Going Beyond the Text?
‘To really preach a passage is not simply to educate listeners in the meaning, although that is a good start. It is to get them into the text and get the text into them, and it is to introduce the God who is revealing himself through the text so that they experience the transformative power of a personal encounter. The preacher is not merely teaching, but introducing, match-making, and fanning the flames of the relationship between listeners and God.’
A Plea to Biblical Counselors Regarding Autism
Please read this one. The only quibble I have with it (and I suspect this is contextual) is that diagnosis in the UK typically takes much more than 6 months: ‘Recently, I’ve heard biblical counselors make unhelpful comments about autism, namely that it’s just a “Big Pharma” money-making scheme. They insist that diagnostic criteria are too vague, making an autism diagnosis too subjective. They even say that biblical counselors have better answers, as if they are better suited to “treat” autism. Biblical counselors, I beg you, do not go down this road, as it will lead to irreparable damage to individuals and families impacted by autism. This road represents a profound misunderstanding of what autism is, how it is diagnosed, and the medical side effects with which these families suffer.’
When Broken Relationships Break Your Heart
‘First, there’s rejection. Someone you loved, trusted, or led—no longer wants the part you played in their life. Maybe it’s a close friend who now won’t speak to you. A child rewriting the past to justify their distance. A church member who says you’re no longer “safe.” Then comes the second: dismissal. You’re cut off. Canceled. Rendered irrelevant. Like the silent beat of a butterfly’s wings, you no longer matter. You were teammates—now you’re benched. It’s a bit like a gunshot wound. First, the blast—rejection. Then the bullet—penetrating, tearing, wounding.’
Why the Church Needs Creeds and Confessions
‘As great as it sounds, no one consistently lives by “no creed but the Bible.” All of us bring assumptions to the Bible that guide our interpretation of it even if those assumptions are not written down. A creed or confession is simply a historic community’s summary of what they believe the Bible teaches on the most fundamental Christian doctrines. Creeds and confessions never replace the Bible, but they root us in a specific time-tested interpretive tradition of the Bible.’
Why Reformed Soteriology Matters
This one looks at why a reformed understanding of salvation matters.
Labubu: The real darkness
Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of labubu (I hadn’t either!) But this one starts there and moves on to look at what causes us to get scared about the Devil and his demons and then addresses where the real danger actually lies.
From the archive: Sometimes the small things matter more than we think
‘Sometimes, the small things matter a lot more than we might think.’