Archives For Evangelicalism

You Don’t Kick a Man When He is Down

Erik Raymond —  April 9, 2013 — 3 Comments

By now most people have heard of the suicide of Rick Warren’s son, Matthew. Over the weekend the news broke and all parents, particularly Christian parents felt sympathy for Rick and Kay Warren.

Well, apparently not all.

Sadly, many people and even many professing Christians are taking this opportunity to express their lack of support for and even opposition to Warren’s ministry. Cathy Lynn Grossman, writing in USA Today noted that many Atheists, proponents of same-sex marriage, and even professing Christians are publicly piling on the wounded Warrens.

As I read the article and some of the related comments I became frustrated but not surprised by non-Christians kicking him while he is down. While I don’t like it, I understand it theologically and experientially. However, I do not understand and am frankly disgusted by any professing Christian who would use this opportunity to land a cheap punch in the emotional kidneys. You don’t do that. Far from kicking a man when he is down Christians are to come alongside their brothers and sisters who are hurting, to bear their burdens with them (Gal. 6.2), weeping with those who weep (Rom. 12.15).

There is absolutely no place for this type of thing from any professing Christian. And shame on you if you are doing this. This would be wrong behavior if such a tragedy happened in the life of an unbeliever, much less a fellow brother and sister in Christ. Those who do so unwittingly undermine their own message and demonstrate a shockingly ironic level of a lack of discernment and theological maturity. If you happen to come across such rubbish I hope that you would boldly call it what it is and direct them to a more Christ-like path.

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Book Review- Fools Rush in Where Monkeys Fear to Tread: Taking Aim at Everyone

Erik Raymond —  January 14, 2013

Sarcasm is a sword that when wielded deftly can get to hard to reach places in the storehouse of our pride. Some people grab the sword of sarcasm and swing it carelessly, resulting in others getting hurt and embarrassed. Others grab the sword like a literary knight going to work with surgical precision and we are all the better for it.

Carl Trueman is of the latter category. Trueman is deep thinker, adroit writer, and a pastoral theologian. In his book Fools Rush in Where Monkeys Fear to Tread: Taking Aim at Everyone, Trueman looks critically at the landscape of evangelicalism and appeals for Christians to do the same. Along the way he narrates his observations and conclusions in short, arresting, essays.

If you have not read any of Trueman, either on his blog or in his other books, this would be a terrific introduction into his writing. There is a certain style with which he writes that is simultaneously humorous, painful, prophetic, and pastoral. As a guy who is Reformed, (relatively) young, and pastor who has a blog–I am a prime candidate to be greatly offended by Trueman. But I’m not. I’m very thankful for him. His words were particularly helpful for me over my Christmas vacation.

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Separated at Birth? Evangelical Look-Alikes

Erik Raymond —  June 11, 2012

It’s Monday AM and I need some comic relief…

I was recently watching David Platt’s T4G sermon (highly recommended) and was struck by how much he looked like Tom Brady. Occasionally I’d have to untangle my mind as I thought Brady was telling me that I needed to be willing to go and die for world missions. That got me thinking about some other evangelicals who look like other notable figures. Here is a short-list. Add more in the comments if you got ‘em.

David Platt and Tom Brady.

David Platt
tom brady
Mark Driscoll from and Joba Chamberlin from University of Nebraska (& that pro team in NY)
mark-driscoll joba

Then you have this remarkable pairing:

Peter Sellers (from The Pink Panther)

peter-sellers.gif

Ray Comfort (from Way of the Master)

ray-comfort.gif

Who else do you have? (And it is not valid to do the whole “Tim Keller & Yoda” comparison).

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How Your Preaching Can Hurt Your Church

Erik Raymond —  May 31, 2012

I love preaching. I love to preach myself and I love to hear others preach. Preaching is a God-ordained means of grace (1 & 2 Timothy). It is a good gift of God given for our blessing and benefit. But like so many blessings from God we can elevate them to become a distraction or even an idol.

In my young pastoral career (7 years) I have seen some unintended consequences of my love for preaching. I have observed a few ways in which my love for preaching has hurt our church. These observations do not diminish my love, appreciation, or priority of preaching. Instead, they helped me to regain pastoral balance and focus.

Here then are a few ways in which the idolatry of preaching can hurt your church:
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This Pastor Needs to Quit, Literally

Erik Raymond —  May 23, 2012

This video is just the type of thing that will be played repeatedly to promote the caricature of Christianity. As I type it is going viral and doing just that.

Let me be clear: this guy is a horrible representation of Christ and his church. He should be removed from the pulpit. Pastors are to be setting the example of speech, conduct, love, faith and purity (1 Tim. 4.12). This guy strikes out on 3 pitches.


Last week I wrote about challenges for evangelicals amid this new season of sexual debate. This is exactly what I was saying not to do.

It means that we better be clear about the problem. Far too many times I have heard evangelicals talk about homosexuality like our job was to get them to become heterosexual. If we can just get them to be straight then our work is done. The Christian objective in missions is to see people become Christians! This means that we want to see all sexual sinners become worshipers of Jesus. This includes fornicators, adulterers, porn-addicts, homosexuals, or whatever other category you can think up. The goal is to become a believer who turns from the worship of self to the worship of God. It is to turn from rebellion that is characterized by the suppression of truth to the submission that is characterized by obedience to the truth (Rom. 1.18-25; 3.19-27). The central issue is worship, or idolatry. The central answer is always the gospel.

It means that we better be clear about our tone. Can you lovingly engage a homosexual with the gospel in a winsome, tactful and still faithful way? Can you love them? This is really a question that I think evangelicals need to wrestle with and decidedly answer “yes, we must!” Pivoting out of the points above, that is out of the gospel, we have to see our own weakness and neediness. Who among us is not needy of the grace of Christ? Then we must lovingly and faithfully talk to others about it. If you can’t get control of yourself and speak the words of grace and truth to someone who is straight or gay then you need to ask God to give you a bigger heart. Ask him to shake you of pride and work gospel compassion down into you. I know that God is saving a lot of people from a gay lifestyle and I pray that he will continue to do so. As missionaries we need to speak and act like we actually want him to.

Ugh. God help us.

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Is it a good sign that churches are muting their political volume?

Erik Raymond —  May 22, 2012

Should churches actively speak to political issues? This is a question that comes up whenever an election cycle is upon us. In this morning’s edition of USA Today in an article entitled Churches Tread Lightly in Politics in 2012 the contention is that churches are getting the message and staying away from political issues:

Instead, they’re revamping how congregations mobilize voters by focusing on a broader set of issues than in the past. Preachers are largely avoiding the political fray, and hot-button social issues are relegated to simmer in low-profile church study groups.

Why? For one, Americans are growing impatient with religious politicking: 54% want houses of worship to keep out of politics (up from 52% in 2008 and 43% in 1996), according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Churches seem to be responding.

 Is this right? Are churches compromising their mouthpiece that could bring social change?

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Mother’s Day Packs the Pews

Erik Raymond —  May 12, 2012

There was an interesting article in the weekend edition of USA Today. The article highlighted the fact that Mother’s Day is one if the highest attendance days of the year for churches.

With research compiled by Ed Stetzer the article showed that families rally around Mom and go to church to show her honor on her special day. This should make us appreciate the standing devotion of women in our culture.

The article also contrasted the comparatively low attendance on Father’s Day. The unconvincing (lame) excuses made by some notwithstanding, the point is clear: woman want to go to church men want to go and golf. Perhaps this is too reductionistic, but there is doubtless something for us there.

This reminds us of the great need of the gospel to be declared and demonstrated in our day. Men will not feel like going to church until they know and feel the supremacy of Christ. This is what God does in and through the gospel. Churches committed to biblical ministry have their work cut out for them.

In Ordinary Pastor
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