The Rise and Fall of Christendom
Understanding this missionary imperative for the church leads missional writers to ask the question, “Is the 21st-century North American church fulfilling its place in the… Read More »The Rise and Fall of Christendom
Understanding this missionary imperative for the church leads missional writers to ask the question, “Is the 21st-century North American church fulfilling its place in the… Read More »The Rise and Fall of Christendom
If we are to grow a right view of the Christian tradition within our churches, we will have to overcome the ‘suspicion of tradition’ that… Read More »Rightly Evaluating Tradition
Flowing naturally from the idea that God has an overarching mission for mankind, thus rendering that mission God-centered, is the assertion that the church, as… Read More »The Missionary Imperative of the Missional Church – the Church as Sent
The first principle that drives the missional church is what it considers the biblically-mandated missionary imperative. But while the evangelical church has traditionally considered evangelism… Read More »The Missionary Imperative of the Missional Church – Missio Dei
A church that is self-consciously conservative has a relationship with both the past and the future. If we are conserving Christianity, we must be conserving… Read More »Conservatives and Tradition
In order to understand the driving impulses behind the North American evangelical missional church movement and its impact on worship, I will begin with a… Read More »A Brief History of the Missional Church Movement
Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us… Read More »A Christian Imagination
The cultivation of ordinate affection depends on several areas we have already covered in this series. A pastor determined to conserve biblical Christianity will be… Read More »More than Cognitive
Much has been said everywhere about the decline of religious belief; not so much notice has been taken of the decline of religious sensibility. The… Read More »Culture and Cultivation of the Affections
One of the most difficult tasks facing the conservative Christian pastor is teaching that the affections are shaped, and that Christians ought to give attention… Read More »Cultivating the Affections
A Christian understanding of the affections emphasizes the centrality of the affections in the Christian life, and distinguishes it from modern notions of emotion. Beyond that,… Read More »Distinguishing Between Affections
Restoring a right view of the affections may take many years of teaching and instruction. Most Christians exist with very foggy notions of ‘the emotions’… Read More »The Centrality and Nature of the Religious Affections
Probably the greatest difference between a thoroughly conservative Christian church and more nominally conservative Christian churches will be found in differences over the religious affections.… Read More »The Religious Affections and Beauty
Beyond the matter of exposing Christians to past and present examples of Christian piety, a pastor or leader within the local church can seek to… Read More »Teaching Piety
How can we conserve and promote true piety within the lives of the Christians in our churches? Phrasing the question differently reveals the size of… Read More »Exposure to Piety
Conservative Christian churches wish to weather the winds of secularism and pass on authentic Christianity to the next generation. This means conserving the gospel itself,… Read More »Conserving Christian Piety
Finishing worship well is as important as beginning it that way. Just as a call to worship consecrates the time for worship, so a benediction… Read More »Some Things To Consider Including In Your Worship – Benedictions
Restoring biblical worship in churches within a culture given over to various forms of narcissism, sentimentalism, consumerism and amusement is an uphill struggle. If a… Read More »Leading Corporate Worship
Biblical worship is the worship revealed in the Bible as pleasing to God. Since the Bible reveals God’s nature, will, and works, we should expect… Read More »Restoring Biblical Worship: Heeding God’s Prescriptions
Churches that wish to conserve and propagate the gospel must be willing to defend it. The gospel is attacked in several ways, and therefore its… Read More »Defending the Gospel