Dr Paul Allen

Andrew T Walker Given the state of our culture, what I’m about to say may sound incredibly counterintuitive—maybe even bordering on the absurd. Nonetheless, I am left with the conviction that at this present cultural moment, there has never been a better time to be a social conservative. Given the advanced state of moral debauchery in mainstream American institutions, how could I possibly say something like that? I can say that because truth finds a way to reassert itself when we learn what is false. And what is most patently false about the time we live is the belief that we can continue to sustain ourselves walking the same hollowed-out pathway that we’re currently continuing down. It’s impossible. When we look at the declining marriage rates, the rise of what we call the “loneliness epidemic,” the transgender madness transgressing the very limitations of reason and nature, the increase in suicidal ideation, and preborn human beings discarded as “medical waste,” we see the reality. 

In June 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can marry in all 50 states, setting off a flurry of reaction by Christians and virtually everyone else on social media and beyond. Ed Stetzer wrote a helpful background post to the shift in opinion that led to the decision and included links to a number of other leading articles in his post . The social media reaction ranged from surprising to predictable to disappointing to occasionally refreshing. I write from the perspective of a pastor of an evangelical church in a country where same sex-marriage has been the law of the land for a decade. That does not mean I hold any uniquely deep wisdom, but it does mean we’ve had a decade to process and pray over the issue. I hope what I offer can help. It’s my perspective. My fingers tremble at the keyboard because my goal is to help in the midst of a dialogue that seems far more divisive than it is uniting or constructive. There will be many who disagree with me, I’m sure, bu

Dore Bible Sermon on the Mount (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "The followers of Jesus are to different," writes John Stott , "different from both the nominal church and the secular world , different from both the religious and the irreligious.  The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture. Here is a Christian value -system, ethical standard , religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, lifestyle, and network of relationships—all of which are totally at variance with those in the non- Christian world .  And this Christian counter-culture is the life of the kingdom of God , a fully human life indeed but lived out under the divine rule ." Related articles Thoughts on Nigeria's National Conference: the masses, women & religious issues, etcetera - Tola Adenle Christians Must Reject Putin's Christianity Triumphal Entryism: A Secular Christian Sermon for Holy Week

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." (Rom. 3:10-12) Is it true that the natural man cannot do any good at all? Is this not something of an overstatement? The Westminster Confession of Faith, for example, reflects this point of view when it asserts: From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions. Are there not occasions when unbelievers show acts of kindness and self-sacrifice? Imagine, for a moment, writing a letter to one of the national newspapers in which you say, "Non-Christians have never done anything good." It would not be difficult to imagine the opprobrium that would result from such a statement. What, then, do Paul and the Westminster Confession mean when they collectively assert such a position? Ev

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Al Mohler. A recent letter to columnist Carolyn Hax of The Washington Post seemed straightforward enough. “I am a stay-at-home mother of four who has tried to raise my family under the same strong Christian values that I grew up with,” the woman writes. “Therefore I was shocked when my oldest daughter, ‘Emily,’ suddenly announced she had ‘given up believing in God’ and decided to ‘come out’ as an atheist.” The idea of a 16-year-old atheist in the house would be enough to alarm any Christian parent, and rightly so. The thought that a secular advice columnist for The Washington Post might be the source of help seems very odd, but desperation can surely lead a parent to seek help almost anywhere. You usually get what you expect from an advice columnist like this — therapeutic counsel based in a secular worldview and a deep commitment to personal autonomy. Carolyn Hax responds to this mother with an admonition to respect th

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A recent letter to columnist Carolyn Hax of  The Washington Post  seemed straightforward enough. “I am a stay-at-home mother of four who has tried to raise my family under the same strong Christian values that I grew up with,” the woman writes. “Therefore I was shocked when my oldest daughter, ‘Emily,’ suddenly announced she had ‘given up believing in God ’ and decided to ‘come out’ as an atheist.” The idea of a 16-year-old atheist in the house would be enough to alarm any Christian parent, and rightly so. The thought that a secular advice columnist for  The Washington Post  might be the source of help seems very odd, but desperation can surely lead a parent to seek help almost anywhere. You usually get what you expect from an advice columnist like this — therapeutic counsel based in a secular worldview and a deep commitment to personal autonomy. Carolyn Hax responds to this mother with an admonition to respect the