Osteen Keeps Using God’s Band-Width | Ordinary Pastor

To the surprise of no one, Joel Osteen is on the cover of another magazine and the author of another book. The life-coach with a million dollar smile continues to be widely popular. To be clear: I am not against life-coaches or good smiles. I even have a personal soft-spot for a mullet and a well fitting suit. However, what I am against is a guy who continues to use Jesus’ bandwidth to broadcast his message.


Our church building is right next to a high school. Several months ago we noticed our wi-fi was ridiculously slow. After some investigation we found out that many of the students were cutting class and sitting on our stoop watching movies and other network demanding activities. The ministry of the church was being slowed by the student’s entertainment. I feel like this is what Joel Osteen does. He just kind of hangs out on the stoop of Christianity with his God-talk giving hat-tips to Jesus and a Bible story every now and then. But you know what? He is dragging down our bandwith. He is convoluting the message. He is hindering communication.

MORE: Osteen Keeps Using God’s Band-Width | Ordinary Pastor

The Poverty of Nations | the Cripplegate

Global poverty is simple in its explanation but complicated in its solution. People are poor because they lack the ability to produce their own wealth. Solving that requires a complex solution consisting of at least 78 different factors that can only really be implemented on a national level.


At least that is the view put forward in The Poverty of Nations by Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus. This book is a clear explanation of what governing principles lead to the production of wealth, and it also serves as a refutation of immoral practices that lead to poverty. Grudem (a theologian) and Asmus (an economist) make a formidable combination, and the case they lay out for how countries should run their governments is convincing.

Grudem and Asmus take complex economic theory and explain it in an accessible....MORE ...
The Poverty of Nations | the Cripplegate

The Wardrobe Door: 3 Biggest Regrets of Billy Graham's life

Proclaiming the gospel - is there any other way Billy Graham would celebrate his 95th birthday?


With the My Hope America campaign, Graham continues to demonstrate his ultimate desire is to see those who are far from God come near through the cross of Christ.

There will never be "the next Billy Graham" because God only created one. We should not attempt to blindly copy his methodology, but we can definitely learn from the principles that have guided him and his heart that has been shaped by His love for Christ and the lost.

Perhaps even more significantly, we can learn from what Graham would say he regrets the most.

Thinking back over the decades of service to his Savior, we don't often associate regrets with Billy Graham and his ministry. As he neared the end of his life, however, he has shared those things that brought him the most regret. MORE:  The Wardrobe Door: 3 Biggest Regrets of Billy Graham's life

ENDA and the Christian Response | Denny Burk

Editor’s Note: This week the Senate is poised to take up the Employment Non-Discrimination of Act of 2013 (ENDA). The law would prohibit some religious business owners from the freedom to hire individuals who share the values of their business. President Obama blogged at The Huffington Post over the weekend in favor of ENDA. This law has wide-ranging implications that directly affect religious liberty. Andrew Walker, Director of Policy Studies with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has graciously provided an interview to help readers think through this controversial law. Read it below.
Q: What is ENDA?

This week, the Senate is poised to vote on S. 815, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013, an act that makes it illegal for employers to refuse to hire, fire, or otherwise discriminate if a person identifies as homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, or transgender. It specifically relies on the categories of “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” (SOGI).

MORE - ENDA and the Christian Response | Denny Burk

9 Things You Should Know About Persecution of Christians in 2013 – The Gospel Coalition Blog

Christians are the single most widely persecuted religious group in the world today. As we pray for the persecuted church, here are nine things you should know about the plight of believers around the globe:

1. Christian churches around the world have set apart the month of November to remember and pray for the persecuted church, through the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).

2. According to the U.S. Department of State, Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Christ.

9 Things You Should Know About Persecution of Christians in 2013 – The Gospel Coalition Blog