Jessica Clark“Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.” As a child, it often seemed like this command was about attending church services and not doing certain things we did on other days of the week. But what does it mean to remember the Sabbath? Is...
Logos StaffIn this excerpt from Soul Rest, author Curtis Zackery describes a common struggle we all know: reverting back to the habits we’re trying to change. He explains how keeping the Sabbath isn’t simply about restraining from work, but about pursuing...
Steve RungeWe’re going to take a look at another passage found in all three Synoptic gospels recounting Jesus’s response to the Pharisees complaint about His disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath in violation of law. All three gospels have the...
Mark WardSome say—they insist—that James should be Jacob. This is because (and this is true) the English name James began its life as the Hebrew word yaaqov, what we know as Jacob. This name is introduced to us as some kind of pun in Genesis 25:26. Jacob was...
Wyatt GrahamTranshumanism is the Nietzschean vision of man reframed through modern science. It sublates human limits by negating aspects of our finitude, preserving select features of humanity, and projecting them into a higher, newly imagined form. It thereby...
Steve AuldEarly in my ministry, I stumbled upon this little parable of two woodcutters. It goes something like this: Two wood cutters decided to hold a competition to see who could chop more wood in a day. The rules were simple. The next day they would chop...
Thomas BoehmHanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) is a Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the second century BCE. In this article, we’ll look at the history of...
Alan NobleFor many university and seminary students, the excitement of a new semester is only overcome by the anxiety of a new semester. Learning is a privilege and a joy, but too often it is experienced as a burden and a judgment.
Christy ChermakI have the immense privilege of leading Watermark Health, an evangelism outreach ministry in Dallas. In any given year, we have the opportunity to share the gospel and provide acute, prenatal, and dental care to the uninsured in our city. We often...
Denis KaiserDespite its large numbers and significant contributions to society, many people have never heard of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It appears few outside of Seventh-day Adventists know much about them. Or if they know something, it is usually...
Matthew EverhardIt might seem strange—and even boring—to name a Christian denomination after a system of church government, but that is exactly what we have in Presbyterianism. Besides, the Episcopalians have done the same thing! As a matter of fact, setting...
Casey BedellIf you are someone who is currently planting a church or interested in church planting, the work, as you know, is daunting. According to Pinetops Foundation church planting is near an all-time low in American history. Based on their research there...
Mark BriansOn the night of His betrayal, Jesus knew that the Father had given him all things into his hands. This biblical phrase signifies dominion and power, yet Jesus chose to use this authority not for revenge or domination, but for acts of...
Jonathan LeemanSeveral years ago, a pastor friend became convinced that, when leading the Supper, he should fence the Table, which refers to the practice of saying who should and should not receive communion. I offer the vignette to raise the question of spiritual...
Alastair RobertsTo many, an emphasis on liturgy might seem to be more of a liability than a support for ethics. Admittedly, the relationship between liturgy and ethics can easily be framed negatively. Citing passages from the prophets such as Amos 5 or Isaiah 1...
Kirk E. MillerHow should we understand the Bible’s Creation story in Genesis 1? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by Vern Poythress to explore the genre, interpretation, and theological intent of Genesis 1:1–2:3. They discuss various...
Karen EngleFinding appropriate Mother’s Day sermon ideas isn’t always easy. Let’s face it—Mother’s Day can be a tricky day to preach on. The pastor-preacher has to stand in front of a congregation and find something special to say to connect with the hearts of...
Charlie TrimmWhat does the Bible say about immigrants? What does it mean to be a sojourner? What are the most important verses on this topic?
Blake AdamsFor Catholics, Orthodox, and many Protestants, Holy Week is the most sacred time of the year. Traditionally, it is more important than Christmas, as it focuses on the central event of the gospel: the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the way it...
Guy WatersOne of the best known and most comforting statements of Jesus is also one of his most enigmatic. What is it that Jesus holds out? Why do people need to receive what he offers? What incentives does he give to us to receive it?
Christopher KouIt’s Monday. You wake up to another week. Yesterday was Sunday, but you missed church again for a pressing work project. Maybe on break you caught a recorded sermon, which you now find difficult to remember. At least you got in some football viewing...
Chandler WileyFasting was a popular religious practice in the time of Jesus. In fact, Mark 2 shows us that when Jesus and his disciples feasted instead of fasting, they drew some questioning looks. How could such a great religious teacher not take part in such a...
Michael HortonEvangelicals have long contributed highly-respected works to biblical scholarship. Evangelicals have also earned considerable respect in the philosophical guild. Much of this labor has been spent on apologetics, which has raised the bar on Christian...
Christian feast days—what are they? Far from being a strange and sour corruption from the late middle ages, the feast days of the church—or what is called the liturgical calendar—offer Christians a gospel-centered way of walking through the year...
Some describe the Gospels as accounts of Jesus’s death with really long introductions. Statements like this can downplay the bulk of the Gospels’ narratives, as though Jesus’s death were the only point of importance and everything else is just...
Michael A.G. Azad HaykinBaptists comprise one of the largest denominational bodies in the Christian world. But what do Baptists believe? In this article, we’ll seek to answer that question, first, by exploring Baptist origins in the renewal movement of Puritanism...
Michael F. BirdIs Christianity a servile and womanish religion? It is somewhat ironic that today people sometimes dismiss Christianity as too patriarchal, whereas the ancient Romans reviled the churches as too womanish. They accused Christianity of being for the...
Portia CollinsI vividly remember the days of my youth living in Mississippi. On bright summers days, my friends and I spent a lot of time outside. We’d compare our shadows as the blazing sun hit our backs. We’d run, jump, and flail our arms, watching our shadows...
Many are familiar with the stories of multiplication in Scripture. For instance, God takes the very small stores of the widow of Zarephath and multiplies them, making them last miraculously until the end of the drought.
Peter KrolIf you search your Bible for the phrase Bible study, you won't find it. A big part of the problem is that the word Bible never occurs in most English Bibles. Even if you search for just the word study, you won’t find quite what you’re looking for...