Mysticism – Part 5

(May 2005 – Volume 11, Issue 5)  Pietism & Subjective Christianity Balance. Is there anything more elusive? Most of us are constantly striving for balance, whether it is with our time, money, diet or relationships. If few of us are ever content that we have found just the right balance in these areas of life, the […]

Mysticism – Part 4

(April 2005 – Volume 11, Issue 4)  Mysticism’s Inroads Most evangelical Christians probably would not recognize themselves in the previous discussion of mysticism (as found in our last three papers), but there are subtle influences at work drawing believers in this direction even without their knowledge. While firmly denying any part in classical mysticism many are […]

Mysticism – Part 3

(March 2005 – Volume 11, Issue 3)  Contemplative Prayer, the Heart of Mysticism The heart and soul of mysticism, any type of mysticism, Christian or otherwise, is the art of meditation or contemplation. Georgia Harkness informs us that “among the church fathers, ‘contemplation’ was the usual term to designate what was later to be called mystical […]

Mysticism – Part 2

(February 2005 – Volume 11, Issue 2)  Modern Christian Mysticism Medieval mysticism has managed to survive within small pockets of Roman Catholicism for centuries but has gone largely unnoticed by evangelicals. It is true that a few groups, such as the Quakers, have always kept some aspect of mysticism within range of evangelical awareness, and elements […]

Mysticism – Part 1

(January 2005 – Volume 11, Issue 1)  Mysticism, a Way of the Past, the Wave of the Future I am often asked what I see as the next important challenge facing evangelical Christianity. Such questions are asked in the wake of major movements that have changed the face of evangelicalism in the last two decades, including […]

Lordship Salvation

(March 1995 – Volume 1, Issue 5)  No one is espousing a works salvation. …No one is denying that salvation is by grace through faith alone. The question is, “What is saving faith?” Few things have rocked the Bible believing community in recent years like the “Lordship Salvation” controversy. This is true for various reasons. First, […]

In Search of Truth

(April 2008 – Volume 14, Issue 4)  A few years ago I wrote a book entitled This Little Church Went to Market: Is the Modern Church Reaching Out or Selling Out. There I explored in detail areas in which I believe the “seeker-sensitive” church model is missing the mark biblically, especially in regard to its gospel […]

C.S. Lewis

(September 2006 – Volume 12, Issue 8)  There is probably no Christian in modern times better known or more influential than Clive Staples Lewis. Born in Belfast in the year 1899, Lewis would write dozens of books on a variety of topics before his death on November 22, 1963 (on the very day of the deaths […]

Wild at Heart – Part 2

(May 2004 – Volume 10, Issue 5)  Last month we began an evaluation of the extremely popular book Wild at Heart authored by John Eldredge. At that time we identified a number of concerns with Eldredge’s message. We will now conclude this evaluation with some even deeper concerns. UNBIBLICAL VIEWS OF SATAN How deeply Eldredge has […]

Wild at Heart – Part 1

(April 2004 – Volume 10, Issue 4) One of the most popular fads at the moment, at least among Christian men, centers around John Eldredge’s extremely popular book, Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul. The book itself has won numerous awards and kudos including the 2002 Gold Medallion Book Award (for the […]