Comments on: Imperfection and Initiative in the Christian Life

Calvin’s letters verify the notion of a communion of the saints that exists beyond the walls of the local church.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/calvin-mail-theological-development/

The Department of Education’s new rule’s expanding protections for LGBT+ students could lead to punishment for those who disagree with the orthodoxy of transgenderism.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/bidens-regulation-transgender-orthodoxy/

Divine fatherhood is the controlling concept of God in 1 Peter.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/father-relate-jesus-peter/

‘Democracy and Solidarity’ offers a trenchant examination of our cultural rupture that’s alarming, informative, and interesting. It’s a book we’ll be arguing about for years to come.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/democracy-solidarity/

The new April 2024 issue of ‘Themelios’ has 262 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/themelios-49-1/

Collin Hansen asks Steve Preston how Christianity influences his leadership from investment banking to the Bush Cabinet and now to Goodwill Industries, where he serves as president and CEO.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound/goodwill-leadership-fight-opportunity/

Christians should consider the value of giving to missionaries through the local church.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/give-to-missionaries-church/

In an increasingly anxious world, the gospel still offers our only real hope. If we live as those who have hope in a world of despair, our anxious neighbors may begin to ask us why.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/hope-climate-anxiety/

What a groundbreaking report means for common claims about caring for trans-identifying youth.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/transgender-meds-kids/

Defeating enemies and protecting sheep: both are present in the shepherding work of the Lord Jesus for us.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/shepherd-carries-rod/

‘Civil War’ is a mirror not because it reflects our current political partisanship but because it reflects a world where increasingly few of us see the same reality.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/civil-war-christian-movie-review/

J. T. English, Kyle Worley, and Jen Wilkin discuss the critical role of effective discipleship within the local church.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/church-essential-discipleship/

Champ Thornton captures the feeling of opening up the knowledge and wonder of an encyclopedia—except with jokes, recipes, secret codes, and a lot of grace and inspiration as well.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/spark-childs-curiosity-christianity/

Just as the sack of Rome didn’t mean the end of God’s purposes nor the church’s fall, so a particular political party’s success isn’t ultimately important but only relatively important.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/counterculturally-election-season/

If preachers want to continually refine our craft, we should build formal sermon feedback into our schedules. Here’s how we do it in our church—and why I’m so grateful for it.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/need-sermon-feedback/

‘Bad Therapy’ encourages a critical examination of our culture’s approach to the therapeutic so that  church leaders can better understand and respond to the world’s demands.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/bad-therapy/

Over the past five years, around 90 English-speaking and 70 Mandarin-speaking pastors have connected with a network in one of the ‘most strategic cities in the world.’

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/drug-bet-church-asia/

This project leverages the collective wisdom of scholars and church leaders who have devoted years of their lives to training the next generation in biblical scholarship and expositional preachin...

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/best-commentaries-announcement/

Collin Hansen and George Marsden discuss the enduring relevance of Jonathan Edwards’s theology for ‘anarchical evangelicalism.’

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound/jonathan-edwards-vision-21st-century/

Gentile inclusion doesn’t affirm same-sex sexual relationships, but it does help us see that every human is invited into Jesus’s kingdom on the same basis.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gentile-inclusion-same-sex-marriage/

Joshua Chatraw talks about what’s on his bedside table, favorite fiction, favorite rereads, and more.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/on-my-shelf-joshua-chatraw/

When families walk alongside a loved one in hospice, they show him or her, as well as surrounding caregivers, the face of Christ.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/expect-loved-one-hospice/

Ecclesiastes calls us to recognize work as a grace in and of itself and not to strive for what it can’t give us.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/profit-work-reward/

How to reach Gen Z with the gospel? Their love for ‘Avatar’ provides some clues.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/avatar-gen-z-longings/

If we don’t provide counsel on end-of-life matters, our culture will.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/prepare-congregation-die/

Jen Wilkin guides parents in enhancing their home lives by prioritizing biblical values, love, safety, and a strong sense of identity in Christ.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/raise-kids-know-identity/

The benefits of missionaries modeling biblical eldership in indigenous churches outweigh the potential drawbacks.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/missionaries-serve-elders/

Scripture doesn’t sanitize the pain of life in a fallen world, even as it points us to hope and healing.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/human-gods-adoption/

The debate over the ‘Law amendment’ pits supporters who say there’s a need to clarify the convention’s understanding of gender roles in the church against those who say it is unnecessary,...

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/faqs-southern-baptists-women-ministry/

In 2021, pastors became eligible for the government’s public service loan forgiveness program. Here’s where to go and what to do.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/student-loan-forgiveness-pastors/

For all the scholarship Glahn marshals to sketch the contours of the Artemis cult in first-century Ephesus, she never really establishes the cult’s relevance to the interpretation of 1 Timothy.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/nobodys-mother/

Collin Hansen and Claude Atcho explore the transformative power of personal encounters with Jesus, featuring the Samaritan woman in John 4.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound/lessons-evangelism-unlikely-evangelist/

The real #blessed life is enjoying the presence of a God who loves you far more than you can imagine.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/joy-gods-presence/

We’ll benefit all our earthly days from glorious stories that have stood the test of time and prevailed—stories that reawaken our dull hearts, point us to the big story, and ready us to recei...

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/tending-heart-virtue/

Since we can’t know who is and isn’t among the elect, is it appropriate in evangelism to tell others that Christ died for them?

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/unbeliever-jesus-died/

David Zadok explains how he’s seen the goodness of God even in the war with Hamas.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/six-months-hamas-israel/

Five ways you can be part of what God is doing to bring your church to maturity.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/fingernails-relationship-church/

New documentary ‘Girls State’ provides insight into the leftward turn of Gen Z women—fueled in part by the issue of abortion rights.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/girls-state-abortion/

Collin Hansen, Michael Graham, and Christopher Watkin explore Tim Keller’s approach to cultural engagement and its implications for the future.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/tim-kellers-legacy-vision-cultural-engagement/

‘The Anxious Generation’ deserves an audience wider than those involved in the lives of children and teens. This book is a reminder that sometimes the best way forward is to follow ancient pa...

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/anxious-generation-review/

Every time we extend mercy, forgiveness, and compassion in the name of Christ, we testify to the divine mercy God has shown us.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/cancel-culture-mercy/

Being a grandparent of missionary kids can be an incredible sacrifice, and perhaps one you wouldn’t choose.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/missionary-grandparents-give/

Confessions can strengthen our faith against prevailing ideological trends. That’s a welcome encouragement in a world gone mad.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/crisis-confidence/

While most people recognize the damage caused by shouting matches and harsh words, fewer may realize the equally destructive effects of the ‘silent treatment.’

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/silent-treatment-conflict/

Collin Hansen and Melissa Kruger discuss how to trust God with our kids and grow in wisdom as parents.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound/melissa-kruger-hopeful-parenting-secular-age/

Just as one member can’t do all the work in a church, one church can’t do all the work in the world.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/small-church-global-god/

Trusting relationships and humble financial accountability are crucial in any cross-cultural partnership.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/money-cross-cultural-partnerships/

The birth control pill is an example of how technology can obscure what God’s creation reveals.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/pill-obscures-truth-creation/

In an overmediated world where everything is ‘breaking news,’ Christians can’t lose sight of the shocking, society-reshaping magnitude of Christ’s resurrection.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/scrolling-resurrections-shock/

We’re saved from our sins of both omission and commission through faith in the precious blood of Christ.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/hope-sin/

Rebecca McLaughlin examines what the Gospels’ male and female witnesses reveal about Jesus’s life and teachings.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/jesus-eyes-witnesses/

Ponder the torn curtain in the temple. Revel in what it means for you.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/torn-good-friday/

Death, which swallows us all, was swallowed up in victory.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/good-news-burial/

‘The Man Born to Be King’ disrupts complacency about the spectacular story of the gospel, which is the A to Z of the Christian faith.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/man-born-king/

Here are several ways Jesus and his followers have decisively influenced the world.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/jesus-made-moral-world/

When we role-play and talk through possible scenarios, we guard our kids against those who’d cause harm by redefining love and respect.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/protect-kids-abuse/

Collin Hansen and Irwyn Ince discuss the power of enduring hope in Christ amid cultural and societal challenges.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound/hopeful-living-weary-world/

Amid an uncertain and ever-changing world, how can believers remain the most hopeful of parents? Melissa Kruger gives us five reasons for hope.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/parent-hope-secular-age/

To reach Babylon for Christ, we can’t just post content. We must plant gardens.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/babylonian-exile-gen-z-evangelism/

About 150 years ago, musician Philip Bliss was killed in a fiery train crash. In his trunk were the words to ‘I Will Sing of My Redeemer.’

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/story-hymn-man-sorrows/

The triumphal entry shows us that no matter how unstable the world feels, we can trust the man on the donkey.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/palm-sunday-trust/

How we view our Bibles today can have generational consequences.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/give-physical-bibles/

Pastors Afshin Ziafat, Miguel Núñez, and George Robertson discuss the importance of reengaging the church community post-pandemic, considering both the benefits and limitations of online church...

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/in-person-church/

In renewing its ties with the Evangelical Free Church of America, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is returning to its roots.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/trinity-returning-roots/

For discerning audiences looking for an edifying film to watch this spring, either at home or in the multiplex, Brett McCracken shares eight recommendations.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/8-edifying-films-spring-2024/

Did Paul create a ‘theological’ story about Jesus that contradicted the ‘social and ethical’ message Jesus preached?

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/paul-different-gospel-jesus/

Since its release in 2017, The New City Catechism has sold more than 500,000 units across its suite of formats and products.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/new-city-catechism-milestone/

This book makes a strong case that having larger families can help make us better people. We should make it easier to do so.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/family-unfriendly/

Collin Hansen and Samuel James discuss the effect of smartphones on culture and faith, emphasizing the importance of biblical wisdom in the digital age.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound/live-wisely-digital-age/

Recently released documents once again raise a question: Why were so many conservative Christian leaders willing to turn a blind eye to decades-long accusations of sexual abuse?

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/faqs-pressler-abuse-politician/

On My Shelf helps you get to know various writers through a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives as readers. I asked N. Gray Sutanto—assistant professor of systematic theology at Reformed...

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/on-my-shelf-gray-sutanto/

With the current retrieval of natural law in Reformed and Baptist circles, now is a good time to reconsider the threefold distinction.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/continuity-moral-law/

No one could have ever predicted that Patrick, the uneducated and unwelcome, would become the great missionary hero of Ireland.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/patrick-ireland-hero-history/

This book is a helpful resource for pastors, youth leaders, and parents. It reminds us that because deconstruction isn’t the end of a person’s story, we shouldn’t treat it that way.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/deconstruction-christianity/

George Mueller knew that through the sorrow of grieving loss, a sovereign and good hand was guiding everything—even the pain.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/god-good-pain/

Michael Kruger and Dan Doriani discuss the key elements pastors need to avoid burnout, endure in ministry, and promote healthy and thriving churches.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/prevent-pastoral-burnout/

On this date 2,068 years ago, Julius Caesar died and the world accepts it as a historical footnote. Just 77 years later, Jesus Christ rose and the world has never been the same.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/resurrection-jesus-christ/

Because God needs nothing from anyone, knows all things, is everywhere present, and holds all power, no one exists who could possibly challenge or overrule his plans.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/sovereign-god-rule/

The preview of Christ’s messianic glory, seen by the disciples on the mountain, is now a present reality. This should make a tired heart leap for joy.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/transfiguration-christ/

When suffering hits, evaluate and endure.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/sin-cause-suffering/

Reading the Bible is a lot like eating a healthy meal. Consider four parallels.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/atomic-habits-bible/

Collin Hansen and Jeremy Treat discuss the kingdom and cross, the apex of Christ’s mission, theories of atonement, and more.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound/transformative-power-atonement/

In the face of real danger, warning is the definition of love.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/jesus-love-warns/

As with all our loves, love for pets must be properly ordered.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/pets-arent-people/

For Christians hoping to share Christ with Muslim friends, this ritual presents an opportunity for gospel conversations. 

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/share-gospel-ramadan/

Hundreds of churches in the Western world die each year because of good Christian folks.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/church-needs-contentment/

For the Christian, cynicism (and the hopelessness it breeds) is a form of drunkenness.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/cynics-hand-living-god/

These resources can help parents and church leaders understand deconstruction and encourage healthy questioning, pointing toward historical Christianity.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/dealing-deconstruction/

Ligon Duncan, Bob Thune, Andy Davis, and Philip Ryken discuss Christian nationalism and the importance of a Christ-centered approach to public engagement.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/evaluating-christian-nationalism/

Oscar nominees ‘Maestro,’ ‘Barbie,’ and ‘American Fiction’ illustrate how identity obsession can flatten otherwise interesting characters.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/identity-flattens-characters/

The questions we must address aren’t merely scientific or biological but profoundly theological: What’s the nature of a frozen embryo created through IVF? How should pro-life Christians think...

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/ivf-created-embryos/

This resource can help pastors, parents, and youth leaders present compassionate arguments that being a woman is good, true, and beautiful.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/to-be-woman/

Half our church plant is made up of new Christians we met at pickleball.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/share-faith-court/

Spurgeon advocated teaching more than the simplest of doctrines. He considered every doctrine essential for a child’s spiritual development.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/spurgeon-youth-pastor/

The transfiguration narrative is a revealing text because it affirms two things about Jesus: (1) he’s the new Moses, as man, but (2) he’s greater than Moses for he’s the eternally begotten ...

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/glory-jesus-more-moses/

Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman discuss challenges related to authority, including the importance of accountability and the need for leaders to sometimes absorb others’ anger.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound/authority-integrity/

Preaching is a high calling. Our problem as preachers is when we fail to connect God’s truth to contemporary concerns.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/find-edge-preaching/

During a paternity leave, dads have the opportunity to forge new discipleship rhythms that can last long after the leave ends.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/dads-paternity-leave/

People who face suffering need both perspective and power.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/problem-everyone/

There’s good news for all those hungry for wisdom: God isn’t stingy with it.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/cultivate-wisdom-information-saturated/