To Illustrate: Grace

In one of Bishop Fulton Sheen's books, he made an interesting observation about Christianity. He said, "In other religions, one must be purified before he can knock at the door. In Christianity, one knocks at the door as a sinner, and He who answers us, heals." If that is not good news, I don't know what is.

To Illustrate: Evangelism

There is an old story about how the University of Chicago received a million-dollar grant from the heiress of a major department store. She had been a student at Northwest. So, administrators of Northwest went to visit her and asked why she had not made such a gift to her alma mater. Her answer was simple, "The people at the University of Chicago asked. You did not."

To Illustrate: Discipleship

Herb Miller used to tell a story about a man whose daughter was applying to an Ivy League school. In a questionnaire sent by the school, he was asked if his daughter was a leader. He answered honestly, "I'm not sure about that, but she is an excellent follower." The man received a letter back from the president of the college that said, "Our freshman class next fall is expected to contain several hundred leaders. We congratulate ourselves on the acceptance of your daughter as a member of the class. We shall thus be assured of having one good follower in the group."

To Illustrate: Conflict

Two writers who were bitter rivals were both attending the same party. One had recently had a book published, and the other commented to him, "I read your new book, and liked it. Who wrote it for you?" The other replied, "I'm glad you liked the book-who read it to you?"

Developing a Vision for Emerging Generations

Moral Therapeutic Deists. In 2005, University of North Carolina sociologist Christian Smith coined that phrase to describe the core religious values held by the vast majority of the next generation of the church in America. Summing up four years of research for the National Study of Youth and Religion, his study gave definition to some of the greatest fears already sensed by thousands of discerning ministers and churches across the evangelical world.

William E. Sangster: In the Wake of the Wesleys

At the heart of London is Wesminster, with the houses of Parliament and four commanding churches: Wesminster Abbey, the national church (Anglican); Westminster Cathedral (Roman Catholic); Westminster Chapel (Congregational); and Westminster Central Hall (Methodist), across from the Abbey. The latter has been a great preaching palace; and in his 24 years as pastor, Dinsdale T. Young, a preacher of redemption and an evangelist, filled its 3,000 seats with the largest audiences in London (Oswald Chambers was his protege). He died in 1938; and the next year, William E. Sangster was appointed pastor.

When Do We Build?

It's exciting for pastors and church leaders to see people coming to Christ on a regular basis through the ministry of their church. It's also a joy to have new people choose to join your church as they move to the area or experience other life changes that call for a new church home. But with growth come challenges: finding additional leaders for classes and programs, dealing with parking stresses, and the big question: when do we build?

Miley Cyrus and the Disappearance of Childhood

Sometimes I think the late Neil Postman is the prophet for out time. After reading about the Miley Cyrus photo fiasco, I am convinced of this. If you have a pre-teen daughter, you know that Miley is the star of "Hannah Montana," the hugely popular Disney television series. This 15-year-old is the singing-acting-dancing daughter of country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus. "Hannah Montana" and Disney have crafted the image of this young lady as a safe role model for little girls.

Preaching on Homosexuality: Taking the Road Less Traveled

Several years ago I spoke to 1,400 church-goers representing more than two dozen churches. Filling an auditorium to capacity and spilling into an overflow area equipped with closed circuit television, their motivation to hear me, a former homosexual, resulted from a series of pro-homosexual ads in their local newspaper.

Is There Any Word from the Lord?

Doctrinal preaching is all about handling biblical truth as the "true and living Word" that it is, with the sermon functioning as a privileged partner with doctrine in what can be described as a joyous doxological dance to the glory of God. "Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Matt. 19:6, NIV). These are the words of Jesus. Used in the context of preaching, they reflect a critical linkage between didache (teaching) and kerygma (proclamation). Doctrinal preaching is both content centered (teaching to instruct the mind) and intent centered (preaching to move the heart). Doctrine and joy interpenetrate and are intertwined.