I am convinced that it is permissible to both seek churches that adhere to the inerrancy of Scripture and provide opportunities for growth, while also satisfying some of our cultural and stylistic proclivities. BUT I have realized that even the search for the perfect church can become an idol.

I can only imagine how difficult attending a church without your spouse would be, so I don’t minimize that, nor the driving to get to church. That’s tough. But I keep going back to the piece of needing face to face fellowship.

I read Francis Schaeffer’s The Mark of the Christian shortly after it was published in 1970. I was 16—a new believer studying how to defend gospel truth to friends and family. Yet Schaeffer called Christian love and unity “the final apologetic,” the ultimate defense of our faith. 

This is a remarkable and heart-touching article from Russell Moore. It’s really about a different kind of ex-evangelical—not those who embrace heresy and sexual sin—but those who have been deeply hurt by the evangelical churches they’ve been part of, and never want to go through that pain again.

I am still part of the same church a small group of us started forty-four years ago. Since the church began, several thousand people have gone out in summer missions. Consequently, our congregation is filled with world Christians who know our missionaries personally, pray for them regularly, and give to missions more generously. The eternal dividends far outweigh the short-term costs.

There’s lots of Christ-centered content to be found on the internet, and it certainly can complement our efforts to grow in our faith. But ultimately, we need more than online messages, worship,  comments, and articles. We need each other—as part of the body of Christ. 

Sadly, hurt from church is eating up many people and distracting them from moving on in their spiritual lives and keeping them from church altogether. In this spot-on video, Allen Parr answers the question, “How do you respond when you’ve given your life, your time, and a whole bunch of your money to a church only to be disappointed and hurt?”

I enjoy reading the insights of pastors and others who live in other cultures in different parts of the world. I really appreciated this fresh and thoughtful article by Chopo Mwanza, the pastor of Faith Baptist Church Riverside in Kitwe, Zambia.

This is an excellent blog from Brett McCracken on the problems with the church seeking to win the culture by conforming to it.