Calling yourself an evangelical today means about as much as calling yourself a protestant or a theist – the category is simply too broad to have any functional utility. As such many younger Christians; if they continue to use the word at all – use it alongside of a modifying adjective. They refer to themselves as “post-evangelical”,  “progressive evangelical”,  “conservative evangelical” or “reformed evangelical”. While there is a part of me that misses the old evangelical consensus, the…

Healthy things grow. Generally speaking; all things being equal; a marriage is rather like a garden: you don’t need to supply the miracle, you just need to stay on top of the weeds. Mistakes happen. Habits form. But in a healthy marriage all such invaders are immediately recognized and removed. As you monitor the health of your marital garden, these 5 weeds should be at the very top of your search and destroy list. These mistakes – if unaddressed – have the capacity to completely destroy an…

Pastoral ministry isn’t supposed to be fun; it will not always make you happy but it shouldn’t ever steal your joy. Joy isn’t affected by circumstances on the ground; or at least it isn’t supposed to be. Joy is about knowing who you are and whose you are. It is about knowing what has been done for you and what has been given to you through the life and death of Jesus Christ. The ups and downs of pastoral ministry can neither add to nor take away from the truth of your identity in Christ. Tha…

Asking whether or not Jesus ever talked about homosexuality is somewhat analogous to asking whether or not Jesus ever talked about elder abuse. Kind of. But not exactly. Jesus never used the specific words “elder abuse” but he did rebuke the Pharisees for not properly honouring their parents (Mark 7:12-13) and he did cite approvingly the 5th commandment, which states: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus…