Why Don't They Love Us?

So asks Stephen Altrogge...

A Brilliant Man With Great Thoughts On An Important Topic

Gender roles, church, and culture.  Tough, essential topics.

D. A. Carson has two outstanding lectures on these issues.  Must-listen stuff.

The Flow of Thought In 1 Timothy 2

Is the Culture Shaping Us or are We Shaping the Culture

Defining the Church

How would you define "the church"?  It's essential we know what we're talking about.

Here's the Driscoll's definition from Vintage Church:

The local church is a community of regenerated believers hwo confess Jesus Christ as Lord.  In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as missionaries to the world for God's glory and their joy.

I'd have to agree.

Tolerance Anyone?

No one slept through this service.

"We will alert churches statewide of this now close-to-home threat of disruption of their members' freedom to worship in peace and safety," Glenn said, "but this is not the first time in history Christians have faced persecution or threats of reprisal for standing for their faith and values."

Text-Messaging in Church

An intriguing way for folks to interact with the sermon...

What think ye?

When Your Church Is A Business

From Joe Carter quoting Jared Wilson:

Warning: If you treat your church like a business, you will treat other churches like your competition.

Who Is Your Target Audience?

Romans 11.36 makes it clear.  

God is.

As Steven Lawson said, in his "Target Audience" message at the 2006 Ligonier Ministries' Pastor's Conference:

If I please God it doesn't matter who I displease; and if I displease God it doesn't matter who I please.

Relevance - for Him.  Love - for Him.  Praise - for Him.  Evangelism - for Him.  Hospitality - for Him.  What do you think?

A Compelling Theological Vision for Ministry

See The Gospel Coalition's Theological Vision for Ministry. It is an intelligent document that includes consideration of the all-important epistemological (how we know truth), hermeneutical (how we handle the Bible), and contextualization (relating to the world) issues facing the church.