What you believe makes a big difference in your Christian life. Even if the categories of formal theology seem remote and unfamiliar, you have a theology. Everything you think about God, Jesus, law, sin, salvation, holiness, the Spirit, the church, human nature, life, death, and eternity is theological. We are all theologians. The real question is whether or not our theologies are true to Scripture. One of the most important areas of theology is sanctification: the doctrine that concerns our consecration to God, the restoration and renewal of God’s image within us, and our practical progress in holiness. I’ve seen a number of common errors that Christians make in this area. In fact, here are seven errors to avoid in following Christ. 1.     Looking to your sanctificatio...

One of my U.S. history students recently asked me what my favorite Christmas song was.  There are many that I love, and I told him that I couldn’t possibly choose just one, but as a historian—and a specialist on the American Civil War, particularly—I have always been deeply moved by I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.  In its original form it’s not heard too much these days, although several contemporary Christian groups (Casting Crowns for example) have performed variations on it. The carol is based on a poem written at the height of the Civil War by the renowned American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  A native of Maine and long-time resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the fifty-six-year-old Longfellow was an American celebrity by that time, famous for works such as Th...

Just a few hours ago I stood at the square in Kiev where one year ago over a million people gathered to protest Russia’s ruthless attempt at breaking Ukraine. The pictures, the flowers, the memory of the many dead scream in the silence. Ukrainian youth and others paid with their lives, and the pictures reveal the savagery of the oppressors. It was a biting cold sixteen degrees as I recorded a message there while passersby stopped to listen. As I now fly back, I see another scene: a burning building and the threatening destruction in Ferguson, MO, the aftermath of the tragic death of a young man there. There are huge differences between these stories but the cries are similar. Sadly, speechmakers often exploit such scenarios, provoking our baser instincts.  When the jury in Misso...

If you’re a Christian, you believe reading the Bible is important. But how should you approach it in the first place? What kind of “heart posture” is necessary? God cares deeply about these questions. Here are seven ways we ought to approach his Word. 1. Approach It Humbly The Bible is empirical evidence that the Maker of the universe is a God who initiates, who reveals, who talks. There are, after all, only two options when it comes to knowledge of one’s Creator: revelation or speculation. Either he speaks, or we guess. And he has spoken. The God of heaven and earth has “forfeited his personal privacy”[1] to befriend us through a book. The Bible is like an all-access pass into the revealed mind and will of God. Now, given that we’re not only creatures of the dust but rebels against heaven...

  Introduction The second Sunday in Advent (Advent II) continues on the path started in the first week by looking forward to Christ’s first and second coming. Advent II focuses on John the Baptist, the Gentiles being included in God’s family, Christ’s coming in judgment and peace, and the church’s hopeful expectation of the completion of his promises. The Scripture and Theology of the Second Week of Advent Whereas the Scripture readings for Advent I speak broadly about God’s promise to bring Israel out of exile, the readings for Advent II focus more specifically on the Messiah and what his coming will look like. Old Testament Readings Old Testament readings for Advent II reflect on the type of kingdom the coming Messiah will bring: one of judgment and peace. Isaiah 11:1 says, “There s...

I am a law and order guy. I believe it is vital to our well-being as a society to support law enforcement and give them the benefit of the doubt. I believe that the vast majority of cops are competent and trustworthy. I was bothered by much of the commentary following the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. At times it seemed like a race to see which white evangelicals could appear the most empathetic with little or no interest in the actual facts of the tragic event. There were even calls from otherwise fine and thoughtful men to disregard the facts about Michael Brown’s death. That was entirely unhelpful and, in my mind, provided comfort for those who would choose to respond violently. The above comments are an effort to underscore my non-handwringing bona fides because in the case o...

For many Christians, being unemployed is just embarrassing. Suddenly, we find ourselves without a job. We are, perhaps without success, seeking employment.  But we can’t help asking ourselves, “What are people thinking about my being out of work?  Do they think I’m lazy, no good, or just a freeloader?”  No doubt, being without a job can be embarrassing even within our own families. We all have heard of, or perhaps even met, people who have been described as “bums.”  We’ve all heard comments describing people who didn’t work as “no-good, lazy, or leeches on society.”  Even back in the early days of television entertainment we’ve seen comedians like Red Skelton make fun of the unemployed by portra...

What Is Advent? History & Meaning For many Christians unfamiliar with the liturgical year, there may be some confusion surrounding the meaning of the Advent season. Some people may know that the Advent season focuses on expectation and think that it serves as an anticipation of Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas. This is part of the story, but there’s more to Advent. The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. Scholars believe that during the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany, the celebration of God’s incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:...

Time off work, a year-end bonus, receiving gifts on your wish list… none of those things are bad in themselves. But you can get all of those things without Christmas. So, they can’t be the ultimate reason you need Christmas, right? Maybe you’re on the opposite side of the spectrum: you don’t think you need Christmas at all. The decorating, awkward family gatherings, shopping, and traveling add so much stress. Or maybe Christmas makes you feel incredibly lonely. You’d love to sleep straight through Christmas and wake up just in time to ring in the New Year. What both these mindsets have in common is that they each focus on things that are ancillary to the true significance of why Christmas happened and why we celebrate it. Why do we really need Christmas? What does Christm...

While the cross may be the symbol we treasure in Christianity, the way most of us Christians live is as if the symbol of our faith is a ladder rather than cross. We like our Christianity to be muscular, triumphant. We’ve come to believe that the Christian life is a progression from weakness to strength—“Started from the bottom, now we’re here” (Drake) seems to be the victory chant of modern Christianity. We are all by nature, in the terminology of Martin Luther, theologians of glory—not God’s glory, but our own. But the hope of the Christian faith is dependent on God’s display of strength, not ours. God is in the business of destroying our idol of self-sufficiency in order to reveal himself as our sole sufficiency. This is God’s way—he kills in order to make alive; he strips us i...

As everyone knows, the last leaves of autumn mean that Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us. It’s that glorious time of year set aside for giving lots of stuff and to stuffing ourselves a lot. But to celebrate these holidays—and every day—as God intended, one thing above all is necessary: we must grasp that all of life is grace (James 1:17). We deserve none of the good things we have, not even a little bit. They flow from the love of God himself, the wellspring of saving grace and of every blessing in life, far too many to number. (Count your blessings, name them one by one? Good luck with that!) I have friends who grow up in a Christian denomination that recognized this truth and formed it into an unofficial slogan of sorts (long before Dave Ramsey popularized it). Whenever anyone would...

I think it started when I peeked in the oven.  One glance revealed blackened bread and an inner dialogue quietly simmered in my mind, overflowing into what I call “counting my bitters”: I cannot believe I burned the special cinnamon chip toast. I was distracted because I was also making the hot chocolate, tea and coffee. If someone would help me, then the toast wouldn’t have burned. I haven’t even had a moment to sit down since I woke up. I’m always trying to make everyone else happy; does anyone notice? Now I have to start breakfast all over. Sigh.  I guess it’s a vacation for everyone else but me. We were in the midst of the beautiful North Carolina Mountains, staying at a home generously offered to us for a weekend getaway.  On the drive up we stopped at an orchard and en...