Would it be better to take a pay cut than a church cut?

I absolutely agree with the heart behind this one. I think, if we’re honest, most the reasons for moves away are not gospel-centred ones and have gospel ramifications. We might want to talk about what we mean by ‘better’ church, but I think the thrust of this one is absolutely right. We must consider the gospel and our Christian walk far more seriously before determining to move.

What is the bondage of the will?

Here is a little article about Martin Luther and his work The Bondage of the Will, which itself has an interesting historical context.

All the biblical criteria for eldership require proven character

This is an interesting one on the qualifications for church leadership. I think the insight on the eldership qualifications is less interesting than the implications concerning training elders at the end.

The Quran gets crucifixion wrong

You may know that the Quran specifically reject the crucifixion of Jesus, but did you know that it also gets crucifixion as a means of execution historically wrong too? More than just an historical point of interest, it raises questions about the veracity of the Quran altogether.

How can Jesus be truly present with his people now?

‘When you encounter the Spirit, you encounter Jesus. You have a real and genuine experience of Jesus himself. This is what Jesus means when he says that he and the Father will come to us and make their home with us (John 14:23).’

Christians consuming pornography nearly as much as non-Christians

This is a depressing one. But also a reality check.

From the archive: Five ways to lead your kids to ditch the church

‘A recent study by LifeWay revealed that the dropout rate for young adults leaving the church in the US currently stands at about 70%. That is in line with where the figure has, apparently, been for a while. The church does not have a brilliant retention rate. I’m not quite sure what the UK figures would reveal but I sense we wouldn’t be doing vastly better. But regardless of what the specific figures happen to be, there are some ways you can definitely encourage your children to ditch church when they are old enough to do so.’