Category Archives: The Modern Church

Closer to God

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Matt

How do we get closer to God? The question occurred to me while I was reviewing a passage from William P. Young’s The Shack for a class I plan on teaching this spring on the heresy of Modalism (among others).*  … Continue reading →

Posted in The Modern Church | 1 Comment

Sharing the Same Error: Some Thoughts on Medium & Message

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Matt

There are times when errors are so deeply ingrained in a culture that they show up on all sides of a hotly debated issue.  The result is often that two people who hold vehemently opposed positions do so because of … Continue reading →

Posted in Lutheranism, The Modern Church | Leave a comment

The Origins of an Ignorant Postmodernist

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Matt

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…  Not because of the snow or the lights, but because of the emergence of critics clamoring to cast doubt on Christ and His birth.  In this piece on CNN’s belief blog, Professor … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, The Modern Church | Leave a comment

Debunking a Myth: Contemporary Worship is not Inclusive

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Matt

When a congregation begins toying with the idea of contemporary worship, one of the usual driving factors is an attempt to be more “inclusive.”   “The Church needs to appeal to more people than the gray-hairs that attend every Sunday.  … Continue reading →

Posted in The Modern Church | 4 Comments

Theology is an Acquired Taste

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Matt

Coffee is typically considered an adult beverage–not because children are incapable of drinking it responsibly, but because they’re uninterested in drinking it at all.  At 31, I myself don’t drink coffee for the same reason children don’t:  1) I have … Continue reading →

Posted in The Modern Church | 2 Comments

Why is the Church Obsessed with Sex?

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Matt

The direct answer to this frequent complaint about the church is a very practical one:  American churches are obsessed with sex because American culture is obsessed with sex, and American churches are full of Americans.  Seriously; the best selling book … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Chastity, The Modern Church | 8 Comments

Do Not Resuscitate

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Matt

Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved? Better question:  why would we want to?  So-called Liberal Christianity (which is a theological category, not a political one) is a massive tragedy.  But nobody is doing anyone any favors by trying to help this … Continue reading →

Posted in The Modern Church, Theological Liberalism | Leave a comment

Peer Pressure by Design

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Matt

Peer pressure is generally considered a bad thing.  We usually hear about it as some mysterious force that makes kids want to have premarital sex, do drugs, and so forth.  It was certainly placarded as a major villain back when … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, The Modern Church | 1 Comment

The Ten Commandments of Reaching Younger Generations

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Matt

The other day, my alma mater posed a question on Facebook:  “How can the Church more effectively reach out to younger generations?”  Many Christians are asking this as church membership in America declines, and there are a lot of bad … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Youth, The Modern Church | Leave a comment

Abusing Sola Scriptura

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Matt

“The Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong, so I can do it if I want to.” Unfortunately, this is a common refrain among protestants and Lutherans looking for some kind of license.  We can see this very clearly when it comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Law, The Modern Church, Theology | Leave a comment