Book Review of The Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes a Church Attractive
A constant temptation for us as pastors and church leaders is to do something that we think will make our church more appealing to those in our community. This desire is good, since we should all want to see our churches grow. But we must ask ourselves: At what cost? Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop remind readers of The Compelling Community that the gospel, not our creativity, is ultimately what makes a church attractive. Dever and Dunlop...
The Use and Abuse of Christian Liberty
One of the more challenging passages in the New Testament is found in Romans 12:1–2: Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect...
Sola Fide (Faith Alone): The Past, Present, and Future Hope of the Gospel (Part II/II)
by Kevin L. Hester This is part two of two. See part one here. Implications of Sola Fide The distinct understanding of salvation embodied in Sola fide continues today in those committed to their reformation heritage. The history of this thought is an interesting story surrounding a particular reading of Scripture which led to an event that would usher in the modern world. But that was 500 years ago. What relevance does it have for...
Sola Fide (Faith Alone): The Past, Present, and Future Hope of the Gospel (Part I/II)
by Kevin L. Hester Outside of sola scriptura, the reformation principle of sola fide stands as the most central and divisive doctrinal distinction between Protestants and Roman Catholics today. In addition, the development of the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone impacted soteriology and pushed Christian doctrine forward in ways not seen in the Church since the great ecumenical councils.[1] Luther’s ressourcement of...
Responding to Intolerance: World Transformation
Increasingly we find ourselves in a society that treats us with hostility for our Christian convictions.* What do we do? How do we respond? First, we allow the gospel to transform our lives, impacting our heads, hearts, and hands, as the saying goes (see Responding to Intolerance: Life Transformation). However, salvation is about more than our personal redemption; it’s about the renewal of the world. Thus we respond to intolerance by...
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