The Toughest Issues
Some of the toughest pastoral challenges today are handling issues related to gender, sexuality, morality, and marriage. A friend recently confided in me his son is now identifying as a woman and asked for guidance on how to respond. Another friend’s son recently got married, to a man, and he also asked me for counsel […]
A Christian Response to Tragedy
Massacre. Atrocities. Carnage. Those were some of the words used to describe the results of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. Infants were mutilated. Women were raped. Senior adults were beaten. People were murdered, indiscriminately slaughtered in their homes, at work, and at public events. Pure evil – on stark display on terrorist-produced social […]
A Catholic Shift
The future of the Catholic Church is being debated and discussed at a Synod of Bishops, with a follow up meeting scheduled for this time next year. The gathering includes a cross section of Catholic leaders – not only priests, but lay leaders and women as well. This is the first time a synod like […]
Helping ‘The Helper’
I’d never been on a short-term mission trip. After living abroad in the Middle East and North Africa for 11 years, our family returned to the United States. Soon after, while teaching at Liberty University, I was invited by my friend Mel Cox to go on a short-term mission trip. I had no idea what […]
The Blind
Movies are a powerful media. Christians have used them to communicate our message with mixed results over the years. Poor production quality, amateurish acting, and one-dimensional storytelling have often undermined these efforts. But, thankfully, that has been changing with recent productions. A new movie, The Blind, has recently been released to a limited engagement in […]
Preposterous
One of the cultural conflicts taking place in multiple school boards across Southern California – and likely in many other places across the country – is a debate about whether school personnel should disclose gender-related conversations initiated by students with parents. Many education leaders – including teachers’ unions – are adamant school personnel must not […]
Baptisms are the Best
The cure for whatever ails a Baptist church is more baptisms. Since we only practice believer’s baptism (meaning an individual must personally profess faith in Jesus prior to their baptism), baptisms are a sign that conversions are happening in the context of a church’s outreach ministry. Since baptisms symbolize the death, burial, and resurrection of […]
Flip the Script
My first ministry position was serving as a Minister to Children. My wife has led children’s ministries for more than forty years. When we were young parents, our children were a significant priority. And now, we have five grandchildren who are the joy of our lives. For all these reasons, effective children’s ministry (meaning all […]
Spanning the Globe
We often trumpet the global impact of Gateway Seminary. We have been producing graduates for almost 80 years that have served in every part of the world. We have trustees, faculty, staff, donors, friends, and current students in multiple states and countries. Gateway is a global movement for the gospel. Over the next few months, […]
The Toxic War on Masculinity
Men and manhood are under attack in our culture. The phrase “toxic masculinity” is tossed around indiscriminately to describe any negative behavior associated with men and often used to define manhood and denigrate men. Dr. Nancy Pearcey, noted apologist on the faculty of Houston Christian University, has written an important new book challenging these assertions. […]