A recent report points to the four ‘alls’ we see in the missionary mandate Jesus gave his disciples in Matthew 28.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/alls-great-commission/
A brief overview of several themes from Lausanne’s report that matter for our mission efforts in declaring and displaying Christ in the world.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/themes-lausannes-great-commission/
A lesson from the book of Ruth: when it’s nearly impossible to build institutions, we can cultivate friendships and trust in God to bring forth fruit.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/culture-collapse-build-friendships/
In response to a reader, I share some of the news sources and podcasts that have been most beneficial to me.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/healthier-habits-news-intake/
The seriousness of the Christian faith and the churchiness of church is a draw, not a turn-off, to young people today.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/a-serious-faith/
Are we worthy? Or are we worms? Consider the paradox of worth and unworthiness in Christian theology.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/both-worm-worthy/
Seven books I pulled out of my recently read pile: a classic novel, a leadership book, two devotional resources, a historical narrative, a philosophical book, and a work of pre-apologetics.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/7-recommendations-book/
Stubbornness, the refusal to ‘go along to get along,’ has long been part of a Christian’s witness.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/defense-holy-obstinacy/
The goodness of God startles us, a perfection we long for and shrink from.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/talk-about-god-good/
We should want our sermons to be so interesting it’s harder to tune out than to tune in.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/preachers-relentlessly-interesting/
An encouragement to pray when we don’t ‘feel’ anything, and why it’s a good thing we can’t manufacture a religious experience.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/cant-engineer-experience-god/
A look at our current cultural moment, the call to faithfulness, with help from Augustine in our life of holiness and as we live on mission.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/knowing-who-when/
There’s an assumption in the Rob Reiner documentary on Christian Nationalism that’s challenged by Christianity’s core message.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/message-jesus/
Animus blinds us to the truth about reality, giving us a distorted vision of the world. If you want to see straight, love your enemies.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/love-enemies-see-straight/
On the signs of spiritual awakening among college students today and the question of if we may be seeing a revival.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/rumblings-revival-gen-z/
A closer look at religiously unaffiliated Americans upends some of our presuppositions and assumptions of what our friends and neighbors think and how they live.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/4-surprises-religious-nones/
NF’s song ‘Happy’ expresses the danger of so strongly identifying yourself with your struggle and pain that the prospect of healing feels like a threat to your identity.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/who-would-happy/
On the beautiful, messy, gospel awkwardness of community with people at various levels of discipleship and spiritual growth.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/beauty-gospel-awkward/
Often we’re so interested in figuring out why people don’t attend that we forget to probe the reasons they do. Here are five categories of church attendees.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/why-anyone-go-church/
It’s wearying to experience conflict among brothers and sisters with significant commonalities. How should we respond when conflict arises? How can we take part in reconciliation?
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/god-works-human-conflict/
Sometimes it’s the loss after happiness that hurts the most. Remembered joy intensifies present sadness.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/after-snow-melts/
Reflections on the pervasiveness of evil and the capacity of ordinary people to justify or commit moral atrocities.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/evil-show-up/
Three scenes from the final season of ‘The Crown,’ with application for how the church should think about worship.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/worship-service-otherworldly/
A closer look at the ‘wrong body’ narrative and the ‘what is truth’ narrative—and why they’re incompatible.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/contradiction-transgender-theories/
We like to say the church is a family. But often we’re thinking of family life in terms of fantasy, not flaws.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/flip-side-church-family/
A closer look at the popular ad for AMC Theatres featuring Nicole Kidman and what it tells us about our cultural moment.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/spiritual-promise-cinema/
God often says no to our particular pleadings in order to say yes to our most profound prayers.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/god-knows-really-want/
‘Therapy-speak’ on social media these days is making us lonely and posing a threat to true community in the church.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/self-soothing-social-media/
Let’s not take the easy route of just pointing out all that’s wrong. Let’s be part of making things right.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/annihilating-easy/
On various apps and sites, the calendar has shifted to Monday as the first day of the week. What does this change indicate, and how should we respond?
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/sunday-first-day/
A list of the books I most enjoyed reading in 2023, with one honorable mention.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/my-favorite-reads-2023/
A look at a new book from a secular writer who claims the nearly universal desire for God is a good reason to disbelieve in his existence.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/desire-god-disprove-existence/
‘Trust your identity,’ it said on my tea bag. ‘Be in touch with your reality.’ That got me thinking.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/tea-bag-philosophy/
What can we learn from Charles Spurgeon’s prayer for his descendants?
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/save-great-great-grandchildren/
Some suggestions for the aspiring author who wants to write a book.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/is-book-here/
A closer look at the beloved apologist and storyteller as his earthly life came to a close.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/last-days-cs-lewis/
For double listening to work, we must give the Word not only temporal priority but our steadfast attention.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/crucial-reminder-double-listening/
The great temptation in a secular age, for the Christian and non-Christian alike, is the sidelining of God.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/temptation-overlook/
What happens when Christianity gets reduced to ‘mercy’ for the sinner, absent the corresponding call to holiness and Christlikeness?
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/mercilessness-mercy/
In the way we talk about dechurching, it seems like personal agency disappears.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/prone-dechurch/
Evangelicals with a broad view of mission do well to recognize when evangelism gets assumed and only social action gets attention.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/holistic-mission-evangelism/
If the church is going to respond wisely to the challenges facing men today, we’ll need to get a better picture of what masculinity is aiming for.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/aspiring-holy-masculinity/
If we’re to be heralds of Jesus who imitate and proclaim him, then we must grapple with everything he said—even the parts that make us uncomfortable today.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/whatever-happened-to-satan/
Lessons from Russian literature for contemporary American quests for justice.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/idealism-identity-politics-guilt/
The home that had once been the center of underground resistance now worked to heal the very persons who betrayed the innocent.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/nazi-collaborators-corrie-ten-boom/
We must not miss the moment as we seek to bring clarity and conviction in an era that has lost sight of humanity’s purpose and destiny.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/defining-question-what-human/
We need to look around and ahead to the obstacles we face as we seek to rebuild the church’s witness and work toward a healthier future.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/reconstructing-faith-rebuilding/
Some practical counsel on how to reach back into the past for tools in fighting boredom in your relationship with God.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/bored-remember-epiphanies/
There’s danger online when we have a prophetic voice without a prophet’s heart.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/online-prophets-jonah-jeremiah/
The Lausanne Covenant is one of the most significant documents in modern church history, serving as a rallying cry and commitment for evangelicals around the world. Here are 10 of my favorite quo...
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/lausanne-covenant-50/
Repeating Scripture, reciting prayers, and singing the same songs—these are some of the most underestimated aspects of spiritual formation.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/you-need-repetition/
There’s no reason for Christians to shrink back and feel intellectually inferior when faced with the world’s condescension. Our intellectual tradition is a castle worth exploring.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/christian-tradition-castle-cabin/
The apostle Paul tells us to seek what is above, not what is earthly. What makes obeying this command so difficult?
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/set-minds-things-above/
Live streaming worship services is here to stay. But let’s not confuse the vitamin for the meal.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/live-online-bread-alone/
John A. T. Robinson’s ‘Honest to God’ was a book that took the religious world by storm—a bishop’s proposal for radical rethinking the Christian faith. How does it hold up 60 years late...
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/60-years-honest-to-god/
Why we still need Paul’s instruction to Timothy.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/remember-king-jesus/
This guide features Gospel stories and teachings of Jesus arranged chronologically in three-times-a-day readings for 30 days, with additional prayers of confession and praise included.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/pray-gospels-30-days/
A reflection on the power and profundity of parting ways with someone, and the influence that remains.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/parting-good-never-completely/
Does the decline of cultural Christianity make the Christian faith less plausible?
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/christianity-dead-wire/
Today, imagination is reality. I have a magic mirror in my pocket. And so do you.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/mirror-mirror-no-fairy-tale/
If we really care about spiritual abuse, we must push back against the dilution of the meaning of serious words.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/spiritual-abuse-watch-language/
Nearly 50 years later, a call for ‘two contents’ and ‘two realities’ is as powerful and needed as ever before.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/francis-schaeffers-prescriptions-renewal/
Does my description of the church as both stable and in crisis bless complacency and apathy regarding the significant challenges we face?
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/church-complacent-crisis/
Why our sanctification matters if we’re to be ‘set apart’ in how we engage online.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/all-you-need-justification/
What does the health of denominations like the SBC have to do with the health of evangelicalism? Trevin Wax provides a hopeful analysis.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/denominations-hope-evangelical-renewal/
It’s more than just ‘getting along.’ It’s getting along in God and as a mirror of his glory.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/christian-unity-deeper/
My tribute to a pastor and apologist who has gone to his reward.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/tim-keller-into-the-sunset-1950-2023/
How does the church’s response to family breakdown factor into the church’s self-understanding?
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/church-family-breakdown/
The final work from a church planting genius focused on how every pastor and church leader can raise up future leaders.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/clint-clifton-last-word-church/
To take Jesus’s words to heart, our focus should be not so much on what we should say as on what we should store.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/store-up-today-crisis/
Why Christians seem increasingly unable to critique without canceling and how we can start pointing toward a better way.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/dont-weaponize-good-faith-disagreement/
In what will likely be a cantankerous election season, pastors should avoid the tendencies of quietism or punditry, looking instead to speak the truth in ways that transcend the current moment ye...
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/pastors-brace-yourselves-election/
Why we need to see the opportunities accompanying every challenge and the challenges accompanying every opportunity.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/church-stable-crisis-yes/
How should the church relate to the culture? A new proposal from Brad East builds on the landmark works of H. Richard Niebuhr and James Davison Hunter.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/4-rs-cultural-engagement/
From monarchy to fascism to Axis to Allies to Communism to free markets. That’s the story of Romania, and it all took place in one century.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/when-no-heroes/
Two approaches to today’s debates over transgender ideology, and why we shouldn’t pit conviction against compassion.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/truthful-witness-and-the-transgender-debate/
The strength of the church and the strength of the family often rise and fall together.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/family-god-world-without-families/
If we give up essential truths of the Christian faith in order to be culturally relevant, we make ourselves eternally irrelevant. We make the church boring.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/strangeness-stands-out/
Some thoughts on how and why online hurricanes take place, the social media dynamics of a storm, and how we might respond with wisdom.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/anatomy-online-storm/
A distressing WSJ poll on plummeting American values shows us the power of sin but also an opportunity for the church.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/shriveling-american-soul/
Finding yourself isn’t the goal. Following Christ is what counts.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/personality-test-fruit-spirit/
Why we need wisdom more than ever, and why prayer and practice matter for growing in discernment.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/asking-when-pray-wisdom/
Trevor Laurence offers a better approach to the wrathful psalms and shows why they still matter for Christian prayer.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/cs-lewis-cursing-psalms/
Reflections on an online phenomenon and what it means for the church that seeks to reach and raise up young men.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/lost-boys-anonymous-twitter/
A reflection on the books you read and forget—and why they still matter.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/why-read-forget-everything/
When we confess the truth about Jesus—claiming he is Messiah and Lord—we are, by implication, submitting our lives to his rule. If the confession is true, allegiance follows.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/cannot-sever-orthodoxy-ethics/
Praising God in our prayers declares the glory of God and distances us from him in ways that shape our hearts.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/praise-matters-prayer/
It’s one of the last places in society where you can find strong, civil debate on thorny questions.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/listen-supreme-court-arguments/
Clarifying and complicating the questions of sin, virtue, and sanctification in the lives of past theologians and what we can learn today.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/cancel-barth-luther-edwards/
In debates over marriage and sexuality, let’s be clear where the division starts.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/real-schismatics-church-england/
The burning question from Asbury isn’t about Asbury; it’s about you.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/burning-question-asbury-awakening/
If Jesus didn’t withhold his touch from the leper, then why should we distance ourselves from churches filled with sinners on the road of sanctification?
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/danger-pursuing-perfect-church/
‘Passing away’ language doesn’t do justice to the power of our enemy or the promise of our hope.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/passed-away-dies/
Here’s the opportunity to join a cohort with Trevin Wax leading conversations around five of the biggest challenges the church faces in our time.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/5-challenges-church-western-world/
It’s possible to persevere through even the most challenging of books. Here’s how.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/5-ways-persevere-hard-book/
The frightening future for the unforgiving isn’t in encountering a ghost but in becoming a ghost yourself.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/wrath-make-wraith/
On wrongheaded assumptions about work and rest, and the generational shifts that make the conversation about self-care difficult.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/self-care-self-absorption/
Unless everyone everywhere pretends there’s no substantial difference between male-female marriage and same-sex relationships, the spell is broken. The charade doesn’t work.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/ivan-provorov-lgbt-dissent/
Come what may, there’s no substitute for love.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/lesson-church-barnes-noble-turnaround/
A look back at the first season of a podcast dedicated to renewing and restoring the witness of the church to the power of the gospel.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/reconstructing-faith-a-time-for-rebuilding/