Issue
The Next Big Thing
Vol. 22, No. 2 • Mar/Apr 2013
Rummaging around in evangelicalism’s spiritual garage, we find a number of old “Next Big Things” cluttering up the works. 1970s: Homogeneous Church GrowthHomogeneous church growth is pioneered by Donald McGavran (missiologist and professor at Fuller Theological Seminary): “People like to become Christian without crossing racial, linguistic, or class barriers. …The world’s population is a mosaic, […]
All Articles (15)
Timeline of Big Things
Rummaging around in evangelicalism’s spiritual garage, we find a number of old “Next Big Things” cluttering up the works. 1970s: Homogeneous Church GrowthHomogeneous church growth is pioneered by Donald McGavran (missiologist and professor at Fuller Theological Seminary): “People like to become Christian without crossing racial, linguistic, or class barriers. …The world’s population is a mosaic, […]
We Don’t Need Another Hero
September 2003 marked a turning point in the development of Western civilization. It was the month that Adbusters magazine started accepting orders for the Black Spot Sneaker, its own signature brand of ‘subversive’ running shoes. After that day, no rational person could possibly believe that there is a tension between ‘mainstream’ and ‘alternative’ culture. After […]
I am of Paul…
I love what Charles Spurgeon said about John Calvin. He very sincerely agreed with his theology but he wouldn’t follow the man himself. He believed Calvin pointed people to the gospel of Jesus Christ, so he grew from his teaching and preached the doctrines of grace to his church, but he didn’t desire to be […]
Popular Models for Pastoral Ministry
Pastor as Ultimate Need-Meeter:The pastor is a sensitive therapist/social worker, understanding the congregation’s needs and meeting these needs in extraordinary ways. Even the best versions of this model need to beware: only Christ is truly heroic and able to do for people what they really need done. Pastor as Entrepreneur: The church exists to support […]
“Broken: 7 ‘Christian’ Rules That Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible” by Jonathan Fisk
The late Michael Spencer (aka The Internet Monk) once wrote an article for these pages in which he gave advice to the parents of “Alex,” a teen who doubted his faith. Spencer’s main point: Don’t distract Alex with anything that will hide Jesus as the center of Christianity. Ministers, parents, educators, and friends have a […]
“Gods Behaving Badly: Media, Religion, and Celebrity Culture” by Pete Ward
What is the chief end of man? “The chief end of man is to glorify ourselves, thus immortalizing our name and to reach Elysium.” Not the answer you were expecting? That’s probably due to the fact that I was quoting from The Homeric Shorter Catechism, a fictional document created by my daughter Sydney as part […]
The Church
Explore All
The Right (and Wrong) Ways to Be Protestant
What are Protestant denominations actually like, and why are the stereotypes of each so popular?
10 Overlooked Bible Characters Who Shaped Redemptive History
“Faith is an unclean hand that lays hold of the righteous robes of Jesus.” Adriel Sanchez and Producers Aaron Simon and Arianna Quiroz explore the stories of the characters you may not have heard of in Sunday school and explain how these overlooked figures’ stories can encourage the church today.
How Should Protestants Read the Church Fathers?
“Moreover, they unjustly set the ancient fathers against us (I mean the ancient writers of a better age of the church) as if in them they had supporters of their own impiety. If the contest were to be determined by patristic authority, the tide of victory — to put it very modestly — would turn […]
Did Constantine Change the Day of Worship?
Did Constantine change the church’s day of worship from Saturday to Sunday? Pastor Adriel Sanchez addresses this theory that has long been stated online, demonstrating that the Christian practice has been to gather for worship on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, since the first century.
