I was recently asked what big theological issue is burning hottest in the current, broad Evangelical conversation. There are many ways to answer that question, but what first came to mind is the issue of postmillennialism. Before I continue, it would be good for this issue to be defined. Here's a summary from one of my go-to theology sites on the internet.
There are many decisions we have to make in life that are uncertain. We do our best to hear out all sides, weighing the pros and cons, only to be found a little more confused than when we first started considering these things. This is the most complicated when we're dealing with an issue that is totally subjective, meaning it's a matter of opinion. When there's no "Right vs. Wrong" element, we sometimes feel at a total loss regarding the best choice to make.
Monday will be the day that many of us get serious about doing better things in 2021. You have goals and dreams -- and that's good. An aspect of Christian stewardship is improving and growing. You should desire to take the gifts God has given you and "excel still more," (1 Thessalonians 4).
This year, many people will be even more serious about making 2021 a better year than the previous one. Let's face it -- 2020 was difficult and presented a variety of unique challenges. But we should not shake our fists at the heavens, as I noted on Facebook earlier this week.
Much can be (and has been) said about 2020. For JeremyHoward.net, 2020 was the most successful year yet in terms of traffic. Here are my top five most-viewed articles of the year that was.
Published November 26, 2019
5,000+ views in 2020
This is my explanation of how once-orthodox rocker Dustin Kensrue evolved into a process theologian. At one time, he wrote great songs for the church. Now he mocks evangelical Christianity.
Published December 21, 2020
5,000+ views in 2020
Each year I release a catalog of the year's best Christian music. Tim Challies shares it every year, which helps drive traffic to the site. I'm thankful for that -- and I'm thankful to all of you who look forward to it each year!
3. Stop Inviting the Holy Spirit to Your Church
Published August 17, 2017
6,000+ views in 2020
This is one of the rare articles on my site (perhaps the only article) that gains views each year since publication. The comments on this one are interesting, so you may want to scroll down and look at those.
2. The State of the Conservative Christian Union
Published February 11, 2020
9,500+ views in 2020
In this article, I did my best to articulate the climate of conservative evangelicalism. It's a fascinating and ever-changing world. These days, it's important to know who stands where -- and to know who you can trust.
1. Good Mythical Morning: Not Christian Programming
Published March 1, 2020
13,000+ views in 2020
This is the sad story of two "internetainers" who, at one time, lived Christian lives, then turned away from the faith. The article walks through what they've recounted about their faith and then provides a Christian analysis.
Listen to this article
A Bit Reactionary
When Covid-19 first began to change our lives, each of us developed an opinion on the fly. I'm talking about the days before masks, way back when there was still snow on the ground from last winter. Those days seem like they should be read about in a history book somewhere, but we're still using the same calendar now that we were then. I digress.
Remember when all of those initial assessments of the virus were zipping around everywhere we looked?
"It's just the flu."
"It will kill us all."
Below is the transcript of my opening statement from my debate with Benjamin Watkins regarding the topic, Is God the Standard of Morality? You can listen to the debate here.
The Creator is absolutely free to glorify Himself by governing His creatures according to His will alone.
This is a debate about authority. The title, “Is God the Standard of Morality?”, is full of implications. It assumes that God is, that morality exists, and that there are appropriate standards by which we judge the world around us. All three of these implications are right and true, and all people are held responsible for recognizing them.
For all intents and purposes, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been declared winners of the White House. Is it over yet? No, not by a long shot. But, at the same time, it kind of is.
I'm not excited about a Biden presidency or a Democrat-majority Senate. Not only do I disagree with the policies of the DNC, but I repudiate the worldview that serves as a foundation for said policies. The advocation and support of murdering pre-borns, sexual perversions, and socialism are all completely indefensible from the Christian perspective. In my flesh, I'm tempted to be frightened, knowing that many of the left's desires could be fulfilled in short order.
But I'm also a firm believer in the phrase, "Every change is an opportunity for improvement." Considering Christian America, I'm hopeful that as the Trump flags are taken down from front lawns and dually trucks, more American Christians will have a renewed sense of trust in heaven alone rather than in the Washington D.C.
When a conservative leads in the White House, a mirage forms. American Christians see him as a champion for their causes, and thus, expectations are set up. Dreams are developed. Hopes are inflated. We're prone to think that we'll start to experience a slice of heaven-on-earth because a right-wing man is the chief executive. This is not the way it should be -- our trust is not in men. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that conservative leaders and thinkers "are faulty support harnesses; having functioned rightly for awhile now, they could fail at any moment." And I stand by that.
However, when there's a non-conservative (or perhaps I should say "anti-Christian") in the White House, things are seen much more clearly. It's understood by American Christians that Washington does not desire to uphold and advance the Lordship of Christ, but instead they desire to tear it down for the sake of their own fallen desires.
This is a much better place to be. We're stripped of the mirage and given a dose of reality, that we depend on God and His good news alone. Let us move forward together in the hope of Jesus Christ.
"Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God." Psalm 20:7
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| Joe Biden speaks at a town hall. This article is not about Joe Biden exclusively. |
Something is going on out there.
The world is a really scary place if you let your carnal mind guide you. But, as Christians, we shouldn't do that. We have the Spirit of God who searches the mind of God and reveals to us through the word of God all things we need to know pertaining to life and godliness.
As tempting as it is for us to return to our vomit, let us remember that we've been delivered from carnal thinking. Paul the apostle wrote these inspired words in 1 Corinthians 2:14-16:
A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
I don't intend for this article to be a comprehensive review of American culture today; however, I would like for your mind to be provoked as you interpret the world around you in consideration of what is written here. I want us to think together about the depravity of man, the grace of God, and how these things work together in the culture for God's glory. Let's aim to be critical in our thinking and biblical in our discernment.
A professional athlete recently asked (publicly and rhetorically) why it's so hard to do something unified for just one day.
He asked the question because the professional sports world has been responding in a variety of ways in response to the recent ordeal in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Some teams are boycotting games, some players are sitting out while the rest of their team plays, and some athletes are going about business as usual. The athlete referenced at the start was one of those players who sat out while his team played their scheduled game. Apparently he was looking for a full-on boycott league-wide.
His question is deeper than he probably realizes. Why is it just so darn difficult for this collection of unique individuals with varied backgrounds and beliefs to come together to do something that seems so obviously right?
The obviously right thing in his eyes, of course, is to advocate for justice with the platform they've been given as famous Americans. But there's an even more important question behind that idea.
