The Name Game
Renaming something, including coining a new word to describe something, is common today. When people do this, they seem to be trying to accomplish one of several outcomes. First, they may be trying to make something old sound new. Second, they may be trying to convince us of a new angle on something old. Third, […]
Fidelity Matters
Despite the claims of many, younger generations (in fact, all generations) still value fidelity in romantic relationships. Free love, open relationships, friends with benefits, and multiple partner relationships might make for titillating television but they are not what people are looking for in real life. As an example, testing fidelity is big business, driven by […]
New Definers of Christian Community
Some years ago, I opined the defining issues establishing Christian community in the future would be marriage and morality. Specifically, how a church or denomination defines marriage and interprets biblical morality will position it relative to historic, orthodox Christian beliefs – more than past confessional statements or doctrinal creeds. A Christian’s position on these issues […]
Massacre
On Christmas Eve and Day, more than 200 Christians were massacred in Nigeria by Muslim Fulani herdsmen, along with other terrorist/criminal attackers. In 2022, Nigeria was a killing field for Christians with more than 5,014 documented deaths. The numbers for 2023 will be just as alarming. To put that in perspective, that’s almost five times […]
The Christmas Couple: Joseph
Character matters. God wants us to develop and demonstrate qualities which reveal our values and convictions. Character counts as the sustaining force which enables us to make an impact over the long haul – more than intelligence, skills, or education. When God selected the Christmas couple – Mary and Joseph – he chose two people […]
The Christmas Couple: Mary
Character matters. God wants us to develop and demonstrate qualities which reveal our values and convictions. Character counts as the sustaining force which enables us to make an impact over the long haul – more than intelligence, skills, or education. When God selected the Christmas couple – Mary and Joseph – he chose two people […]
California Partners
Gateway Seminary is a national entity owned by the Southern Baptist Convention. Yet, because of our primary location since our founding almost 80 years ago, we are closely connected to state partners in California. Those partnerships are a profound asset as we work together to support each other and fulfill both our respective missions and […]
Christmas Music
This past weekend, we enjoyed the California Baptist University Christmas musicale entitled “The Spirit, Songs and Story of the Season.” It was spectacular! Once again, our friends at CBU demonstrated why they are at the forefront of Christian universities in the United States. Beside the talent on display, it helped that they were working with […]
People Who Believed in Me – Part Two
During this Thanksgiving season, I have been reflecting on people who made my seminary education possible. They invested much in shaping me for future ministry leadership. Last week, I told you the story of two families who paid for my first seminary degree. Here’s the second part of the story. My first pastorate was at […]
People Who Believed in Me – Part One
During this Thanksgiving season, I have been reflecting on people who made my seminary education possible. They invested much in shaping me for future ministry leadership. Just before we moved to seminary, a family invited us to their home for lunch. They were a modest-income family facing the financial challenges of two sons leaving soon […]