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I have shared my concerns about the practices of Pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation Church previously on this blog . I have done this out of a deep concern for the peace and purity of the church and the integrity of the office of pastor. One of my questions has been whether the Southern Baptist...

A little more than a year ago I read Handbook for Battered Leaders . It was written by husband and wife Wesley Balda and Janis Bragan Balda. Wesley is president of the Simeon Institute. In the past he has led the Ph.D. program at the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management and was founding...

I have an impulse I'd like to tell you about. It is an impulse to defend myself when I am slandered. Sometimes that impulse is appropriate as evidenced in the Apostle Paul. Other times that impulse is laden with sin. If you are a pastor then you almost certainly know what it is like to be slandered...

I have often admired Martin Luther, and wondered at his composure. When all men spoke so ill of him, what did he say? Turn to that Psalm--"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble; therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be...

"We call those things mercies which please us, ease us, suit our wants, and fall in with our cravings. Truly they are so, but not less gracious are those benefits which cross us, pain us, and lay us low. The tender love which chastises us the gentle kindness which bruises us, the fond affection...

Though the month escapes me, every year Barnes and Noble features famous banned books in their stores. The collection includes such titles as The Catcher in the Rye , Candide , Lolita , and even the Bible. Many of the books are now ubiquitous in libraries and bookstores. But there was a time when...

I am a blessed man. I have the privilege of serving a church as pastor. There are more blessings attending to this call than I can possibly describe. God has been especially kind in allowing me to serve a church that loves its pastors well. But I have not always had this experience. I sojourned...

I spent my early years in ministry immersed in the language of vision and mission. Somewhere along the way, it was decided that if a church was going to be successful then it must have both a mission and vision statement. If you were really good you had purpose, vision, and mission statements. It...

Evangelicals love movements. I suppose it's because it makes us feel a part of something big or at least bigger than our church. Don't misunderstand. I like a good conference as much as anyone. I have benefited from good conferences. I appreciate Together for the Gospel , not least of all because...

Evangelicals love movements. I suppose it's because it makes us feel a part of something big or at least bigger than our church. Don't misunderstand. I like a good conference as much as anyone. I have benefited from good conferences. I appreciate Together for the Gospel, not least of all because...