Maturity
Why Preachers Fail Doctrinally
Since at least the days of Hymenaeus and Alexander, some preachers have lost their moorings doctrinally and suffered shipwreck concerning the faith (1 Tim. 1:18-20). Sometimes this accompanies or attempts to justify a moral failure, but often the doctrinal digression stands alone. Leaving the truth often occurs early in a preacher’s ministry when—while still young…
Read MoreThe Pattern for Social Stability
The last few years American society has experienced a rapid decline in basic social stability. One by one, various cornerstones of morality and civility either have eroded beyond recognition through neglect or have been destroyed through the combined blows of political activism and judicial overreach. Competing factions on the social and political spectrum have grown…
Read MoreThe Path to Maturity
Rebellion against authority, selfish demands, and violence dominate the headlines today, accompanied by various justifications rooted in ignorance of history and its value, in newly concocted microaggressions visible only to the easily offended, and identity politics so removed from reality that meaning ceases to exist. Sadly, the cacophony emanating from riots not recognized as riots,…
Read MoreA Prudent Wife
The book of Proverbs addresses some of the most practical aspects of life. From handling finances to dealing with people, its inspired wisdom offers meaningful insight to all willing to listen. However, one of the interesting observations available in a book largely written by a man whose home life left much to be desired pertains…
Read MoreInevitable Conflict?
The algorithms of social media encourage polarization. However, I do not mean this in some conspiratorial way. To the contrary, the programming that determines what we see on social media combines several metrics, including, but not limited to: (1) words and phrases that reflect high interest subject matter, (2) attention demonstrated by others regarding certain…
Read MoreHow to Overcome Strife
Division and strife dominate the news cycle once again. The ability of people and the media to pivot so quickly from division over candidates to division over pandemic policies of various kinds to division over ethnicity and injustice boggles the mind. It appears impossible for people in today’s world to engage in serious issues without…
Read MoreKnowing the Difference
No one shows up in your life with a sticker on the lapel saying, “I am a gossip,” no matter how helpful that warning might prove. Similarly, to my knowledge, no one on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media site provides a profile picture that reads, “Cagy Internet Troll.” Instead, we must figure these…
Read MoreFinancial Planning
Everywhere you look in modern society you find a connection between money and power. Either people with money want power or people with power want money. This pattern does not depend on any particular political system. This truth plays out in democracies, communist states, socialist countries, and totalitarian regimes all around the world, and history…
Read MoreThe Path to Purity
The challenge of chaste living and moral purity, especially sexually, in the midst of a culture seemingly dedicated to the promotion of depravity, places Christians today on common ground with God’s people of ages past. While the temptation may sometimes come through today’s technology, the flesh to which it appeals has proved consistent throughout generations…
Read MoreGuarding Your Heart
The oft-given advice to “Follow your heart” may rank among the worst popular concepts in history. It encourages selfishness, eliminates standards, and eschews guidance. It treats desire as a virtue and personal experience as truth. While Postmodernism has created an entire culture around this, its existence predates the modern era by millennia. In fact, Eve…
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