Dr Paul Allen

Inside American evangelicalism is a paradox: many of the most respected leaders use their influence to steer denominations and institutions in a direction that is significantly more liberal than the people those leaders ostensibly represent. There is no shortage of examples of this. Congregations who would reject critical race theory have CRT spoon-fed to them by their leaders. While those in the pew eschew the LGBTQ+ movement, some of the most influential evangelical pastors in the country are exposing their congregations to “affirming” curricula.  The ERLC provides a great illustration of this paradox. While the government closed churches and banned singing during COVID, the “religious liberty commission” of the Southern Baptist Convention commended court rulings siding with the government, which directly opposed the ERLC’s supposed mission and the will of many Southern Baptists. The Daily Wire’s Megan Basham wants us to know that it is not a coincidence that church leaders use t...

We’ve heard the endless cries of “Free Palestine!” in recent weeks, but there’s a variation on this theme that hits the nail on the head: “Free Palestine from Hamas!” It is true that the people of Gaza elected Hamas in 2006 and that, according to polling over the years, they continue to support Hamas. At the same time, they did not have a wide range of choices when they voted. As noted on Snopes.com, “The election saw a political split between the secular Fatah (a branch of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)) that dominated the PLO since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, and the Islamist Hamas that formed in 1987 as an offshoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.” So, it was Fatah (part of the PLO) vs. Hamas, the more secular vs. the more religious, with neither one being a genuine peace partner with Israel. In the end, Hamas only garnered 44 per cent of the vote but gained a majority of legislative seats, from which point it took over the government. Either way, however, they came to p...

In Luke 14:26, Jesus spoke some words that indeed captured the immediate attention of his hearers just as they do ours: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Shocking words. Words that may strike us as harsh on the surface. But what did he mean? SHOCKING WORDS. WORDS THAT MAY STRIKE US AS HARSH ON THE SURFACE. BUT WHAT DID HE MEAN? Jesus contended in the previous text that many who claim to desire to eat the kingdom feast are deceiving themselves. Now, as large crowds follow him, he turns to them and challenges them about what it means to be his disciple (cf. Luke 7:9; Luke 5:11; Luke 9:59–60; Luke 16:13; Luke 18:29–30). Those in the crowds cannot be Jesus’ disciples unless they hate family members: fathers, mothers, wives (cf. Luke 14:20), children, brothers, and sisters (cf. Deut. 33:9). The word “hate” is hyperbolic and stunning, arresting our attention...

Warren Buffett, nicknamed the Oracle of Omaha, is known as the world’s greatest investor. In 1950, at age 20, he had saved $9,400 (about $100k in today’s money). He set out to invest it, applying his long-term, value-based, focussed portfolio philosophy, which his author Robert Hagstrom termed “The Warren Buffett Way.”  Buffett increased his net worth to $62 billion, making him the richest person in the world. Nipping at his heels for that enviable title was the young Microsoft mogul, Bill Gates. The two richest men in the world were friends, with a friendly rivalry about their wealth. They were not competing to see who could have the most money. Instead, paradoxically, their rivalry was a race to give away money to worthy causes. Together the Buffett Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation were donating hundreds of millions and billions of dollars to a long list of charities, including the global eradication of polio, child vaccination efforts, HIV research, and neg...

The word of Christ dwells richly in the one who dwells in it long enough to discover its riches (Colossians  3:16 ). The Bible is the divine mine that contains the theological mother load. Any theology book based on it is only a small fraction of the Bible’s unquantifiable wealth. That’s why there will be no end to theological book publishing. The wonderful thing about this mine is that we often find treasure in unexpected places. God loves to lace and layer revelatory riches in what at first seems like a fairly straightforward historical narrative. One example is the account of Jesus and Peter walking on water in Matthew  14:22 –33. This aquatic hike is astounding. But if we’re not careful, we may only see the obvious gold and miss out on much more. Here are a few less obvious nuggets I found when digging recently. Jesus Makes Us Face Strong Waves in the Dark Jesus “made” the disciples get into the boat (Matthew  14:22 ). At the time, they probably didn’t t...

John Calvin (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 19:23–24 “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” ( v. 24 ). Seeing the difficulty with which the rich young ruler faced the choice Jesus gave him, our Lord ’s observation that it is very difficult for rich people to enter God’s kingdom ( Matt. 19:23 ) comes as no surprise. Christ underscores just how hard it is for the wealthy to be saved with a proverb that says it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than it is for the rich to find salvation ( v. 24 ). Our Savior’s proverb is similar to other Near Eastern sayings that vividly depict a near-impossible task. Other writings refer to “elephants,” but Jesus speaks of a “camel,” which, as the largest animal used in His culture, is naturally chosen for the illustration. Christ is also talking about the eye of a sewing needle, the tiniest opening known in ancient Palestine, and no...

Hagia Sophia ; Empress Zoë mosaic : Christ Pantocrator; Istanbul, Turkey (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 19:25–26 “ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (v. 26). Because in the Old Testament many of the old covenant saints are depicted as wealthy (Gen. 13:2; Job 42:10–17), and since it often links prosperity with God-pleasing behavior (Ps. 1; Prov. 22:4), first-century Jews commonly believed that riches were a sign of righteousness . To have wealth, they thought, is to be favored by God, signifying that a person has a share in the kingdom of heaven. To be sure, personal righteousness and wealth are sometimes directly linked. In a capitalistic society, honest businessmen often prosper because their trustworthiness encourages many others to do business with them. Knowing this to be generally true, the biblical wisdom literature links wealth and holiness. But Scripture does not s...

The Reformed Church of France, Paris, France (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 19:23 –24 “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (v. 24). Seeing the difficulty with which the rich young ruler faced the choice Jesus gave him, our Lord ’s observation that it is very difficult for rich people to enter God’s kingdom (Matt. 19:23) comes as no surprise.  Christ underscores just how hard it is for the wealthy to be saved with a proverb that says it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than it is for the rich to find salvation (v. 24). Our Savior’s proverb is similar to other Near Eastern sayings that vividly depict a near-impossible task. Other writings refer to “elephants,” but Jesus speaks of a “camel,” which, as the largest animal used in His culture, is naturally chosen for the illustration.  Christ is also talking about the eye of a sewing nee...

The Triumphal Arch in Tyre, Lebanon (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth (Isa. 23:9). When God blesses us with wealth, it is our duty and privilege to use it wisely, to give back to God from what He has given to us, to help those who don’t have as much, and to look upon our possessions with humility. The only reason we have wealth is that God has given it to us ( Eccl. 5:19). Everything comes from His hand, and we should see ourselves as undeserving of such kindness and as dependent upon Him in every situation in life, whether we are poor or rich. Too often, however, the more people possess, the more they are puffed up with pride. They attribute their success to themselves, instead of humbly remembering that all things come from God’s hand. They become greedy and do everything they can to fill their wallets, even if it means neglecting those who are needy...

Church of Saint-Eutrope in Clermont-Ferrand, stained glasses (Puy-de-Dôme, France Translations in other languages are welcome. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Author John Piper. Our affluent culture looks for ease in everything. Comfort is prized more than anything else. In his book, The Challenge of Affluence, Professor Avner Offer makes the observation that moral prudence is required in order to build up affluence and wealth. However, affluence gives rise to temptation. Temptation, if not morally recognized and resisted, gives rise to indulgence . Indulgence eats up wealth. Hence, the “rewards of affluence produce the disorders of affluence.” ( Finish the Mission , 79) The rewards of affluence produce the disorders of affluence. Isn’t that the lesson of Jesus ’s parable of the rich fool who built bigger barns (Luke 12:13–21)? The disorders of affluence can be very, very serious. Which means we live in a dangerous place. It isn’t that affluence is evil. It is the way our sinfu...

English: Jeroboam's idolatry, 1 Kings 12:25-33, illustration from a Bible card published 1904 by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) We live in an age of consumerism. We are certainly blessed by our prosperity. But in an age of plenty, why are we so morally and spiritually bankrupt? According to the Bible, there are very real spiritual dangers in the lust for possessions, in the consumer mindset that looks to material objects for satisfaction rather than to God . Squeezing Through the Eye of the Needle “Give me neither poverty nor riches,” prays Agur in the Book of Proverbs , but “feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Prov. 30:8–9). Having too little is a problem most people can relate to, but the Bible says that having too much can also be a problem. Poverty might drive someone to steal, but “having too much” can make a person think...