Category Archives: The Modern Church

Hate the Sin, Flatter the Sinner?

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Matt

Christ promised his Church that the world would hate us on his account. That hatred seldom becomes clearer than when obvious sin goes mainstream. And by obvious sin, I mean sin that is clearly condemned in the Bible–so clearly that … Continue reading →

Posted in Gospel, Law, The Modern Church | 6 Comments

If the West is to Be Saved, Christianity is the Only Option.

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Matt

I came across a tweet from Mike Cernovich a few weeks ago, which declares the failure of Christianity to maintain a sane culture and suggests a modified version of Islam to fill the void: Christianity has given us a country … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Politics, The Modern Church | Leave a comment

The Proper Care and Feeding of Essential Theology

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Matt

Blogger’s note: This is the prose version of a recent talk I gave at my church’s recent congregational retreat where we considered the subject of change in the Church.  It’s intended for a lay audience with varying levels of education.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Gospel, Law, Lutheranism, The Modern Church, Tradition | 2 Comments

Do We Really Need More Women Leaders in the Church?

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Matt

Awhile back, I was involved in an informal discussion about opening up the office of congregational president to women at an LCMS congregation. We were all on the same page with respect to God only calling men to the office … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Feminism, The Modern Church | 6 Comments

Answering Some Criticisms

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Matt

I got quite a bit of feedback on the last Federalist article (on Abstinence vs. Chastity), so I wanted to take a moment to address some of the criticisms that actually addressed my arguments. Objection: Jesus never taught anything about … Continue reading →

Posted in Chastity, Ethics, Feminism, Gospel, The Modern Church | 6 Comments

The Church Needs to Teach Chastity Instead of Abstinence

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Matt

I have a new piece over at The Federalist: That’s the problem with purity culture. It purports to be about saving sex for marriage, but the whole point of purity rings and abstinence is to refrain from sex while delaying … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Feminism, The Modern Church, Theological Liberalism | 6 Comments

Rejoicing In and Learning From the Deaths of Congregations

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Matt

I’ve seen a lot of hand-wringing and sad faces about recent reports that 6,000 to 10,000 churches are dying every year in the US.  When Christians get downhearted upon seeing the magnitude of our decline, it’s important to remember two … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Culture, The Modern Church, Theological Liberalism | 5 Comments

The Importance of Properly Characterizing Abuse

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Matt

I had a long Facebook conversation with a Lutheran about headship and abuse this past week. It went the way conversations challenging dominant paradigms usual go: a distinct lack of thoughtful engagement with the critique. It likewise ended the usual … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Lutheranism, The Modern Church, Theology | 8 Comments

Great Stuff: What does the LC-MS document “When Homes are Heartless” Mean?

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Matt

Some temptations are stronger than others. This is particularly true when it comes to a temptation towards worldliness, which often has many layers to it. Sometimes it’s just as simple as a desire to fit in with the world rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Lutheranism, The Modern Church | 3 Comments

The Ugliness of Male Submission

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Matt

Pulpit & Pen put up an article the other day about popular false teacher Beth Moore, who apparently had the drummer from her worship band kneel down on stage and apologize to all women for the bad behavior of those … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, The Modern Church | 1 Comment