Dr Paul Allen

According to Pastor Andy Stanley, Dr. Al Mohler’s “version of Christianity draws lines, and Jesus drew circles. He drew circles so large and included so many people in His circle that it consistently made religious leaders nervous. And His circle was big enough to include sinners like me, and I come from a long line of sinners like me.” Yes, “On one occasion, Jesus said, ‘Come to Me, all weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. You will find rest for your souls. All. That’s a big circle. That’s the invitation of our Savior. That’s the invitation of our church.” Indeed, as a church, Pastor Stanley stated, “We decided 28 years ago, we draw circles, we don’t draw lines, we draw big circles.” The truth is that Jesus drew both circles and lines and if we don’t do both, we hurt those we are called to help. On the one hand, God’s love, expressed in Jesus, is massive beyond words. Jesus died for our sins. He took the punishment for our guilt. He was pronounced guilty so that we could be p

Larry Harwood. I remember teaching a university church history course when an astute student remarked that in times of cultural change, history “gallops” in a way noticeably different from its usual snail’s pace. The strident and swift changes brought to American culture recently are noticeable symptoms of aggressive and visible secularism that seeks to undermine traditional orthodox Christianity. Not long ago, most Americans were proud of their Christian religious heritage in a way that set them apart from the rest of the world. However, secular critics now seem emboldened in directing new energy to unravel this Christian cultural fabric. Such is the theme of Albert Mohler’s new book, entitled The Gathering Storm: Secularism, Culture, and the Church (Nelson Books, 2020). No stranger to the reality of encroaching secularism, Dr. Mohler has already written a spate of previous books on the topic. He is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville, a position he ha

A fictional and emotionally destroyed Mack Phillips answers a mysterious invitation to a remote, isolated cabin. There he finds a trinity of fatherly love in a woman named "Papa" whose cohorts teach Phillips forgiveness and the faith to run on water -- literally. It's the synopsis of the movie "The Shack," based on William Paul Young 's New York Times bestseller and award-winning book by the same title, that some described as a biblically sound parable. And as with the 2007 controversial book that sold more than 20 million copies, others are criticizing the movie as a farce that serves to deeply distort rather than affirm biblical truths. This week in Australia every ACC church (Australian Christian Churches)  was sent a survey highlighting the movie which is to be released soon. Among critics of the film is Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. If the movie is anything like the book, he says, it is dangerous in its fa

A statement made by a professor at a leading evangelical college has become a flashpoint in a controversy that really matters. In explaining why she intended to wear a traditional Muslim hijab over the holiday season in order to symbolize solidarity with her Muslim neighbors, the professor asserted that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Is this true? The answer to that question depends upon a distinctly Christian and clearly biblical answer to yet another question: Can anyone truly worship the Father while rejecting the Son? The Christian’s answer to that question must follow the example of Christ. Jesus himself settled the question when he responded to Jewish leaders who confronted him after he had said “I am the light of the world.” When they denied him, Jesus said, “If you knew me, you would know my Father also” (John 8:19). Later in that same chapter, Jesus used some of the strongest language of his earthly ministry in stating clearly that to deny him is to deny t

The Battle for Godly Marriage (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I recently addressed a major national conference on “ The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage ” held by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention . As expected, the conference was one of the most responsible and edifying meetings yet held of Christians concerned about these issues. This is exactly what would be expected of the ERLC and its leadership. The conference was both helpful and historic. I had the honor of delivering the opening keynote address entitled “Aftermath: Ministering in a Post-Marriage Culture.” The full text of my address will be posted here shortly. Subsequent to the conference, it became clear that the vast coverage of the conference in the national press raised some issues that need to be considered further. One of these issues is sexual orientation . As I explained in my address, I had previously denied the existence of sexual orientation. I, along w