#Ecclesiology

Why Calvinism Misunderstands Biblical Election: What about Romans 9?

A lot of people assume Romans 9 obviously teaches the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election. They think it means that God selected...

2 min read

When is a church not a church? | Mulholland on Revelation #UMC

…we see that orthodoxy and evangelism are the inseparable foci of a healthy church. Both must be kept in dynamic balance. Evangelism...

1 min read

New SermonCast: "Why Church?" #UMC

It’s a question that many regular churchgoers may never ask. Church, for a lot of us, is the default position. It’s just what you do. Why...

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Are denominations worth it? (@9MarksOnline)

I’m grateful for the opportunity to take part in a roundtable discussion for the 9 Marks Journal on the question: are denominations worth...

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What does Church have to do with Kingdom?

“Christ rules us in order to save us and saves us in order to rule us. Unlike the rulers of this age, Jesus doesn’t ask us to shed our...

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Young Pastors’ Network Reflections: Strategic Planning

One topic we covered that made a significant impact on my thinking was strategic planning. I was struck by the way in which Hamilton and...

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Eschatology is Everything

Consider, for Paul that justification is the present faith-anticipation of the eschatological verdict. Sanctification is the Spirit-life...

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The Leadership Dynamic: A Biblical Model for Raising Effective Leaders

Books on Christian leadership abound these days, and many take the approach of applying insights from the secular business world to the...

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Looking to be Led by the Blind?

I’m presently reading Why We Love the Church by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. I’m only in the third chapter, so I’ll avoid any sort of...

2 min read

Healthy Churches…Healthy Members

Every Christian should be committed to the health of his own local church. Likewise, every Christian should be committed to his own...

Matt O'Reilly, PhD