Last week I announced the upcoming release of my new book, Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church (Zondervan, 2022). The book releases on November 1st.
As a lead up to the book release, I am launching a new blog series e…
For those that follow this blog, you will know that the issue of spiritual abuse has been on my mind for the last several years now. Even before Mike Cosper’s excellent podcast, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, put it on the national radar, I’ve been co…
It’s that time of year again.
On Monday, a wonderful new crop of seminary students here at RTS-Charlotte will begin the grueling month-long experience of Summer Greek. And, like all seminary students before them, they will begin to ask the question of …
Well it’s that time of year. This Friday we will graduate another class of seminary students at RTS Charlotte, sending them off to serve the Lord in a variety of ways. And during each of these graduations, I have an opportunity to give a final &…
The Southern Baptists Convention (SBC) needs a change of direction. Over our 177-year history the Lord has enabled the churches of the SBC to accomplish some amazing things for the … More
The post Why I Am Willing to Be Nominated for SBC President appeared first on Founders Ministries.
One way to judge the vitality of a culture is by the state of its men. Where its men are weak, sin-addicted, and passive, the society will decline. Why? Because … More
The post 3 Reasons Biblical Elder Qualifications Matter in Missions appeared first on Founders Ministries.
One of the greatest tragedies in 21st century Christianity is the degree to which identity politics has infiltrated our churches. Hardly a day goes by that I do not communicate … More
The post Unity in Christ appeared first on Founders Ministries.
We’ve had a wonderful journey through the book of Ephesians in our local church, and one of the recurring themes in this short letter is the unity of the church … More
The post 7 Words to Associate with the Body of Christ appeared first on Founders Ministries.
“Why do you wear a beard? Our last pastor said godly men are clean-shaven.” “Do your wife and kids ever get tired of you reading the Bible and preaching to … More
The post Counsel from the Confession? 1689 Eschatology and Pastoral Biblical Counseling appeared first on Founders Ministries.
*Note: This is the third installment in a three-part series. You can access part one (link to article) and part two (link to article) on the Covenant Confessions blog. Premises 3 and 4: Moreover, God has transcribed His moral law upon the hearts of every human being, leaving man without excuse to abide by the […]
My friend and fellow pastor, Josh Buice, announced yesterday that the church he serves, Pray’s Mill Baptist on the west side of Atlanta, has officially broken ties with the Southern … More
The post A Call to Action for Southern Baptist Pastors appeared first on Founders Ministries.
Psalm 119:9-12 (NASB) “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let … More
The post The Battle For Young People appeared first on Founders Ministries.
As a seminary professor (and a pastor) I spend a lot of time helping students grow and develop as preachers. After hearing a student preach, I will often get coffee or lunch with that student and we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the serm…
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Who was before a blasphemer… but I obtained … More
The post Encouragement for Gospel Ministers from John Newton appeared first on Founders Ministries.
The eighteenth-century writer, Samuel Johnson, once quipped, “Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” Though, to … More
The post Ed Litton, Southern Baptist Leaders, and Judgment Day Honesty: A Call for Accountability and Action by Southern Baptist Churches appeared first on Founders Ministries.
Legalism. Pretty much everyone agrees that it’s bad. And in a world where Christians seem to disagree over basically everything, that’s saying something.
Even so, if you asked the average Christian to define legalism, the answers may not c…
Since I am a professor at a seminary, it is not unusual (indeed, it is very common) for students to come to me for advice about whether they should enter the pastorate or seek to be a professor. While many of these students may have entered seminary w…
Last week I finished a key portion of one of my research projects. And then I did what I normally do during such times (indeed, it is coming a bit of a tradition)–I cleaned up the colossal mess that I had made.
Before it was all said and done, books w…
Last week I finished a key portion of one of my research projects. And then I did what I normally do during such times (indeed, it is coming a bit of a tradition)–I cleaned up the colossal mess that I had made.
Before it was all said and done, books w…
It’s that time of year again.
A wonderful new crop of seminary students has arrived here at RTS-Charlotte and has already begun the grueling month-long experience of Summer Greek. And, like all seminary students before them, they will begin to ask the …
Recently, the practice of sermon-copying received some anecdotal examination from a professional homiletician. It was not written to justify the prominent incidents of this of recent revelation. The professor used … More
The post Spurgeon in the Study appeared first on Founders Ministries.
Southern Baptist elites—entity heads & those who, with them, exert major leadership in the convention—continue to operate in ways that disappoint and dispirit grass-roots Southern Baptist church members and those … More
The post There Is No Peace appeared first on Founders Ministries.
“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. … More
The post How to Fire Your Pastor appeared first on Founders Ministries.
As I continue to do the rounds of podcasts and interviews for my new book, Surviving Religion 101, the same question keeps getting asked:
What can parents (and churches) do to help better prepare their kids for the intellectual challenges of college?
I…
I’ll never forget the fear I felt preaching to the “adults” that first time back in 1999. I was terrified at the thought of “wrongly dividing the word of truth” … More
The post Sermongate: Is It Still About Integrity? appeared first on Founders Ministries.
A couple of weeks ago, I watched with great interest how the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) would handle some particularly tough issues during its annual gathering in Nashville. Like any such gathering, there were things that were encouraging, and t…
“Timothy” is a composite character. He is twenty-six years old, has recently graduated from seminary, and has been in his first church for six months. He and his wife, Mary, … More
The post Be Courageous: Evangelical Courage to Cultivate Those You Have Been Called to Serve appeared first on Founders Ministries.
King David’s words describe the goodness and blessing of well-exercised authority: The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; his word is on my tongue. The God of Israel has … More
The post Elders Are Not Quarrelsome appeared first on Founders Ministries.
As a young man feeling the call of God to enter the pastorate, I was blessed with good role models who demonstrated that full-bodied work. They taught me the essence … More
The post The Symbiosis of Good Things appeared first on Founders Ministries.
As a young man feeling the call of God to enter the pastorate, I was blessed with good role models who demonstrated that full-bodied work. They taught me the essence … More
The post The Symbiosis of Good Things appeared first on Founders Ministries.
