I love this article on womanhood from Paul David Tripp, answering a very important question: “Is your view of women aligned with your theology?” We shouldn’t ever violate what Scripture commands in an attempt to be relevant, but we should exercise the freedom to do whatever Scripture allows, to grant women the widest and deepest and most meaningful roles in Christ’s body.  

Over thirty years ago, while researching and writing my first book Christians in the Wake of the Sexual Revolution (later revised as Restoring Sexual Sanity), I realized what a prominent and distinctive earmark of the early church its sexual purity really was. Christians were known to be Christians partly because they thought and lived differently when it came to sex.

Randy joined Pure Desire Ministries on their podcast to discuss the problem of Christian leaders and pastors having moral failings. Randy helps listeners to understand what contributes to the fall of high-profile leaders, how churches can recover and heal, and how to prevent failures from happening.  

Most readers have likely heard about individuals having a crisis of faith. We’ve learned terms such as “exvangelical” and “deconstruction.” We are sometimes familiar with entire churches, even denominations, who have lost their faith. But while it is not the first to do so, a poll released last week should serve as a dramatic wake up call to evangelical churches and their pastors.

What we need in our churches today are fewer actors and more sold-out followers of Jesus—converted people living lives centered on Jesus, the King of kings. And the good news is, there truly are many such people in our churches. Our goal should be to cultivate more and more of them. 

Ray Ortlund’s directness and humility in this article are refreshing. I SO loved what he had to say here about the importance of orthodox doctrine (truth), and also gracious culture and lasting friendships (grace).

I am convinced that it is permissible to both seek churches that adhere to the inerrancy of Scripture and provide opportunities for growth, while also satisfying some of our cultural and stylistic proclivities. BUT I have realized that even the search for the perfect church can become an idol.

I can only imagine how difficult attending a church without your spouse would be, so I don’t minimize that, nor the driving to get to church. That’s tough. But I keep going back to the piece of needing face to face fellowship.

I read Francis Schaeffer’s The Mark of the Christian shortly after it was published in 1970. I was 16—a new believer studying how to defend gospel truth to friends and family. Yet Schaeffer called Christian love and unity “the final apologetic,” the ultimate defense of our faith.