Christianity Today has a fascinating testimony from Emily Armstrong. She narrates her journey from unbelief to faith and how the Lord got her there. I love hearing people’s conversion stories. It’s a constant reminder that God is at work in the world and is doing miracles that the world doesn’t notice. As the Lord himself taught us, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Read Emily’s story here.
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Success is faithfulness… even when it’s hard
John Powell is a good brother, and his story about nearly burning-out in ministry is really well done. See above.
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Boycotting gay weddings? A distorted take on an important book
Albert Mohler appeared on the front page of The Louisville Courier Journal yesterday next to the headline “Mohler: Christians should boycott gay weddings.” The story was later picked up by USA Today which ran a similar headline Baptist leader: Christians should boycott gay weddings. Since then, it has been featured in news outlets across the country. It turns out that the report is about Mohler’s new book We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage, and the Very Meaning of Right and Wrong. This book tells the story of our particular moment in American life in the aftermath of the sexual revolution. And yet if all…
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Transforming Homosexuality: What the Bible Says about Sexual Orientation and Change
I am happy to announce that my new book that I co-wrote with Heath Lambert has just been released. The book deals with issues that readers of this blog have seen me discussing for a long time—sexual orientation and change. In fact, the title of the book says as much: Transforming Homosexuality: What the Bible Says about Sexual Orientation and Change (P&R, 2015). This book is different from other Christian books about homosexuality. First, the book isn’t focused on the ethics of homosexual behavior but on the ethics of homosexual desire. Some people believe that homosexual behavior is sinful but that homosexual desire is not. For that reason, they believe…
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My ranking of gloriously awesomer Xtian album covers
Relevant magazine recently published “The Definitive Ranking of Insanely Awesome Christian Album Covers.” And while this is a respectable list, I am not yet ready to say it is the “definitive ranking”—not by a long shot. Relevant may not have done its due diligence on this one. I’m a bit of a connoisseur myself when it comes to such things, so I offer my own top ten ranking of gloriously awesomer Christian album covers.
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A brief word about the ACBC conference and the protest
This week I gave a couple of talks at the annual conference of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). The conference themes were transgender and homosexuality, and I gave one address on each topic. Rosaria Butterfield, Sam Allberry, Heath Lambert, Albert Mohler, Stuart Scott, Owen Strachan, and others also addressed the 2,000 people who gathered for the conference.
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The Obfuscation of Pope Francis
The Vatican press office has released a statement attempting to clarify the meaning of the Pope’s meeting with Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis. Here’s the statement in full: The brief meeting between Mrs. Kim Davis and Pope Francis at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, DC has continued to provoke comments and discussion. In order to contribute to an objective understanding of what transpired I am able to clarify the following points:
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Early Reports Say Oregon Gunman Singled-out Christians
Ten people were killed today at an Oregon community college after a shooter went on a rampage. CBS News reports that the shooter has now been identified: MORE: Law enforcement sources tell CBS News the Oregon shooter was 26-year old Chris Harper Mercer http://t.co/q8r6E1ySh9 — CBS News (@CBSNews) October 2, 2015 Authorities are still trying to figure out the shooter’s motive. The New York Post reports that some witnesses are saying that the shooter singled out Christians. From The New York Post:
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Pope Francis supports right of Kentucky Clerk to withhold marriage licenses
Earlier today on the flight back to Rome, Pope Francis answered questions from reporters about a variety of issues. In one fascinating segment, ABC News’s Terry Moran had this exchange with the Pope—an exchange that seems to imply papal support for the conservative side of a recent religious liberty controversy concerning gay marriage: Terry Moran, ABC News: Holy Father, thank you, thank you very much and thank you to the Vatican staff as well. Holy Father, you visited the Little Sisters of the Poor and we were told that you wanted to show your support for them and their case in the courts. And, Holy Father, do you also support…
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Nothing explicitly Christian about Pope’s speech
I just finished listening to the Pope’s speech to Congress from earlier today (watch below). There is no question that the occasion was historic—the first time ever that a Pope has delivered such an address. Indeed, it would have been impossible to imagine such an invitation being extended just fifty years ago. But the times have changed, and now the United States Congress has done something unprecedented. Nevertheless, even though the speech was historic, it was also a disappointment—not so much for what he did say but for what he didn’t say. For example: