Ethan Hawke has made a movie as scandalous as one of the writer's short stories.Why not write something that “a lot, a lot, of people like?” Regina O’Connor asks her daughter, the writer Flannery O’Connor, in the middle of the new biopic Wildcat. The same question might be put to the film itself. It’s not a movie that a lot of people will like. But unlike the author’s mother, I mean that as a high compliment. Director and screenwriter Ethan Hawke has made a film worthy of Flannery O’Connor’s genius.An epigraph from O’Connor’s essay “The Nature and Aim of Fiction” sums up what Wildcat sets out to do: “I’m always irritated by people who imply writing fiction is an escape from reality. It is a plunge into reality.” Fittingly, rather than depict the writer’s life from birth to death, Wildcat uses her fiction to discover what’s real, to “get down under things” to the problem of suffering, the limitations of human experience, the desire for goodness, the habits of evil, and, always present, the longing for God.The result is a movie as scandalous as one of O’Connor’s short stories—“shocking to the system,” to borrow her words. Her devotees will applaud it; most of the audience will be left wondering what just clobbered them.After that opening epigraph, Wildcat rolls a fake trailer for a 1950s-style horror flick inspired by O’Connor’s story “The Comforts of Home.” (A mother brings home a wayward, orphaned teen who tries to seduce her grown son. The son attempts to kill the teen, but shoots his own mother instead.) The trailer, starring Laura Linney and Maya Hawke—who also play the roles of Regina and Flannery— sets up expectations ...Continue reading...

A professor explains why examining a school's doctrinal statement isn't enough.When I speak at churches around the country, the conversation after my talks often turns to the state of Christian higher education. I’m a professor at a Christian institution, and Christian parents and grandparents want to know where high school graduates can go to have their faith deepened rather than undermined. These concerns have only become more pressing given the ongoing rise in young people wandering away from the church and describing their religious convictions as “nothing in particular.”The question many Christians have for me is which colleges are “safe” or “real” Christian schools, which usually means those that have a truly conservative theological ethos. For those who aren’t familiar with the world of Christian higher ed, it can be difficult to identify these schools from outside the campus community, and parents often (reasonably) conclude an institution’s stance on human sexuality is the simplest indicator of a college’s commitment to Christian orthodoxy.LGBTQ questions are indeed important, and they can serve as a proxy for an institution’s broader theology. But by itself, this isn’t a reliable formula for finding a good Christian college. A school may stake out a bold position on sexuality and yet capitulate to what I’d suggest is the most overlooked and therefore most insidious threat to Christian education in America right now.It’s not progressive theology. It’s a pervasive consumerist anthropology.Theological anthropology concerns our assumptions about the nature and purpose of humanity. And by “consumerist anthropology” I mean the belief—often subconsciously held—that ...Continue reading...

‘I was pro-Israel in 1981, and I’m not less pro-Israel now,’ says acclaimed novelist.

How groups like Hillsong learned to let go of the literal in favor of creative collaboration.The refrain “He is for you” doesn’t translate neatly into Spanish. In the English version of Elevation Worship’s song “The Blessing,” the phrase repeats and builds with each repetition. But in Spanish, the line is “Él te ama” or “He loves you.”“I’m glad the translators did that,” said musician and translator Sergio Villanueva, who pastors a Hispanic congregation at Wheaton Bible Church in Illinois. “To convey that idea in Spanish—‘He is for you’—you would have to use a lot more words. Spanish is a beautiful language, but we use more words and longer words.”The translation choice in “The Blessing” (“La Bendición”) reflects a growing interest among English-speaking worship artists in producing thoughtful, singable, and culturally informed translations of their music.Often, artists are intent on using translations that are as close to word-for-word as possible. But as influential songwriters and megachurches expand their reach, teams of translators are helping produce new versions of popular worship songs that are faithful to the originals without trying to replicate wording that isn’t as accessible or evocative in another language.“You have to honor the intention of the original songwriter, even if that means changing exactly what the words are saying,” said Villanueva, who has translated for Keith and Kristyn Getty, Sovereign Grace Music, and Kari Jobe.The international distribution and transl ation of English-language worship music has accelerated over the past four decades, but not consistently.In the 1980s and early ’90s, Integrity Music began releasing ...Continue reading...

Let us not give up meeting together—even when we disagree.Recently, a woman at my church approached me with a question borne out of genuine curiosity. She asked, “You’re a female theologian. Why did you choose to come to our church when women aren’t allowed to preach here?”Since much of my work as a Bible scholar is public, it is no secret that I support women’s full participation in ministry, including in church leadership. So I wasn’t surprised that someone happened to notice my convictions did not match our church’s practice on this issue.It’s a good question, and one I’ve wrestled with regularly—since, at present, I don’t feel I’m able to serve our church in all the ways that God has called and equipped me. I so long for the body of Christ to embrace the gifts of all its members, not only here but around the world. But as CT’s April issue reminds us, the global church is far from united on what women can and can’t do in church.Still, I was glad my friend asked me about our family’s decision-making process, because it’s face-to-face conversations like this that prevent polarization. The role of women isn’t the only issue that divides us today. Approaches to racial reconciliation or diversity initiatives, our posture toward climate change, and politics—particularly when there’s another contentious presidential election in sight—are all areas that threaten to fracture our faith communities.According to The Great Dechurching, a recent book by Jim Davis, Michael Graham, and Ryan P. Burge, people are leaving the church in unprecedented numbers. Forty million Americans who used to attend church no longer do—that’s 16 percent ...Continue reading...

Christians can disciple each other toward action, prayer, and hope.I’m 26 and mostly full of enthusiasm for the future. But when I think about the heat waves, floods, and humanitarian crises that I’ll likely experience in my lifetime, I feel a sense of dread. And even more so when I think about the future of my children and my children’s children. I wonder if they’ll get to experience all the beauty of God’s creation that I so cherished while growing up.As a young farmer, I feel my chest tighten as I watch weather patterns and the seasons become more and more erratic. I worry if there’ll be wars for food and water with a warmer climate, or if water sources will be polluted and the soil will be eroded.Many people, especially my age, feel the same way. A recent survey asked 10,000 young people across the world about their thoughts and feelings regarding climate change. According to the findings, three out of four young people think the future is frightening. More than half reported feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, and powerlessness when thinking about climate change. And around 45 percent of respondents said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning.These fears have become so prevalent in our generation that a new term has been coined: eco-anxiety.In a way, young people today have fulfilled climate activist Greta Thunberg’s provocation to leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2019: “I don't want you to be hopeful, I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day.”But while I respect Thunberg’s contribution to putting climate change on the world’s agenda, I disagree with her on this. I don’t believe that panic will help us. ...Continue reading...

The founder of Concerned Women for America was credited by President Ronald Reagan with “changing the face of American politics.”Beverly LaHaye, a timid pastor’s wife who became a fierce champion for conservative Christian politics and a force mobilizing hundreds of thousands of religious women, died on Sunday in a retirement home in El Cajon, California. She was 94.President Ronald Reagan once praised LaHaye as “one of the powerhouses” of the conservative movement and said she was “changing the face of American politics.”Paul Weyrich, the conservative activist who helped start The Heritage Foundation and coined the term moral majority, called the group LaHaye founded in 1979, the Concerned Women for America (CWA), the most effective organization on the Religious Right. He told CT in 1987 that the CWA had “the best follow-through” of any political group he’d ever worked with.At the height of LaHaye’s power, she could get the women she called “my ladies” to send more than 1,000 postcards to a US senator who had slighted her in a public hearing; 2,000 to support a Republican administration official who had been caught selling weapons illegally to Iran; 64,000 to support a controversial conservative candidate for the US Supreme Court; and 778,000 to protest a TV station that ran an advertisement for condoms during prime time.LaHaye “gave a lot of women a language for understanding women’s conservative activism as absolutely necessary,” historian Emily Suzanne Johnson told The Washington Post. “Women have been the driving force of this movement in a lot of ways, particularly at the grass-roots level. I’m not sure that happens without Beverly LaHaye.”Her success earned her the ire of those on the left, especially people concerned about LGBTQ rights. In ...Continue reading...

At 89 years old and more than 60 years into ministry, the Stonebriar Community Church founder plans to remain its primary preacher after the church names his successor.Chuck Swindoll has said that pastors “should never retire,” and the 89-year-old won’t be stepping away from the pulpit even as his church welcomes his successor.Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, announced this week that Swindoll will transition to founding pastor, continuing to preach on Sundays, as Jonathan Murphy becomes its senior pastor on May 1.“This is a very unique way of expanding, of ‘moving into another chapter,’ as we often call it here,” said Swindoll in a video clip alongside Murphy, a Belfast-born preacher who currently serves as chair of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary.With over 60 years in ministry, Swindoll is the oldest megachurch pastor in the country and one of the most influential. He has been vocal about his plans to remain active in ministry until his death.“One of my great goals in life is to live long enough to where I am in the pulpit, preaching my heart out, and I die on the spot, my chin hits the pulpit—boom!—and I’m down and out,” he said at age 75. “What a way to die.”In his new role, Swindoll remains Stonebriar’s regular preacher, while Murphy leads day-to-day ministries and fills in to preach when needed, according to the church’s announcement.“We have the founding pastor being able to continue to preach as long as the Lord would have, and I can have a season as a senior pastor taking responsibility for the staff and caring for them and the ministry direction of the church at large,” said Murphy, who has been a guest preacher at Stonebriar and serves on the board for Swindoll’s long-running radio ministry Insight for Living.The two have been preparing ...Continue reading...

The founder of Concerned Women for America was credited by President Ronald Reagan with “changing the face of American politics.”Beverly LaHaye, a timid pastor’s wife who became a fierce champion for conservative Christian politics and a force mobilizing hundreds of thousands of religious women, died on Sunday in a retirement home in El Cajon, California. She was 94.President Ronald Reagan once praised LaHaye as “one of the powerhouses” of the conservative movement and said she was “changing the face of American politics.”Paul Weyrich, the conservative activist who helped start The Heritage Foundation and coined the term moral majority, called the group LaHaye founded in 1979, the Concerned Women for America (CWA), the most effective organization on the Religious Right. He told CT in 1987 that the CWA had “the best follow-through” of any political group he’d ever worked with.At the height of LaHaye’s power, she could get the women she called “my ladies” to send more than 1,000 postcards to a US senator who had slighted her in a public hearing; 2,000 to support a Republican administration official who had been caught selling weapons illegally to Iran; 64,000 to support a controversial conservative candidate for the US Supreme Court; and 778,000 to protest a TV station that ran an advertisement for condoms during prime time.LaHaye “gave a lot of women a language for understanding women’s conservative activism as absolutely necessary,” historian Emily Suzanne Johnson told The Washington Post. “Women have been the driving force of this movement in a lot of ways, particularly at the grass-roots level. I’m not sure that happens without Beverly LaHaye.”Her success earned her the ire of those on the left, especially people concerned about LGBTQ rights. In ...Continue reading...

At 89 years old and more than 60 years into ministry, the Stonebriar Community Church founder plans to remain its primary preacher after the church names his successor.Chuck Swindoll has said that pastors “should never retire,” and the 89-year-old won’t be stepping away from the pulpit even as his church welcomes his successor.Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, announced this week that Swindoll will transition to founding pastor, continuing to preach on Sundays, as Jonathan Murphy becomes its senior pastor on May 1.“This is a very unique way of expanding, of ‘moving into another chapter,’ as we often call it here,” said Swindoll in a video clip alongside Murphy, a Belfast-born preacher who currently serves as chair of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary.With over 60 years in ministry, Swindoll is the oldest megachurch pastor in the country and one of the most influential. He has been vocal about his plans to remain active in ministry until his death.“One of my great goals in life is to live long enough to where I am in the pulpit, preaching my heart out, and I die on the spot, my chin hits the pulpit—boom!—and I’m down and out,” he said at age 75. “What a way to die.”In his new role, Swindoll remains Stonebriar’s regular preacher, while Murphy leads day-to-day ministries and fills in to preach when needed, according to the church’s announcement.“We have the founding pastor being able to continue to preach as long as the Lord would have, and I can have a season as a senior pastor taking responsibility for the staff and caring for them and the ministry direction of the church at large,” said Murphy, who has been a guest preacher at Stonebriar and serves on the board for Swindoll’s long-running radio ministry Insight for Living.The two have been preparing ...Continue reading...

Greetings, my freedom loving Americans! Welcome to 2024?! While you think I might be wrong about celebrating a new year, I’m very concerned by the ‘opportunities’ the US government, our States, and our local areas will use in 2024 to advance the SDGs (Sustainable Development...

When I decided to share a few thoughts about our Lord’s suffering on Calvary, in addition to His physical trauma and pain … I thought the Old Testament would be the “seedbed” of my thoughts. But I’m learning that the New Testament too focuses on this part of Jesus’ Cross! Here’s part of what I […]

We should all look forward to the day when churches of all sizes are able to gather again.As of today, the CDC has recommended that all gatherings of 50 or more people should be canceled for the next 8 weeks.Small church win, right?Wrong.No one wins in this.No “I told you so’s”As a long-time proponent of the value of small churches, you might think I’m tempted to issue an “I told you so” about small churches being better than big churches.I’m not going to do that.Because it’s not true.We Need Churches Of Every SizeI’ve never told anyone that small churches are better than big churches. I’ve never even hinted at it.In fact I’ve repeatedly stated that small churches are not better than big churches, and big churches are not better than small churches.As I’ve always said, the body of Christ needs churches of every size. That is especially true now. We need the resources of big churches and the relational pastoral voice of small churches.One ChurchIt’s a difficult time for everyone.That is why, now more than ever, we must show the world a united front.Even while we can’t gather together for church, we must band together as the church. Big churches, small churches and the people we all serve.Loving Our NeighborsThe CDC is giving us wise counsel in these recommendations about group size.Even if you’re able-bodied and unlikely to be in danger, following these rules is the best way to minimize the likelihood of passing this illness to those who are more vulnerable than you.It’s simply “love your neighbor” in a different form than we’re used to seeing it.Be The ChurchI look forward to the day when large churches are able to gather again.I will celebrate that with them.Until then, I will pray that my fellow ...Continue reading...

While necessary right now and important in the future, we can't close our eyes to the downsides of online church.It’s a whole new ballgame.In a matter of just a few weeks, churches all around the world have a new standard for measuring ministry success.And I’m trying not to be cynical about it.So here’s my best shot at a non-cynical (but certainly skeptical) take on this.What’s Good About Online ChurchI’m grateful every time I hear that a church now has as many or more people watching their online services than they had attending their in-person services.Better that than a drop-off of numbers, for sure.But let’s be honest about what’s happening here.Recently, there’s been a lot of helpful information about how engagement is a better metric than attendance. I fully agree with that assessment.But if engagement is a better metric than attendance, eyeballs on a screen is a worse one. At-home viewers are far less engaged than bodies in the room ever were.Online And DistractedWe all know how online viewing goes.We watch while we’re cooking, eating, chatting, Tweeting and working out.Even if we lay all of that aside, people who sit at home and watch a screen are far less engaged in the experience than when they were in the room together.An Incomplete MetricObviously, that’s all we have right now. And I’m truly grateful we have it.Even when we’re able to meet together again, keeping an online presence will be an important way to reach new people and keep connected with absent members.But.Let’s be careful not to replace one incomplete, even unreliable metric (attendance) with one that’s even less reliable (online viewership).Online church is here to stay. Our congregation does it, and we’ve learned how to do it even better because of the necessity of this ...Continue reading...

A lot of people in positions of leadership are working hard to fight off feelings of helplessness right now.This is harder than I expected.No, I’m not sick. And none of my loved ones are. So, for those of you who are sick or who are dealing with the illness or (God forbid) the death of a loved one, I cannot imagine your burden.But even for those of us who are simply being asked to stay home, this is proving hard in some unexpected ways.If you’re in a position of leadership, your feelings may be very confusing right now. Even erratic.Not What We ExpectedI’m used to knowing what to do. And helping others know what to do.If you had told me a month ago that I’d be sitting at home for weeks without feeling sick or having anywhere to be, I’d have thought “Wow! I’m going to get so much done! I’ll have a rough draft of that new book knocked down! I’ll start a new podcast, and who knows what else!”But I’m not. Not to the degree I expected, that’s for sure.Barely Hanging OnSome days it feels like I’m barely hanging on, myself.But I feel a responsibility to lead. To help. To bless others.In fact, I don’t just feel that responsibility, I have that responsibility.And yet, how do I do that when each day feels like it runs past me in bits and pieces? Barely able to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time?Give Yourself A BreakI know I’m not alone in feeling this.Right now there are a lot of people in positions of leadership with similar feelings of helplessness.So, in the few minutes I can concentrate long enough to write this, let me offer a short word of hope.Give yourself a break. I plan to.Slow down.Don’t push.Relax.Stay healthy first.It’s okay if you don’t have the answers right now. None of us have clear answers ...Continue reading...

I’m loving this time in my life. Reality has sunk in. Cynical? Nah. Seeing more clearly? Yeah. During my first fifty years my heroes were fictitious characters with real names; created by biographers, themselves or my rose colored eye sight. Today my heroes are real people who live, struggle, fall down, and get back up. […]The post Heroes appeared first on Mom's Blog.

I’m thrilled to announce my latest book, What the Qur’an Really Teaches About Jesus. For a limited time, I’m offering signed copies of the book. Watch this 5-minute video to learn more. Why This Book? In just 10 years, Islam has grown by 160% in the US. Internationally, Islam is quickly become the geopolitical issue […]