Category Archives: The Modern Church

The End of Modern Theology in England

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Matt

On May 11th, 1959, C.S. Lewis addressed the students of Westcott House, the Anglican theology school at Cambridge. They no doubt found his message to be peculiar. It was, after all the message of a Christian who believed that his … Continue reading →

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

Jesus Needs to Man Up

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Matt

It seems that Family Life has taken it upon themselves to provide a list of 40 no-no’s to Christian husbands. Some of these new Thou Shalt Not’s are Biblical common sense; others are challenges that men should strive for; some … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, The Modern Church | 1 Comment

Faithless Feedback

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Matt

How do non-Christians feel about “being on the receiving end of the efforts of Christian evangelicals to convert them?” Or, putting it in Christian language, “how do unbelievers feel about having heard a Gospel that they didn’t believe?” I think … Continue reading →

Posted in Spiritual But Not Religious, The Modern Church, Theological Liberalism | Leave a comment

Why Millennials Leave, and What to Do About It

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Matt

There are two temptations a Christian encounters whenever he reads about why young people are leaving the church. The first is to seek to transform the church into whatever young people want it to be in order to retain them. … Continue reading →

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

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