The Liturgy of the Guilty

The Liturgy of the Guilty

Call it an age of outrage; call it a culture of contempt; call it a politics of polarization. Whatever phrase you happen to use, there is little denying the prevalence of the spirit of moral judgment and mutual indignation in our public life today. Indeed, it seems impossible to escape. It pervades our social-media feeds. It permeates the tone of journalists and professional pundits. It seeps into our everyday conversations with friends and colleagues. We are a nation divided by deep disagreements, but it’s more than that. Because the real conviction underlying our hostility and anger is that those with whom we disagree are not simply wrong, they are wicked. They aren’t just mistaken. They are contemptible.

Editorial – Made Like Him

Editorial – Made Like Him

In the coming weeks, we are focusing on the theme of worship, liturgy, and spiritual formation. The past year has highlighted critical questions in the life of the church: What is the nature of the worshipping community? How are followers of Jesus formed to be able to thrive in times of crisis? What role does liturgy play in the formation of disciples? What have we been doing that has collapsed under the pressure of the strain of the past year? How must the church be more intentional about discipleship, and what commitments must we make to experience a renewed work of God’s Spirit within our congregations?

My Doctoral Study Journey From Nigeria to the United States

My Doctoral Study Journey From Nigeria to the United States

I had many questions that needed answers like any curious young person of my time. However, many times when I asked questions about our church doctrines, I was shut down or told I was too inquisitive. So, I set out to find the answers myself. This was one reason I left my classes in engineering to move to Bible college in 1993. I was asking questions that many of my friends were asking and I became passionate about answering those questions.

When the Mullet Has No Tail: Pastoral Gladness in the Midst of Covid

When the Mullet Has No Tail: Pastoral Gladness in the Midst of Covid

This has been a hard year to be glad as a pastor. Covid has cut the tail off the pastoral mullet. You know the mullet – business in the front, party in the back. Covid has cut off the tail. No parties, all business. Covid has taken away the fun parts of pastoral ministry and left behind the toil and the grind.

Covid cancelled retreats and camps and church events. No more potlucks or barbecues. No coffee or lunch meetings. No games in the church lawn. No VBS. No handshakes or hugs. No meals in homes, no hospitality. You can still smile, but it must be covered by a mask.

For the Love of the Research: My PhD Testimony

For the Love of the Research: My PhD Testimony

I didn’t come to a PhD in Theology by a typical path, and I didn’t know where it was going to lead when I was finished. When I began contemplating pursuing a PhD, I found myself asking What’s a good enough reason to get a PhD? The utilitarian deep inside me wondered what’s a good enough reason to spend the time and the money—particularly when I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I finished.

How I Consecrated Myself at Cambridge

How I Consecrated Myself at Cambridge

In the dedicatory epistle to Sir Henry Ashurst, prefixed to his biography of his own father, the great nonconformist divine Matthew Henry wrote this of the church’s ministers:

The ministers of the gospel are, in the Scripture language, stars in the right hand of Christ, to signify their diffusive light, and beneficial influences. As in the future state of the resurrection, some stars shall differ from others in glory; so in the present state of the regeneration, some ministers are distinguish’d from others, by a brighter eminence in their endowments, and a more powerful emanation of light in their preaching.

Should Pastors Get PhDs? – Questions to Ask First

Should Pastors Get PhDs? – Questions to Ask First

I believe that every pastor should strive to become the best theologian they can possibly be. For some, this will involve formal education all the way to the level of a PhD. That has been my path, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to study theology in this way. It’s been a tremendously enriching experience. The value of such a degree, in my opinion, goes beyond the content of the knowledge acquired during the degree—pursuing a PhD shapes you as a person, and as a thinker. I love the vision of organizations like the Center for Pastor Theologians that seek to bridge the divide between the church and the academy, encouraging pastors to pursue academic excellence and intellectual rigor as much as possible.

Faith, Apocalypse, and Nationalism: Why Evangelicals Are Vulnerable to Conspiracy Theories

Faith, Apocalypse, and Nationalism: Why Evangelicals Are Vulnerable to Conspiracy Theories

As pastors, we must ask: How have we arrived at the place where millions of Christians have placed their faith in these theories, which have no grounding in reality? At the outset, let me say that I am not implying that all evangelicals will become conspiracy theorists. But in the last few months we have witnessed a disturbing number doing just that, and so it is important for us to understand this reality. In this essay, I offer thoughts on how this has happened. Inevitably, I can’t dig through all the layers, and there are many layers; other observers have additional insight to bring to the complex dynamics at work. But I want to draw a sketch of patterns that I propose have contributed to the vulnerability by tracing three interconnected themes, faith, apocalypse, and nationalism, that have made evangelicals vulnerable to conspiracy theories. My hope in writing this is that pastors and lay people will be equipped to better grasp what has taken root in too much of the evangelical world, and so be better prepared to engage these complex dynamics at work in the Church today.

A Testimony to the Taste of God: Some Reflections on Psalm 34

A Testimony to the Taste of God: Some Reflections on Psalm 34

Psalm 34 is an anthem for the crestfallen, a song for poor souls. With poetic power, the psalm recounts a low point in the author’s life, a time of severe fear (v. 4). Dwelling deep in a dark chasm of anguish, this individual implored God to rescue him. Perhaps you too know this place of pain. Most of us have, at one time or another, been cast into similar chasms.

Six years ago tragedy struck our family. As anyone acquainted with tragedy can say, “I remember it like it was yesterday…”