Somewhere along the way, Christians started singing, preaching, and declaring a mantra that sounds pious on the surface but is actually deeply destructive: “We don’t deserve God’s love.” I hear it regularly in worship services. But let’s pause and ask the obvious question:

Why don't we deserve God’...

The Apostle Paul once wrote to the church in Rome about food.

At that time, some believers felt free to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols, while others were convinced this was sinful. It was the same church community gathered because of the same gospel, but it was producing two wildly diff...

Recently I've heard that people on the left are more intolerant of differing opinions than people on the right. And here’s the thing: I actually think that’s true. But not for the reasons you might think. 

Let me explain.

If you set a left-leaning society next to a right-leaning society, something...

One of my favorite theologians, David Bentley Hart, recently made a fascinating admission. Hart is an Eastern Orthodox theologian and writer known for his brilliant prose, biting wit, and provocative takes on faith and culture. Here's what he wrote:

The best designation I seem able to come up wit

...

I recently finished a book about the Pilgrims called They Came For Freedom. It was interesting to hear more about the story of what they experienced before arriving in America.

As you are likely aware, not everyone was stoked about the Church of England in those days. As more people began to push a...

Admittedly, I'm a bit of a hope junkie, which is not the same as being an eternal optimist. I believe that if God looks like Jesus, then there is always reason to be hopeful, no matter how dark the situation. I've continued to believe this despite the world feeling darker and darker.

But I'm growin...

When the ancient Jews were building the Temple of God, they had a unique restriction on how they handled the stones for it. "The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site" (1 Kings 6:7)....

Author and podcaster Jill Sirianni says that “Learning always happens in relationships.”

This tends to be more obvious when we’re younger. Children learn from parents. Students learn from teachers. Teammates learn from coaches. Our whole existence is one giant game of “monkey see, monkey do."

But ...

I'd like to suggest something that may sound a bit outlandish at first: Your posture around your faith is more important than the beliefs you hold within it. Or said differently, if we had to pick one, posture is more important than doctrines.

Does this sound like heresy?

I would understand if you...

(This post might be a bit spicy for some readers. For context, I write this as a former Lead Pastor of a megachurch who currently has numerous Lead Pastor friends.)

A comparison dawned on me recently. There was a time (I'd suggest sometime after the Civil Rights era up until COVID) when being a L...