→
Encountering the Mystical in the ‘The Fits’
The fascinating film about adolescent encounters with the sublime gives us plenty to ponder. If you’re looking for a film that inspires lively conversation, you’ve got to check out The Fits. Anna Rose Helmer’s debut feature film runs a brief, but intense, 72 minutes, leaving plenty of time for discussion and debate afterwards. It caused a stir last year at Sundance, and critics have been talking about it ever since. Fortunately, Amazon Prime subscribers can currently stream it for free—and for .. Continue reading→
Review: The Resurrection of Gavin Stone (dir. Dallas Jenkins, 2017)
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is a “faith-based” comedy about a washed-up former child star who, having trashed a hotel roof bar, is told to do a couple hundred hours of community service at a Chicago-based megachurch and ends up starring in their Easter play. It’s a safe, formulaic and utterly predictable film — precisely the kind of “Christian” movie I tend not to review here — but because of my interest in movies about Jesus, I was interested in seeing how this film would depict the play. T.. Continue reading→
Music
One-Way Conversations by Hollyn
Hailing from Ohio, this Dove Awards New Artist of the Year nominee has been working the past year on her debut full length album titled "One-Way Conversations". Listeners were introduced to this vibrant you lady on TobyMac's latest release with the songs "Backseat Driver" and "Lights Shine Bright" and later with her debut #1 single "Alone (featuring TRU)". As a songwriter, Hollyn co-wrote all of the songs on her debut full length album and worked with producers Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson), Wit and 42 North (Andy Mineo), Cole Walowac of Capital Kings, Eric Ramey (Britt Nicole) and more. The album[...] Continue reading→
Run The Race (Single) by Holly Starr
The new single from Holly Starr, co-written with and produced by Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson, Tobymac, Mandisa, Hollyn).[...] Continue reading→
The Garden (Deluxe Edition) by Kari Jobe
Grammy nominated Kari Jobe is the premiere female worship leader in Christian music. Coming off her last live album, Majestic, which featured the worship anthem 'Forever' and radio hit 'I Am Not Alone', Kari Jobe has returned to the studio to record her new album, full of brand new worship anthems for the church and for personal reflection. Finding inspiration from life's joys and hardships, Kari leans into the firm foundation of Christ through it all. With career sales that top 1 million, Kari still comes back to the reason why she started in the first place- leading people into[...] Continue reading→
Back To Life by Anthony Evans
Recording Artist and Worship Leader Anthony Evans' highly-anticipated new album Back To Life releases February 3, 2017 through Sherman James Productions. A collection of worship songs, this new album features NBC's The Voice alumnus on 11 worship-themed tracks exploring authenticity, vulnerability, honesty and the way that the culmination of those three things brought him Back to Life. It marks Evans' eighth solo studio album and will be available through all digital retailers and exclusively at Lifeway Christian Stores. Back To Life is available for pre-order on January 6, 2017. "Over the last year, God has given me one revelation after[...] Continue reading→
Canopy by nobigdyl.
"I wrote Canopy coming out of a time of isolation and darkness. It felt like my life was completely falling apart and I'd have to start over again from nothing. God showed me that sometimes there's safety and protection in isolation. Sometimes, the darkness makes it easier to see the light," confessed nobigdyl. when speaking of the anticipated release. 'Canopy' is nobigdyl.'s first album release since his debut in 2015 with the 'Smoke Signal' EP. Check out indie tribe and nobigdyl at his website, nobigdyl.com.[...] Continue reading→
Books
A Look at Notable 2016 Publications
TEDS President offers his list of best books “There is no end to the making of many books,” says the author of Ecclesiastes. In the United States alone, there were close to one million titles published during the past year, with revenue approaching $1.8 billion. Hundreds of titles competed for our attention during 2016. I offer the following observations with the recognition that I have no doubt missed several important works that some of you would have included in such a survey. The books not.. Continue reading→
Recommended Biographies By or About Women
Faith Cook is an author, biographer, and hymn writer. She grew up as a missionary child in war-torn China and has chronicled her story in an autobiography. Her own biographical work has been on both men: Fearless Pilgrim: The Life and Times of John Bunyan William Grimshaw of Haworth and women: The Nine Day Queen of England: Lady Jane Grey, Selina: Countess of Huntingdon: Her Pivotal Role in the 18th Century Evangelical Awakening, and Anne Bradstreet: Pilgrim and Poet Continue reading→
Bibliotheca Bible – a Review
There are many things that I have great admiration for, but perhaps one of the things I enjoy the most is seeing a long-awaited, labor of love come to full fruition. The tenacity, hard work, dedication, and pitfalls along the way in seeing something through to the end is something that, for lack of better terms, gets me emotionally invested in a project. Yet not all projects are equal and not all catch my particular attention – but if we’re truthful, that’s precisely what makes these types of th.. Continue reading→
Christianity Today’s 2017 Book Awards
Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture. Make a list of all the blessings the Protestant Reformation has brought, and eventually—long after jotting down iconic phrases like “salvation by grace alone through faith alone”—you’ll get around to the CT Book Awards. Books, of course, had existed long before Luther posted his 95 Theses. But there’s no denying that reading and the Reformation, with a vital assist from Gutenberg’s printing press, soared toget.. Continue reading→
Where Should Our Women be Discipled?
Pastors and elders want thinking women in the church, right? And yet popular beliefs that came out of the nineteenth century’s cult of domesticity still seem to linger in the evangelical culture today. Back then, people taught that women’s brains were inferior to men’s intellectually and that women needed to reserve their energy and blood flow for reproductive purposes. These are ideas we usually joke about now, even to provoke a woman in innocent fun, because we know them to be scientifically p.. Continue reading→
10 Books Every Christian Teenager Should Read
A reader recently asked the question: Do you have a suggested list of books for teenagers, something like a “Ten best books every Christian teenager should read?” It surprised me that I have never compiled such a list, especially since I’ve got two teenagers of my own. I decided I’d better remedy this oversight straight away. Here, then, is a list of ten great books every Christian teen ought to read—or at least consider reading. Please note that these are not necessarily the ten best books your teens will read in their lifetime. Not all of these books will stand the test of time as Christian classics. But each of them is suited to twenty-first century teenaged readers and together they will provide a foundation for the Christian life that will prove both deep and wide. I list them in no particular order. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. It is rare that a book is elevated to the ranks of the classics, but The Holiness of God is a prime candidate. Sproul’s book will introduce teens.. Continue reading→
Signposts to God and More (RJS)
Books, books, books … What is the best book you’ve read on Science and Christian faith? It seems to be the season … not the holiday season, but the book season. I recently received three new books. Books by a physicist, a biologist (with training in theology as well), and a philosopher. All three tackle questions of science and Christian faith. Each of the three presents an interesting perspective – and I intend to dig into them more completely over the upcoming months. Peter Bussey’s book, Sign.. Continue reading→
2016 Reading Challenge Update: September & October
This year I have been participating in the 2016 Reading Challenge, a fun way to increase and diversify your reading through another year. I took the challenge and set this year’s goal at 104 books. However, because so much of my reading has to go toward reviewing books that are recently published and of interest to Christians (both for reviews published here and in WORLD magazine), I decided to pick from all over the list rather than working through it in order. What follows are the books I completed in September and October and, in parentheses, the reading challenge category they fulfill. Below that is the complete list of categories I need to cover. As you can see, I did not finish many books over the past couple of months, something that is not unusual as my reading ebbs and flows over the course of the year. You can see my previous updates for January, February, March-April, May, June, and July-August. Sexual Morality in a Christless World by Matthew Rueger. This is a brilliant w.. Continue reading→
6 Reflections on Community Inspired by Bonhoeffer
My church has recently launched a series on community called Better Together. In conjunction with the sermon series, I, in collaboration with my senior pastor, wrote a small group curriculum to compliment the series. I love community, which is why I love small groups. Like many of you, I work hard on our small group system at my church to equip leaders and to help many in my church experience the fullness of community—the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, as I continue to reflect on communi.. Continue reading→
American
How Much $$$$ is that Wedding?
Kathryn Vasel: The average cost of a wedding climbed to a record high of $35,329 last year, according to The Knot’s 2016 Real Weddings study. That’s up 8% from the 2015 average. Meanwhile, the number of guests has dropped. “Couples are spending their budgets to focus on guests, they are taking care of them and showing them a very personalized experience,” said Kristen Maxwell Cooper, executive editor at The Knot. “But personalization is not cheap.” Last year, the average number of wedding guests..
The Embodiment of Israel’s God? (RJS)
Richard Hays explores the ways in which the Gospel writers draw the Old Testament to narrate the identity of Jesus. In Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness he focuses on Jesus as the embodiment of Israel’s God. In Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels he goes beyond this to look at other aspects of the identity of Jesus, as well as the re-narration of Israel’s story in light of Jesus and the role of the church (the gathering of Christ-followers) in the world. I am ..
Embedded Religion
In one of the best reads of the last few months, Kenneth Woodward, Getting Religion: Faith, Culture, and Politics from the Age of Eisenhower to the Era of Obama, opens with some insights into what he calls “embedded religion.” Many of the younger leaders in our churches today don’t know the story of the older leaders, and I don’t know a better book to “catch them up” than Woodward’s romp through the last sixty years or so. Extraordinary prose is accentuated by Woodward’s presence in all the majo..
Pastor Says Church Leaders Should be Free to Counsel Women to Have Abortions
Abortion advocates have been spouting dozens of reasons why the abortion business Planned Parenthood should keep getting taxpayer funding. But Pastor Derek L. Penwell’s is a new one. In a column for The Courier-Journal this week, the Kentucky pastor claimed the defunding effort would amount to a gag rule for clergy. Penwell is the senior pastor at Douglass Boulevard Christian Church in Kentucky. He also is the co-founder The Ally Network, a group of Kentucky organizations dedicated to “progres..
Entertainment
Hacksaw Ridge: The Poster
This fall is shaping up as a big one for fans of quality, challenging films with a faithful bent. Early awards darling A Birth of a Nation, based on Nat Turner’s bloody, biblically-inspired fight against slavery in the 1830s, hits theaters in October. Martin Scorsese’s Silence, which focuses on two Jesuit missionaries working in 17th Century Japan, is scheduled to be released this November. And then there’s Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge, which just released its first poster. From the ..
Hillsong UNITED To Unveil LIVE Visual Album “Of Dirt And Grace – Live from The Land”
Nashville, Tenn. (July 1, 2016) – Incorporating breathtaking imagery from Israel, platinum-selling Hillsong UNITED will debut Of Dirt And Grace – Live From The Land available from July 15 – a LIVE visual take on songs from their best selling record EMPIRES. The Beatitudes served as the essence and inspiration for their 2015 release, leading to the band’s aspiration to film where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount along with additional Biblically historic locations in and around Jerusalem and..
Batman v Superman Has Issues: Daddy Issues
OK, most of us agree that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn’t a great movie. But it was, at times, a surprisingly thoughtful one. And with the Zack Snyder-helmed superhero flick now available on a variety of streaming services this week, it’s time to take a look at one thoughtful thread: The movie’s recurring thoughts about fatherhood—even when we’re talking about the heavenly Father. It’s no coincidence that Christians call God our “Father,” after all. The Bible has loads of ..
‘The Innocents’ tells a story of trauma, grace
Joanna Kulig in “The Innocents” (Courtesy of Music Box Films) At last, the long night of World War II is over in Europe, but for a Benedictine monastery of nuns in northern Poland, the nightmare continues. During vespers one evening, a white-veiled novice hears screaming. She puts on her coat against the cold and snow and, sneaking out a hidden door, runs across the fields to a nearby town. There, she asks a street urchin to take her to a doctor — just not one who is Russian or Polish. The young..
US
What you do to your neighbor you do to Christ
It still being Christmas–there are twelve days of it, remember–we can still contemplate the inexhaustible topic of God’s incarnation. After the jump, read an excerpt from one of Luther’s Christmas sermons, which our pastor quoted in his Christmas Eve message. The passage deals both with Christmas and vocation–that is, our calling to love and serve our neighbors in our various tasks and relationships. To those who think that they would have shown kindness to the Christ child and His parents, unli..
The superiority of the left-handed
People who are left-handed constitute 10-15% of the population. The other 85-90% have often given them a hard time. But new research suggests that lefties are wired in a way that makes them, among other things, quicker thinkers and more creative. And, judging from my left-handed wife, I know it’s true. Read details after the jump. From Carolyn Gregoire, How Left-Handed People Think And Feel Differently | The Huffington Post: Lefties historically have had a tendency to get left behind. Until rela..
“The darkness didn’t comprehend it”
I do not agree with N. T. Wright on “the new perspective on Paul,” but he has a published a fascinating reflection on John 1. He particularly focuses on this theme: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness didn’t comprehend it; the world was made through him and the world didn’t know him; he came to his own, and his own didn’t receive him.” (John 1:5, 10-11) God gives His Word, but the world doesn’t understand it. The Creator comes to the world that He made, but the world doesn’t reco..
Marshall McLuhan, conservative Catholic
Marshall McLuhan, who basically invented the study of media, became an icon of the 1960’s with his praise of the new information technology and his predictions of the new tribalism that it would make possible. McLuhan arguably predicted the effects of the internet before the internet was invented. And yet, as Jefferson Pooley reminds us, McLuhan got his start as a conservative cultural critic who, influenced by G. K. Chesterton, became a traditionalist Catholic who opposed the reforms of Vatican..
Church & Theology
Thank You, President Trump
President Trump has certainly been a controversial figure on our political landscape throughout this past election season. Today, however, I am thankful for one of the first executive orders he signed—an order to reinstate a ban on federal funds to foreign abortions. Often called the “Mexico City Policy” (because of the location where it was announced), President Reagan was the first to set this policy. In short, it bans federal funding to international organizations that perform or recommend a..
10 Characteristics of a Healthy Church (part 2)
In part 1 of this post, we looked at five characteristics of a healthy church: A Biblical Purpose A Spiritual Passion An Uncompromised Position An Endowment of Power A Growing Leadership In part 2, we’ll look at five final characteristics: 6. A Transparent Policy There’s a lot of talk in our day about transparency. Some of it is just talk in which people try to create an illusion of transparency where there is none. But biblical Christianity is transparent and free of guile. Think of it: man..
How Leaders Build Strategic Teams: Spiritual Leadership Podcast
A dream without a plan is a wish. So a spiritual, team-building leader doesn’t just assemble a team of dreamers, but a team of doers. In this Spiritual Leadership Podcast episode, we discuss what areas a pastor needs to develop strategy for his team, as well as how he can assemble a team of leaders committed to a process of growth. (If you cannot view this video in your email or RSS reader, click here.) At the beginning of this episode, I also answer a few questions that have been submitted f..
How Does the Holy Spirit Unite Us to Christ?
Follow @BrandonSmith85 In describing the Persons of the Trinity, the argument is often dichotomized into two parts: (1) Who the Person is (all three are God, but no Person is the other Person); (2) What the Person does (the Father sends the Son; the Son secures salvation; the Holy Spirit seals salvation; etc.) While this dichotomy is actually helpful in laying a foundation, it doesn’t always do justice to the intricate ways in which the Persons work together in the economy of salvation. In The W..