John R. Gower and the Culture of Turn-of-the-Century Free Will Baptists (3/3)
Throughout history Christians have consistently been faced with the task of discerning what aspects of the culture could be reconciled with the Christian faith. While not every decision carries remarkable consequences, inattention to the danger of cultural influences has led some to abandon core doctrines or the faith altogether. Studying how our forebears have interacted with their culture can cultivate wisdom for our decisions in...
Rethinking Worship (2/2)
by Eric K. Thomsen This article represents the second post in a two-part series. Worship by the Book Derek Thomas lists wide-ranging instances where Scripture clearly emphasizes the mandate to worship according to biblical standards: the judgment pronounced upon Cain’s deficient offering and heart (Genesis 4:3–8); the building of the tabernacle, where all preparations followed a strict, God-prescribed pattern (Exodus 25:40); the first...
Rethinking Worship (1/2)
by Eric K. Thomsen Worship is a common word in church circles. It is hard to attend a service without hearing terms such as praise and worship, worship service, worship leader, or worship team. Yet, despite these frequent references to worship, a wide variety of ideas exist regarding this important subject. Many Christians mistakenly believe worship describes only what the congregation does each week before the sermon—songs, prayer,...
Recommended Books (Winter 2026)
This winter we would like to share some good reads we discovered over the past few months. These selections represent a wide array of topics we think will interest you. Some selections will be great for personal reading, others for family time. Most of all, we think they will broaden your understanding of God’s creation and His work in it because they have had that result in our lives. Please leave us your favorite reads in the...
Lessons in Mentorship
Several years ago, I was asked to co-present on mentorship at the 2022 Free Will Baptist Leadership Conference with Eric K. Thomsen, who was my youth pastor when I was growing up. The idea was to demonstrate the mentor-mentee cycle: someone invested in him, he invested in me, now I invest in others, who will hopefully invest in yet others. We were asked to present again at the 2025 D6 Conference in Washington. This post represents an...
Reaching Teenagers Who Don’t Care: Apologetics for the Indifferent
In previous generations in the United States, the apologetic question may have been framed as one of authority: “who says?” Apologetics in youth ministry, in response, gave attention to the reliability and authority of the Bible. Those in youth ministry focused on topics like inerrancy and textual reliability. In the current generation, the question may be one of relevance: “who cares?” We find ourselves not so much faced with...
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