July 7, 2026
A Time for Everything
Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us time is precious, non-renewable, and given by God. Every season offers an opportunity to live wisely and prepare for eternity.
Articles for tag: Augustine
THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘When Christians Disagree’ (1957)
Dr. Henry E. Webb wrote in 1957: "A necessary condition for the success of any approach to Christian unity is the development of a satisfactory concept of Christian liberty—one that recognizes the right of another person to exercise his sincere mental and spiritual faculties with the freedom we demand for ourselves. . . ."
December 25, 2019
Book Review: ‘What Made Jesus Mad?’
Reviewed by Caleb Kaltenbach Tim Harlow excels in ministry leadership. He serves a growing church—Parkview Christian in Chicagoland has gone from 150 to 10,000-plus—mentors countless people, and encourages fellow senior ministers. He has served as president of the North American Christian Convention and authored Life on Mission: God’s People Finding God’s Heart for the World. And he’s done all of this—plus earned a doctorate—while loving his family and displaying courage, humility, and a sense of humor. However, if Harlow were asked what he’s most proud of in his ministry (besides his family), my guess is he’d say, “Leading a church
March 22, 2017
The Weight of What We Love
By Jim Tune We carry a lot of extra weight with us. No, I”m not talking about the extra pounds around our middle. I”m thinking of our loves. Augustine once described wealth as a weight. “My weight is my love,” he wrote. “Wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me.” This makes sense. We all want money, but we recognize that those who love money must worry about how to accumulate, protect, and manage it. James K. A. Smith helps us understand what Augustine meant. “Our orienting loves are like a kind of gravity””carrying us in the direction to
September 4, 2015
Thoughts on Play
By Ben Cachiaras The words play and important don”t seem like they go together. But I think they do. Playing is important. I know that sounds funny coming from a “grown-up.” That”s because we”re conditioned to think of play as childish, a frivolous waste of time that could be better spent on something more productive and useful and, well, important. Christians especially seem attached to seriousness and hurry, both stern enemies of play. We tend to honor busy heroes who are productive for God. The result is a life that leaves little room for rest and play, imagination and creativity.
January 6, 2014
Fighting Against “˜the Death of Hope”
By Neal Windham Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire William T. Cavanaugh Wm. B. Eerdman”s Publishing Company, 2008 The United States has one of the lowest savings rates of any wealthy country, and we are the most indebted society in history. What really characterizes consumer culture is not attachment to things but detachment. People do not hoard money; they spend it. So warns William Cavanaugh in his book, Being Consumed (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008). Cavanaugh published these words at the beginning of the Great Recession, just as millions of baby boomers were readying to settle into their 401(k) lives. Having
Abundant Solitude
By Tony Twist He saw strangers coming toward his home. Years of persecutions had sensitized him to the schemes and seductions of the enemy, and alarm bells were ringing in his head. He quickly put his most precious possessions, his wife and two young daughters, in the hiding place. Sure enough, the men burst into the house looking for his girls (ages 9 and 11). Their intention was to gang rape, traumatize, and dishonor them so they would never have Christian children. For the radical Muslim leaders fighting “infidels,” this was a calculation of war. For our student, it would have been a devastation of his family. We now have almost 100
October 14, 2011
Savoring the Conversations
By Jan Johnson People talk about having a “personal relationship” with Jesus. In fact, if you use the word religion, some will correct you and say that they have a “relationship, not religion.” And relationship is the right word because God is not an impersonal hovering mist or cosmic cloud, but a relational being who created us and desperately wants to be with us and interact with us. How does relationship work? The nature of a relationship””if it”s a good one””is typically conversational. Beings in relationship talk together, work alongside each other, and develop the “same mind” about things. That”s
The Fasting Track: Sixteen Great Reasons to Fast
Victor M. Parachin offers 16 reasons fasting remains a meaningful spiritual discipline, connecting prayer, compassion, self-denial, generosity, and renewal with the example of Scripture and Christian history.
February 1, 2009
War . . . What Is It Good For? (Part 1)
Karen J. Diefendorf introduces Christian just war tradition, asking how believers should think about military force, neighbor love, moral restraint, and the church’s voice in public debate.
April 6, 2008
When Our Prayer Requests Are Not Granted (Part 2)
Why doesn’t God grant every prayer request? H. Lynn Gardner explores biblical reasons prayers go unanswered, the role of sin and selfish motives, and how believers can trust God’s wisdom and keep praying with Christlike humility.
January 20, 2008
What About War?
Christian involvement in war: conscience, Scripture, and the tragic view of life A longtime question haunts the author: how Christians should think about war when Scripture, church history, and human suffering all pull in different directions. The article traces poetry, biblical warfare texts, the just war tradition, and personal experience toward a “tragic view of life” that resists easy answers. The author wrestles with the irony of war and the challenge of God’s participation in biblical conquest. Church history shows shifting Christian positions—from early opposition to later “just war” frameworks. Personal stakes come into view with the deployment of the
November 19, 2006
Does God Know the Word ‘Perhaps’? (Part 1)
A child’s question—does God know the word “perhaps”?—opens a thoughtful look at divine foreknowledge. This article contrasts classical theism with open theism’s claim that the future includes genuine contingencies.
