Do those who never hear of Christ actually go to Hell?
‘If this topic was unpopular 40 years ago, it is more so today. In an age of moral relativism, radical inclusivism, and ‘hate speech’ getting attached to words or phrases that make someone feel uncomfortable, I have few illusions that this article will be universally lauded, even by the conservative readership that generally make up those who read the Radius Report.’
Thoughts for my Church of England friends
‘We prayed for evangelicals in the Church of England at our little church plant this Sunday and it seems important to emphasize that we love you and we are praying for you. The next few weeks and months are going to be tough. Here’s a few thoughts from someone who has moved out of Church of England ministry in the relatively recent past.’
What does the new testament mean that Jesus is coming soon?
John Piper: ‘What would it mean, then, for an infallible spokesman (an apostle!) of the Lord Jesus, who cannot predict the time, to say that Jesus is coming soon, or that Jesus is at the door, or that Jesus is at hand, or that Jesus will come after a little while? What do the New Testament writers mean by their predictions of Jesus’s nearness? In what sense do they mean he is near? In answer to those questions, I’m going to offer three phrases that I believe are rooted in biblical texts and then give a brief explanation of each: potentially near, holistically near, and divinely near.’
The many odd uses and abuses of Matthew 18
‘When disagreements and conflict within the body of Christ arise—Matthew 18 seems to become the solitary text of scripture able to be discussed. It is as though the whole enterprise hinges upon that single verse!’ This one goes on to look at how some key verses in that chapter often get applied where perhaps they shouldn’t.
Pastors around the world apply Romans 13
I think this is a particularly important one. Far too many of us have a cavalier attitude, a knee-jerk reaction that casts almost everything as government overreach that is simply not reflected in scripture. I think hearing from voices across the world where these things are real issues and how they nevertheless obey this command is very much worth hearing.
Whose authority
‘Jesus is either lord of all or not at all. We are not at liberty to sidestep his authority or to negate his word. We’re not at liberty to rename sin or holiness in our own image, or given prevailing social trends. As his people he is our Lord and King and we sit under his authority and his word or we are in rebellion against him.’
From the archive: What a mess we have gotten ourselves into on gender
‘There is no scientific evidence whatsoever that there are any more than two genders, fixed at birth, according to one’s sex. Some insist on arguing that sex is what is between your legs whilst gender is what is between your ears. But there has been no scientific evidence produced to show that there are such things as ‘male’ and ‘female’ brains. In fact, the evidence points to the contrary.’