Over the next five years, each Dallas-area location gets a Village of its own. Matt Chandler never wanted a big church. He envisioned himself leading a modest suburban congregation. But as the cliché proved true, God had other plans. Since Chandler became senior pastor of The Village Church in 2002, it has planted five churches …
Our Christmas stories may be missing their most important character. Our Christmas cards, carols, and crèches delight in the characters of the Christmas story. In pageants, there are a lot of parts to go around: Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus; the angels, shepherds, and Magi; perhaps even Elizabeth and Zechariah, Simeon and Anna. But …
What does the time spent anticipating Christmas have to do with the wilderness? People are rarely neutral about the approach of Christmastime. Some of us reside at a North Pole of intense anticipation and excitement, while others of us hole up at a South Pole of irritation and dread. Usually, I am at the north …
Why “post-Christian America” hasn’t surpassed the need for straightforward apologetics. Years ago I had a conversation with a TV host on the topic of faith. He is not a Christian. In fact, he makes a point of emphasizing that he is not religious. I explained my vocation as a Christian evangelist and apologist and asked …
It’s easy to miss how strange God’s ‘perfect timing’ is in the nativity story. Recently, at a Christian men’s breakfast that I wasn’t excited about attending, I was surprised to make an unlikely friend in an elderly man named John. At the age of seven, John had been evacuated on the Kindertransport program just before …
Why evangelicals don’t fuss over this doctrine. I’m taking a break from a strict logical progression in this series because of the holy day we’re already thinking about this week. I thought it better to discuss the evangelical distinctive that has immediate relevance to Christmas. Before we explore that topic, let me reiterate the purpose …
Be of good cheer: We are in a moment of theologically rich, artistically wonderful recordings. The Advent and Christmas seasons are filled with more than their share of paradoxes. We raid our basements and attics for the nostalgia of Christmases past as we scour websites to buy the latest gadgets as gifts. As the daylight …
What is the significance of Israel’s capital for believers today? Last week, President Trump announced that the United States would be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While many Middle Eastern Christians have been critical of this decision, some American evangelical leaders have praised the move. “I think a lot of evangelicals support …
Ligonier Ministries founder was a category 5 hurricane of declaration, persuasion, and instruction. It is singularly appropriate that R. C. Sproul would go home to be with the Lord in 2017, the year in which we are remembering Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg 500 years ago. Many …
Experts weigh in on Pope Francis’ recent support for changing the wording “lead us not into temptation.” The church has a long history of fiddling with the Lord’s Prayer and debating the right wording. Scripture itself isn’t unified on the wording. The Bible gives us two versions of the prayer—often referred to as the Our …