Practical Ministry

Why are millions of twenty-first century women drawn to a story about a rich man wooing, oppressing and humiliating a young, vulnerable woman? Don't we live in a day in which sexual assault on college campuses and domestic abuse by professional football players fills us with indignation? Ross Douthat explain this mystery: Viewed from one angle, the sexual revolution looks obviously egalitarian. It's about extending to everyone the liberties--the freedom to be promiscuous, to pursue sexual fulfillment without guilt--that were once available only to privileged cisgendered heterosexual males. … [Read more...] about Why the Attraction of “Fifty Shades of Grey”?

John Piper draws eight lessons learned from his partnering with Mark Driscoll. I think Pastor John is being too hard on himself when he expresses regret over not being a better friend to Driscoll. Piper's efforts were noble, sincere, and enduring, and anyone hearing this audio can tell that Piper's heart goes out to Mr. Driscoll in a desire to help him today. But I respectfully disagree with Pastor John's decision to have Driscoll speak at Desiring God national conferences in 2006 and 2008. It's not that I think it was wrong for Piper to befriend Driscoll--I was, and am, for that. … [Read more...] about John Piper Answers: Do You Regret Partnering with Mark Driscoll?

David Briggs, writing for the Huffington Post: Mothers and fathers who practice what they preach and preach what they practice are far and away the major influence related to adolescents keeping the faith into their 20s, according to new findings from a landmark study of youth and religion. Just 1 percent of teens ages 15 to 17 raised by parents who attached little importance to religion were highly religious in their mid-to-late 20s. In contrast, 82 percent of children raised by parents who talked about faith at home, attached great importance to their beliefs and were active in their … [Read more...] about The No. 1 Reason Teens Keeps the Faith as Young Adults

In an excellent article for election day, John Piper takes five points from 1 Cor. 7:29–31, applying each of them to voting. These are helpful reminders, especially for those of us who get absorbed with politics at this time of year. I've greatly summarized his commentary here--be sure to read the whole thing. 1. “Let those who have wives live as though they had none.” The outcomes of voting "do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don’t." 2. “Let those who mourn [do so] as though they were not mourning.” "We vote and we lose, … [Read more...] about How should we vote as Christians whose citizenship is ultimately in heaven?

Two excerpts from a recent article by Dr. Michael Horton: According to a 2013 survey by LifeWay Research, one-third of Americans agree that "prayer and Bible study alone can overcome serious mental illness." Nearly half (48 percent) of evangelicals agree. According to a 2008 Baylor study, 36 percent of church attendees with mental illness said that they were told by their leaders that it was the result of sin; 34 percent said they were told it was a demon; 41 percent were told they didn't have a mental illness; and 28 percent were even told to stop taking medication. … [Read more...] about How Should We Understand Mental Illness Through the Lens of Faith?