Exploring Faith and Spirituality

Religion

Pastors, How Do We Guard Against Assuming the Worst?

You’re in the church lobby on Sunday morning when a woman in her mid to late 30s walks in for the first time. You welcome her, show her where the coffee is, and give her a first-time-guest gift. Yo...

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On My Shelf: Life and Books with Mark Sayers

On My Shelf helps you get to know various writers through a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives as readers. I asked Mark Sayers—author of Platforms to Pillars: Trading the Burden of Perform...

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Go to Church to Discover Your Identity

Learning about athletes’ early years is always fascinating. How did they get where they are? What set them apart? If I’d taken a different path, could I have become an Olympic shot-putter? Doubtful...

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‘Night and Day Difference’: The Growth of Good Publishing in Egypt

Over the past year or so, I’ve been noticing a pattern in the international stories I cover—wherever there’s a gospel-centered movement, there’s a new and growing Reformed book publisher. This is t...

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Don’t Skip Leg Day or the Lord’s Day

The deck is stacked against us. Labor-saving gadgets, electronic entertainment, and an information economy encourage us to value our minds more than our bodies. Even Christians with an orthodox the...

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Christ Revealed in Glory (2 Thess. 1)

In this lecture, Don Carson explores 2 Thessalonians 1, highlighting the centrality of Christ in the believer’s life. Carson unpacks how the Thessalonians’ faith and love amid persecution reveal Go...

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A Theological Vision for Discipling the Next Generation

When I planted Coram Deo in Omaha 20 years ago, our approach to children’s ministry was admittedly haphazard. With a small congregation mostly in their 20s and only about 10 children younger than 5...

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Your Soul Needs the Song of Solomon

I want you to rethink the Song of Solomon (often called the Song of Songs), or at least expand your understanding, application, and appreciation of the Song to your spirituality. Your soul, and not...

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The Gospel Isn’t Accessible If Your Church Isn’t

One of the first times I recall feeling friction between the church and disability was talking with the mother of two boys with severe disabilities. I was in their living room speaking with their m...

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Polemic Theology: How to Deal with Those Who Differ from Us

It seems strange that one should desire to speak at all about polemic theology, since we are now in an age when folks are more interested in ecumenism and irenics than in polemics. Furthermore, pol...

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Halal Love vs Infatuation – How to Know if it’s Real Before Marriage

When Your Heart Says “Yes” but You’re Not Sure Why You’re scrolling through your phone, re-reading that sweet message for the third time. Butterflies? Check. Obsessive thoughts? Check. Dreams of ...

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Devotional practices are core to world religions – and fan culture – but they are no longer for me | Jackie Bailey

The ‘power of love’, as Celine Dion sang, keeps devotion at the centre of worship. Now that I’ve left behind institutional religion, it feels blasphemous• Making sense of it is a column about spiri...

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You Don’t Need Another Prayer Technique

I thought index cards would solve everything. I’d been limping along in my prayer life, but I wanted to run strong and swift like George Müller and other saints renowned for their dependence on Go...

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What Herman Bavinck Taught Me About Modern Medicine

I’ve worked as a physician for more than 30 years. As much as I love my job (you won’t find a happier doctor!), over the years, I began to sense a gnawing uneasiness about my profession as a whole....

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Why Everyone Knowing Everything About You Can Be a Good Thing

Nothing is hidden in our world today. All your data—all the silly, sweet, and sinful things you’ve ever searched or said—is stored in the “clouds.” But it’s also stored on the earth. It’s recorded...

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‘Has It All Been Worth It?’: Remembering the Life of Helen Roseveare

Reading missionary biographies has been an important part of my spiritual formation. In the hierarchy of recommended spiritual disciplines, reading biographies often doesn’t rank as highly as consi...

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What Is Covenant Theology?

Christians often hear and use the term “covenant theology,” but some may not know all it entails. The term is an iceberg that floats above the surface of the water with a large mass of ice hidden b...

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The Apostle Paul’s Principles for Digital Discipleship

A church planter moves cross-country to establish a new congregation, leaving behind the mentor who has guided him for three years. A college student heads to graduate school in another state, unce...

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How I Saw Esau in 3 Dimensions

If biblical theology were a dinner guest, you might expect it to arrive in a three-piece suit, sport a full beard, and speak with a Dutch accent. Whether we’re thinking about Geerhardus Vos’s semin...

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Why Can We Trust the Bible?

Melissa Kruger and Courtney Doctor talk with Vanessa Hawkins about the Bible’s trustworthiness. They discuss why things like apparent inconsistencies and many different authors can actually point t...

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Christian Athlete, Do You Know Your #AO1?

Scroll through any Christian athlete’s social media and you’ll likely see #AO1. Whether playing in front of 5 or 50,000, Christian athletes have been encouraged for decades to play for an “Audience...

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