Strange Lyre: Conclusion
A good theologian once drew me a diagram of the progress of Christian doctrine and Christian history from the apostles to our day. He drew… Read More »Strange Lyre: Conclusion
Articles on Church
The Idols of Intensity and Extemporaneity
A polarized debate goes on between different stripes of Christians over the place of experience in Christianity. One side asserts that experiential faith (what the… Read More »The Idols of Intensity and Extemporaneity
Pentecostal “Praise and Worship”: A Radical Departure from Historic Worship
Christian worship has often had a remarkably similar shape across traditions. Bryan Chapell showed in his work Christ-Centered Worship that corporate worship (sans communion) in… Read More »Pentecostal “Praise and Worship”: A Radical Departure from Historic Worship
Early Beginnings of Pentecostal Worship
An easy error for a historian to commit is to equate or link events or movements in history that are similar, while ignoring or underplaying… Read More »Early Beginnings of Pentecostal Worship
Strange Lyre: The Pentecostalization of Christian Worship
It’s hardly disputable that global Christianity has been overwhelmed and colonized by the Pentecostal and charismatic movements. After Roman Catholicism, the Christianity identified variously as… Read More »Strange Lyre: The Pentecostalization of Christian Worship
Among Yourselves
In a couple of weeks, I’m scheduled to head down to Illinois to attend a pastors’ conference. There are several speakers at the conference that… Read More »Among Yourselves
In Defense of the Prayer Meeting (Part 2): Its Essential Purpose
This series of posts is in defense of the prayer service. In the first post, I offered some important introductory remarks, and laid out the… Read More »In Defense of the Prayer Meeting (Part 2): Its Essential Purpose
In Defense of the Prayer Meeting (Part 1)
Long live the prayer meeting! When I was a kid, the independent Fundamentalist Baptist church I grew up in had a prayer meeting. It felt… Read More »In Defense of the Prayer Meeting (Part 1)
Island Culture
Le Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island off Normandy, France. Water levels have varied over the centuries, but at its highest, the island would be completely… Read More »Island Culture
The Unexamined Life
“The unexamined life is not worth living”, said Socrates. Socrates was teaching the need to live a life where all things are parsed for their… Read More »The Unexamined Life
Disciple-Forming Corporate Worship
Every church has as its mission the making of disciples, but how does that happen? Two weeks ago I made the point that while such… Read More »Disciple-Forming Corporate Worship
Beauty and Motivation
As surprising as it might sound, beauty lies at the heart of motive. Why we do what we do is a question of desire, and… Read More »Beauty and Motivation
Doctrinal Triage for Worship
Many years ago, Al Mohler published a widely-read article on doctrinal triage, a method for evaluating the seriousness of doctrines. Kevin Bauder then pointed out… Read More »Doctrinal Triage for Worship
Live Images Are Not Living Persons
Our technologies have come a long way from when John wrote, likely using a reed-pen on a papyrus sheet, “I had many things to write,… Read More »Live Images Are Not Living Persons
Disembodied Christianity
During last week, I read one man rage at ‘conservative Christians’ for their desire to re-open churches. He then proceeded to point out that Hebrews… Read More »Disembodied Christianity
Hymns sifted in Satan’s sieve of suffering
In the midst of difficult days, it is helpful to learn from those saints who have endured hard times before us. We are self-centered enough… Read More »Hymns sifted in Satan’s sieve of suffering
Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Screens
“John, we’d love it if you and Susan would join us for a meal on Thursday evening.” “Uh…well, Mike, thanks but…isn’t that illegal? I mean,… Read More »Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Screens
Greet one another with a holy kiss
If someone was to tell you every day, multiple times a day, that you were an extremely handsome man or beautiful woman, that repeated compliment… Read More »Greet one another with a holy kiss
What I’ve missed while not gathering with my local church (Part 3)
The novel coronavirus has resulted in a time where many churches have been unable to gather. This has been unprecedented for most of us alive… Read More »What I’ve missed while not gathering with my local church (Part 3)
What I’ve missed while not gathering with my local church (Part 2)
We’ve all been caged up for a while now. Because of the concerns of governments the world-wide, churches have not been able to gather. In… Read More »What I’ve missed while not gathering with my local church (Part 2)