Select an article Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 1 "Art, Culture and Missional Evangelization" "Joy to the World! The Lord Has Come" "True Faith: Absolute Dependence" "Whatever Happened to Good Sermons?" 24: Some Reflections on Heaven's Rule Prompted by a Television Series A Lesson from Burkina Faso for American Evangelicals A New/Old Understanding of Divine Power A New/Old Understanding of Mission (Part Four in a Series) A Portrait of Christian Unity A Soul Friend and My Journey to Catholicity A Whole Lot of Assuming Is Going On A World Marked By the Love of God A Year-End Appeal for ACT 3 America's Civil Religion from the Civil War to Today America: “A City on a Hill” America’s Civil Religion on the Eve of the Civil War America’s Moral Decline and the Role of the Jeremiad An Evening with Francis Cardinal George in Chicago Are We Ready to Be Apologists in a Brave New World? Be Prepared: The Necessity of Christian Apologetics Believers Dying in the Desert Believers Living in the Desert Beyond the Gates of Splendor: The Meaning of Biblical Faith Can Good Worldview Thinking Make a Comeback? Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 2 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 3 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 4 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 5 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 6 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Mission? Christian Priorities in the Struggle for Human Rights Christmas as a Christian Holy Day: Why Secularists Have Successfully Attacked It Christ’s Mission Compels Us to Reform Church Next: Christ at the Center Civil Religion and the “Christian Right” Coming to the Eucharist as God’s Gift Confessing the Faith Faithfully in a Time of Confusion Constructing a Theology of Divine Providence Discipleship and the Mission of Jesus (Part Three in a Series) Do Not Put the Spirit’s Flame Out (Part Five in a Series) Does One Word Really Impact the Doctrine of God? Doing Apologetics in the New Context E. Stanley Jones and the Question of Authority Reconsidered Engaging in Missional Apologetics Equipping Church Leadership for an Emerging Generation Equipping Leaders for Unity in Mission: The Campaign for ACT 3 Equipping Lives for the Ministry of the Gospel, Part 1 Equipping Lives for the Ministry of the Gospel, Part 2 Equipping Lives for the Ministry of the Gospel, Part 3 Evil and the Triumph of God Explaining Some of Our Historical Changes in Method and Ministry Finding True Wisdom Fundamentalism and the Renewal of the Church God’s Nature and Character Revealed How a Deeply Conservative Christian Discovered the Catholic Church How Can One Believe in the Face of the Holocaust? How Reductionism Impacts Evangelism How the Filioque Impacts the Way We Live How the Gay Marriage Agenda Can Still Succeed How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part Five How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part Four How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part One How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part Three How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part Two How the Spirit Disturbs the Disciples of Jesus, Part One (Part Six in a Series) How the Spirit Disturbs the Disciples of Jesus, Part Two (Part Seven in a Series) How to Understand America’s Origins How You Can Get Involved with ACT 3 Human Rights and Missional-Ecumenism Human Rights: What and Why? Humility: One of the Greatest Rarities of Our Time, Part 1 Humility: One of the Greatest Rarities of Our Time, Part 2 I Believe in One Church If Jesus is Lord Then Why Does Evil Increase? Is the Church Sleeping Through the Death of Christendom? Is the Past the Model for the Future? Is There a New Evangelical Orthodoxy? Jesus, the Crucified, Reigns: Part One Jesus, the Crucified, Reigns: Part Two Keeping Christ Primary: Still the Church’s Greatest Task Leadership That Makes Real Disciples (Number Sixteen in a Series on Discipleship) Leadership That Makes Real Disciples, Part Three (Number Eighteen in a Series on Discipleship) Leadership That Makes Real Disciples, Part Two (Number Seventeen in a Series on Discipleship) Leaning into Some Questions, Losing Some of My Answers Leaning into Some Questions, Losing Some of My Answers Learning How to Share a Vision and Finance a Mission Learning to Do Theology as a Tapestry Learning to Live Wisely Learning to Live with Chronic Illness: A Journey in Faith Let No Doubt Stand in Your Way Lift High the Cross of Christ Living as Missional Christians in a Modern Diaspora Lost in Translation Love is the Center Modern Apologetics: Learning to Paint More Questions About Your Church Is Too Small Part Three More Questions About Your Church Is Too Small Part Two My Journey and Our Financial Need My Vision and a Personal Appeal for ACT 3 New Covenant People & the Present Order New Evidence and New Hope for Treating a Chronic Illness On Walking Through the Valley: Reflections on the Recent Death of My Mother Our Greatest Apologetic Partisan Political Engagement in the Church Pascal's Wager: Not the Proof of God but the Way of Wisdom Pascal: "The Wager" and the Modern Context Positive Affirmations Are Genuinely Powerful Preaching and Hearing Good Sermons Protestant Church Splits and the Ongoing Homosexual Debate Questions & Answers: Part One Questions & Answers: Part Three Questions & Answers: Part Two Reason, Rationalism and Waterbuffalo Theology Recovering Real Wisdom in an Age Gone Mad Reflections on Late Mid-Life Rightly Recognizing God as Trinity, Part 1 Rightly Recognizing God as Trinity, Part 2 Rightly Recognizing God as Trinity, Part 3 Rightly Recognizing God as Trinity, Part 4 Searching for Meaning as Christ’s Disciples Part 2 Sexuality and the Lord’s Supper: Part One Sexuality and the Lord’s Supper: Part Two Some Questions on the Book Your Church Is Too Small The "Real" Christian Debate Continues, Part One The "Real" Christian Debate Continues, Part Two The ACT 3 Story: Advent 2009 The Cause and Cure of Poverty The Central Importance of the Reign of God and the Difference It Makes, Part 1 The Central Importance of the Reign of God and the Difference It Makes, Part 2 The Chosen Nation: What Should We Make of America’s Identity? The Christian Relationship Between Theology & Human Rights The Church as Many and One The Criticism of Pascal's Apologetics The Dangers Inherent in Getting Divine Providence Wrong The Difference Wisdom Makes The Disciple of Jesus Must Learn to Ask the Right Questions (Number Nine of a Series on Discipleship The Divided Church and Our Sense of Oneness The Ethic of Reciprocity The Faith of Epiphany The Filioque: Does the Debate Really Matter? The Four Classical Marks of the Church, Part 1 The Four Classical Marks of the Church, Part 2 The Greatest Gift My Mother Gave to Me The Impressive Contributions of the Early Church to Human Rights The Jesus Prayer for Christian Unity The Lessons of Job The Life and Legacy of Jerry Falwell: R.I.P. The Limitations of Our Ability to Speak of God The Limits of Our Christian Language (Number Eight in a Series on Discipleship) The Mission of ACT 3 The Modern Prayer Movement The Nature of Divine Power The New Evangelical Role in the Public Square, Part 1 The New Evangelical Role in the Public Square, Part 2 The New Political Year Ahead The Postmodern Context and Apologetics The Postmodern Turn: Is it Antithetical to Christian Faith? The President’s Report 2008 The Problem of Belief, Part One The Problem of Belief, Part Two The Problem of Evangelical Tribalism The Problem with Labels The Proper Basis for True Christian Faith The Providence of God The Real Challenge of Christian Discipleship The Reason for Apologetics The Reign of God and the Parables of Jesus: Getting the Story Right, Part 1 The Reign of God and the Parables of Jesus: Getting the Story Right, Part 2 The Right to Religious Freedom: Understanding & Defending Human Rights The Role of Love & Justice in Human Rights The Root and Fruit of American Civil Religion The Sad Fall of Ted Haggard: The Stain That Stays The Significance of Imagination, Part Four (Number Fourteen in a Series on Discipleship) The Significance of Imagination, Part One (Number Eleven of a Series on Discipleship) The Significance of Imagination, Part Three (Number Thirteen in a Series on Discipleship) The Significance of Imagination, Part Two (Number Twelve of a Series on Discipleship) The Significance of Vision, Strategy & Structure (Number Fifteen in a Series on Discipleship) The Transfiguration The Truth War: A Response from ACT 3 The Ultimate Gift: A Delightful Movie The Unity Jesus Actually Prays for in John 17 The Value of Proper Worldview Thinking: Restoring the Christian View of Grace and Nature The Weakness of God Is Stronger Than Human Strength The Worldview Debate: Are You a Scribe or a Real Disciple? True Faith Does Not Necessarily Equate with a “Christian” Worldview Two Negative Reactions to Be Avoided in Human Rights Understanding and Confessing the Reformed Faith in Our Time Understanding Grace and Rewards Biblically Using the Concept of Worldview Well We Are Relational Beings Who Must Love and Be Loved Weeping in the Desert What Constitutes a True Church? - Part 1 What Constitutes a True Church? - Part 2 What Does it Mean to Bear the Cross? Part 1 What Does it Mean to Bear the Cross? Part 2 What Is an Evangelical Roman Catholic? What Kind of Fruit Does Your Church Produce? What Kind of Teaching Makes True Disciples? What Was Jesus Doing? What We Really Need Is Wisdom When Discipleship Becomes Creative (Number Ten of a Series on Discipleship) When Leaders Differ Why Being an Evangelical Catholic Matters Why Christians Ought to Make a Difference in the Marketplace Why Does It Matter If We Pursue Unity? Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 1 Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 2 Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 3 Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 4 Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 5 Why Lent? Why Seek to Advance Tradition? Why Some Christians Love Conspiracy Theories Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future Why Worldview Thinking is Misused By So Many Modern Christians “A Great Lesson in Character” “A Prayer for the PCA with Hope That It Will Thrive in the Next Generation” “Abraham Kuyper and Transformission Christianity” “Did Namoi Wolf Really See Jesus?” “Evangelical or Mystic, or Evangelical Mystic?” “Few Things Reveal the Condition of Your Heart Like Money” “Financing Our Vision” “Flip-flopping: When Is It OK to Change Your Mind?” “God Opposes the Proud” “God’s Calling and Our Daily Work” “How We Grow in Theological Understanding” “Learning to Listen to the Voice of God” “On Hearing John R. Stott” “Popular Misuses of the Reformation Idea of Sola Scriptura” “Single Mothers and America’s Future” “The End of the Spear, or How Evil Worked for Great Good” “The Importance of the Great Tradition for Renewing the Church” “The Mystical Element in True Faith” “The Place of Faith in Knowing God” “The Place of Patrology in Church Renewal” “The Role of Miracles in Ancient Christianity” “True Evangelical Theology Should Be Modest Theology” “Two Career Marriages” “We Must Always Begin at the Beginning” “What Are You Trying to Prove? On Learning to Know Myself” “Why Advance Christian Tradition?” “Why Same-Sex Marriage Still Fails”
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Some Questions on the Book Your Church Is Too Small March 29, 2010 John H. Armstrong    ACT 3 Weekly March 29, 2010   Some Questions on the Book Your Church Is Too Small   John H. Armstrong   I mentioned last week the launch event for my new book. That event was held last Monday evening at the Billy Graham Center. I begin this week’s ACT 3 Weekly by thanking all of you who attended last Monday. I also want to thank all of you who prayed for this special evening, both near and far. Remember, the whole evening will be posted online soon.   All in all, this was one of the most memorable evenings of my life. Thanks to all of you who were, in one way or another, such a big part of it. Remember, the new site www.yourchurchistoosmall.com is the place to go to get regular information about the book and everything connected to it. New blogs on missional-ecumenism will be posted there and information about events and book signings will also appear. In addition, new 3-4 minute videos on various questions related to the book will appear each week for the foreseeable future. This is also the best way to order the book through the site which takes you to Amazon.com and allows ACT 3 to profit from the sale by 4-5% for each sale made in this way.   One of the major parts of promoting a book like this includes radio interviews. Because of the generous gift of several friends we were able to invest $10,000 in publicity for the book. This is, in reality, a small figure. If we had $50,000 we would have used it all. But this generous gift was really huge for us. It is being used in three specific ways.   To buy 1,000 books to get them into the hands of friends of ACT 3 and strategic key leaders across America. We are carefully, selectively locating and corresponding with networks of strategic leaders and thinkers. I am able to do this because of the great work of Dan Jones, my associate. Dan came on board in January and is working during this year without a salary from ACT 3. The whole story is simply one answer to prayer after another. One of my closest friends, who gives me advice from time-to-time, said: “John, God alone did this and he alone can get the praise for it!” I totally agree. Dan is developing the work of ACT 3 and the marketing of this book beyond anything I could have ever imagined. This is clear evidence to me that God intends to bless the book or he would never have provided this amazing resource to us. In effect, we got a gift of about over $60,000 to develop the vision of ACT 3 but only needed $10,000 in cash to do it.   We have contracted with a media firm to get me on major market city and national radio talk shows. We are aiming at three of the largest non-Christian talk shows in the industry as well as some major Catholic and Protestant radio talk and news programs. We will pay $90 for each program the media firm finds for us. We have contracted for 25 programs and if this proves to be successful we may do more. Most of these interviews will be done in April. We will keep you posted about these events via the Web site: www.yourchurchistoosmall.com. By the way, if you use face book we have a fan page for the book on face book.   We need some funding to package and ship the books we will send to leaders. The rest of our special gift is going to this effort, thus the total of $10,000 we put in our budget.   Questions, Questions, Questions   In preparing the media kit for radio interviews I had to prepare ten questions for talk show hosts to use when they interview me about this book. I want to share these questions with you and provide some answers that I hope will help you enter into the vision and purpose of Your Church Is Too Small.   Why did you write this book after nearly forty years in Christian ministry as a teacher and writer?   This book comes out of major changes in my life and vision that go all the way back to my childhood. In particular I became deeply aware of the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20-23 by preaching my final sermon as a pastor from this text back in May of 1992. This text so profoundly gripped my heart that God began to transform my thought process and later my vision for this mission.   Then, in 1995, while saying the Apostle’s Creed one Sunday I choked up on the words “one holy catholic church.” I realized that I was confessing more than I believed and lived as a Christian. I felt the Spirit asking me, “Do you really believe in one holy catholic church” and if so why doesn’t your life show it? My answers to this question drove me into the next phase of my life.   At that time I was deeply involved with a number of other ministries that did not share my excitement about the unity of all of Christ’s church. These ministries were especially not interested in those parts of the visible church that were not very conservative and truly Reformed. While my core beliefs did not change all that much the next few years put me in places where I had to address a deep faith question: “If you believe this message of John 17 why are you lacking in the courage to actually teach it and talk about it?” I began to meet Christians from every background and I began to fellowship with them joyfully. For a period of time I did not want to tell anyone about these new friendships out of deep fear. When I did begin to speak about them these fears were proven true. That is, by the way, one way to kill your fears. Go ahead and walk into them and get it over with. This choice cost me speaking engagements, friendships and money, a lot of money. By 2000 this mission had begun to undergo a change that was difficult to define and explain. I tried to do this well but I am sure, looking back, that I could have done much better.   About five years ago the people around me, and the board of this mission, began to get a sense of what all this meant for me and ACT 3. This is when we changed the name of the mission and began to openly teach this vision of unity in Christ’s mission as an essential core message of the New Testament. It was during this same period of time that the idea for this book was born. So for about five years I thought and worked on this one book. Never before had I spent so much time and energy on one book but it has been worth the entire effort now that the book is published. The mission of ACT 3 has put forward with clarity and vision thus the work that God has called us to do can be undertaken with great passion.   Your book makes a compelling argument that Christian divisions are never desirable. You argue that all Christians should work for unity with one another. Isn’t this a preposterous dream? How can it possibly happen in our divided and polarized world?   The dream is only preposterous if you lack the faith to believe that Christ can so work in his people that his prayer in John 17 is answered in his way and time. Because I believe in reformation and revival, and because I believe this prayer is in accord with God’s revealed will, I have no doubt about what God can do. I just do not know when or how he will do it.   I am sure, in terms of biblical eschatology, that all his people will be one when he returns. In the precise moment that we see the glorified Jesus we will be one church visibly. But could it be that God intends to heal our divisions before Christ comes? Could it be that he will grant some marvelous new outpouring of his Spirit and that this will bring about the missional-ecumenism vision that I present in my book?   I believe that as this age draws toward consummation in the coming again of Christ we shall see a growing approximation to what we see God promised. I therefore believe that we will see a growing hunger for what I call “relational oneness” that will sweep through the church across the planet. I also believe the Internet, and the social networking phenomenon, makes this possible in a way that we could never have imagined ten years ago. I am not saying the Internet is the whole key but I am saying that just as the printing press helped drive the Protestant Reformation forward so the Internet will drive missisonal-ecumenism.   How do you reconcile your message of unity with the rich diversity of viewpoints that we see in the various expressions of the Christian faith throughout America and the whole world?   This is really not difficult to answer. I write about “core orthodoxy” as being essential to vital, living Christian faith. One of the central truths I see in core orthodoxy is unity. How we could miss this I do not understand but we have assigned the doctrine of unity to the bin of “non-essential” teaching when Scripture clearly makes it central to our faith. The whole New Testament is about one Lord and one faith thus there can only be one church as a direct result of this oneness (cf. Ephesians 4).   Diversity is not our problem. Holding to different doctrinal perspectives, at least in many instances, is not really our problem either. Our differences can become a fertile ground for growth and mission if we properly address them. We do this when we become open, in the love of Christ, to listen to one another and learn from each other. This will require us to give up our prideful independence, which is the real problem that causes disunity in the first place.   Next Week: Three More Questions

	Select an article Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 1 "Art, Culture and Missional Evangelization" "Joy to the World! The Lord Has Come" "True Faith: Absolute Dependence" "Whatever Happened to Good Sermons?" 24: Some Reflections on Heaven's Rule Prompted by a Television Series A Lesson from Burkina Faso for American Evangelicals A New/Old Understanding of Divine Power A New/Old Understanding of Mission (Part Four in a Series) A Portrait of Christian Unity A Soul Friend and My Journey to Catholicity A Whole Lot of Assuming Is Going On A World Marked By the Love of God A Year-End Appeal for ACT 3 America's Civil Religion from the Civil War to Today America: “A City on a Hill” America’s Civil Religion on the Eve of the Civil War America’s Moral Decline and the Role of the Jeremiad An Evening with Francis Cardinal George in Chicago Are We Ready to Be Apologists in a Brave New World? Be Prepared: The Necessity of Christian Apologetics Believers Dying in the Desert Believers Living in the Desert Beyond the Gates of Splendor: The Meaning of Biblical Faith Can Good Worldview Thinking Make a Comeback? Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 2 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 3 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 4 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 5 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Experience? Part 6 Can We Recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in Our Mission? Christian Priorities in the Struggle for Human Rights Christmas as a Christian Holy Day: Why Secularists Have Successfully Attacked It Christ’s Mission Compels Us to Reform Church Next: Christ at the Center Civil Religion and the “Christian Right” Coming to the Eucharist as God’s Gift Confessing the Faith Faithfully in a Time of Confusion Constructing a Theology of Divine Providence Discipleship and the Mission of Jesus (Part Three in a Series) Do Not Put the Spirit’s Flame Out (Part Five in a Series) Does One Word Really Impact the Doctrine of God? Doing Apologetics in the New Context E. Stanley Jones and the Question of Authority Reconsidered Engaging in Missional Apologetics Equipping Church Leadership for an Emerging Generation Equipping Leaders for Unity in Mission: The Campaign for ACT 3 Equipping Lives for the Ministry of the Gospel, Part 1 Equipping Lives for the Ministry of the Gospel, Part 2 Equipping Lives for the Ministry of the Gospel, Part 3 Evil and the Triumph of God Explaining Some of Our Historical Changes in Method and Ministry Finding True Wisdom Fundamentalism and the Renewal of the Church God’s Nature and Character Revealed How a Deeply Conservative Christian Discovered the Catholic Church How Can One Believe in the Face of the Holocaust? How Reductionism Impacts Evangelism How the Filioque Impacts the Way We Live How the Gay Marriage Agenda Can Still Succeed How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part Five How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part Four How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part One How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part Three How the Gospel of the Kingdom Produces Missional Apologetics, Part Two How the Spirit Disturbs the Disciples of Jesus, Part One (Part Six in a Series) How the Spirit Disturbs the Disciples of Jesus, Part Two (Part Seven in a Series) How to Understand America’s Origins How You Can Get Involved with ACT 3 Human Rights and Missional-Ecumenism Human Rights: What and Why? Humility: One of the Greatest Rarities of Our Time, Part 1 Humility: One of the Greatest Rarities of Our Time, Part 2 I Believe in One Church If Jesus is Lord Then Why Does Evil Increase? Is the Church Sleeping Through the Death of Christendom? Is the Past the Model for the Future? Is There a New Evangelical Orthodoxy? Jesus, the Crucified, Reigns: Part One Jesus, the Crucified, Reigns: Part Two Keeping Christ Primary: Still the Church’s Greatest Task Leadership That Makes Real Disciples (Number Sixteen in a Series on Discipleship) Leadership That Makes Real Disciples, Part Three (Number Eighteen in a Series on Discipleship) Leadership That Makes Real Disciples, Part Two (Number Seventeen in a Series on Discipleship) Leaning into Some Questions, Losing Some of My Answers Leaning into Some Questions, Losing Some of My Answers Learning How to Share a Vision and Finance a Mission Learning to Do Theology as a Tapestry Learning to Live Wisely Learning to Live with Chronic Illness: A Journey in Faith Let No Doubt Stand in Your Way Lift High the Cross of Christ Living as Missional Christians in a Modern Diaspora Lost in Translation Love is the Center Modern Apologetics: Learning to Paint More Questions About Your Church Is Too Small Part Three More Questions About Your Church Is Too Small Part Two My Journey and Our Financial Need My Vision and a Personal Appeal for ACT 3 New Covenant People & the Present Order New Evidence and New Hope for Treating a Chronic Illness On Walking Through the Valley: Reflections on the Recent Death of My Mother Our Greatest Apologetic Partisan Political Engagement in the Church Pascal's Wager: Not the Proof of God but the Way of Wisdom Pascal: "The Wager" and the Modern Context Positive Affirmations Are Genuinely Powerful Preaching and Hearing Good Sermons Protestant Church Splits and the Ongoing Homosexual Debate Questions & Answers: Part One Questions & Answers: Part Three Questions & Answers: Part Two Reason, Rationalism and Waterbuffalo Theology Recovering Real Wisdom in an Age Gone Mad Reflections on Late Mid-Life Rightly Recognizing God as Trinity, Part 1 Rightly Recognizing God as Trinity, Part 2 Rightly Recognizing God as Trinity, Part 3 Rightly Recognizing God as Trinity, Part 4 Searching for Meaning as Christ’s Disciples Part 2 Sexuality and the Lord’s Supper: Part One Sexuality and the Lord’s Supper: Part Two Some Questions on the Book Your Church Is Too Small The "Real" Christian Debate Continues, Part One The "Real" Christian Debate Continues, Part Two The ACT 3 Story: Advent 2009 The Cause and Cure of Poverty The Central Importance of the Reign of God and the Difference It Makes, Part 1 The Central Importance of the Reign of God and the Difference It Makes, Part 2 The Chosen Nation: What Should We Make of America’s Identity? The Christian Relationship Between Theology & Human Rights The Church as Many and One The Criticism of Pascal's Apologetics The Dangers Inherent in Getting Divine Providence Wrong The Difference Wisdom Makes The Disciple of Jesus Must Learn to Ask the Right Questions (Number Nine of a Series on Discipleship The Divided Church and Our Sense of Oneness The Ethic of Reciprocity The Faith of Epiphany The Filioque: Does the Debate Really Matter? The Four Classical Marks of the Church, Part 1 The Four Classical Marks of the Church, Part 2 The Greatest Gift My Mother Gave to Me The Impressive Contributions of the Early Church to Human Rights The Jesus Prayer for Christian Unity The Lessons of Job The Life and Legacy of Jerry Falwell: R.I.P. The Limitations of Our Ability to Speak of God The Limits of Our Christian Language (Number Eight in a Series on Discipleship) The Mission of ACT 3 The Modern Prayer Movement The Nature of Divine Power The New Evangelical Role in the Public Square, Part 1 The New Evangelical Role in the Public Square, Part 2 The New Political Year Ahead The Postmodern Context and Apologetics The Postmodern Turn: Is it Antithetical to Christian Faith? The President’s Report 2008 The Problem of Belief, Part One The Problem of Belief, Part Two The Problem of Evangelical Tribalism The Problem with Labels The Proper Basis for True Christian Faith The Providence of God The Real Challenge of Christian Discipleship The Reason for Apologetics The Reign of God and the Parables of Jesus: Getting the Story Right, Part 1 The Reign of God and the Parables of Jesus: Getting the Story Right, Part 2 The Right to Religious Freedom: Understanding & Defending Human Rights The Role of Love & Justice in Human Rights The Root and Fruit of American Civil Religion The Sad Fall of Ted Haggard: The Stain That Stays The Significance of Imagination, Part Four (Number Fourteen in a Series on Discipleship) The Significance of Imagination, Part One (Number Eleven of a Series on Discipleship) The Significance of Imagination, Part Three (Number Thirteen in a Series on Discipleship) The Significance of Imagination, Part Two (Number Twelve of a Series on Discipleship) The Significance of Vision, Strategy & Structure (Number Fifteen in a Series on Discipleship) The Transfiguration The Truth War: A Response from ACT 3 The Ultimate Gift: A Delightful Movie The Unity Jesus Actually Prays for in John 17 The Value of Proper Worldview Thinking: Restoring the Christian View of Grace and Nature The Weakness of God Is Stronger Than Human Strength The Worldview Debate: Are You a Scribe or a Real Disciple? True Faith Does Not Necessarily Equate with a “Christian” Worldview Two Negative Reactions to Be Avoided in Human Rights Understanding and Confessing the Reformed Faith in Our Time Understanding Grace and Rewards Biblically Using the Concept of Worldview Well We Are Relational Beings Who Must Love and Be Loved Weeping in the Desert What Constitutes a True Church? - Part 1 What Constitutes a True Church? - Part 2 What Does it Mean to Bear the Cross? Part 1 What Does it Mean to Bear the Cross? Part 2 What Is an Evangelical Roman Catholic? What Kind of Fruit Does Your Church Produce? What Kind of Teaching Makes True Disciples? What Was Jesus Doing? What We Really Need Is Wisdom When Discipleship Becomes Creative (Number Ten of a Series on Discipleship) When Leaders Differ Why Being an Evangelical Catholic Matters Why Christians Ought to Make a Difference in the Marketplace Why Does It Matter If We Pursue Unity? Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 1 Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 2 Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 3 Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 4 Why I Believe in Renewing Mainline Churches, Part 5 Why Lent? Why Seek to Advance Tradition? Why Some Christians Love Conspiracy Theories Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future Why Worldview Thinking is Misused By So Many Modern Christians “A Great Lesson in Character” “A Prayer for the PCA with Hope That It Will Thrive in the Next Generation” “Abraham Kuyper and Transformission Christianity” “Did Namoi Wolf Really See Jesus?” “Evangelical or Mystic, or Evangelical Mystic?” “Few Things Reveal the Condition of Your Heart Like Money” “Financing Our Vision” “Flip-flopping: When Is It OK to Change Your Mind?” “God Opposes the Proud” “God’s Calling and Our Daily Work” “How We Grow in Theological Understanding” “Learning to Listen to the Voice of God” “On Hearing John R. Stott” “Popular Misuses of the Reformation Idea of Sola Scriptura” “Single Mothers and America’s Future” “The End of the Spear, or How Evil Worked for Great Good” “The Importance of the Great Tradition for Renewing the Church” “The Mystical Element in True Faith” “The Place of Faith in Knowing God” “The Place of Patrology in Church Renewal” “The Role of Miracles in Ancient Christianity” “True Evangelical Theology Should Be Modest Theology” “Two Career Marriages” “We Must Always Begin at the Beginning” “What Are You Trying to Prove? On Learning to Know Myself” “Why Advance Christian Tradition?” “Why Same-Sex Marriage Still Fails”

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