The Gospel Coalition

In recent days, two famous pastors have been in the news because of their sexual sins. One was a former megachurch pastor turned denominational servant who for years was known for his commitment to evangelism, developing younger ministry leaders, and helping wounded pastors heal. The other was a widely respected expository Bible preacher and teacher of other preachers. The ripples of their respective sins spread far and wide. The hurt is real. The scandal is far-reaching. I'm reminded of one of the most powerful short essays I've ever read: Garrett Kell's "Envision the End of Your Sin," published in 2017 for The Gospel Coalition. I read it again this morning, reminding myself of Kell's warning that sin always hides the price tag. I'd commend the essay to every Christian leader, whether you are a pastor or in some other role of kingdom influence. https://lnkd.in/ecau95g8

Recently, as my husband and I chatted with a newlywed couple, the wife remarked, “We need to hang out with your family soon as a form of birth control for us!” She was referring to our four kids, and despite the discomfort I felt at her words, I laughed. Looking back, I wish I’d said, “I hope hanging out with us would do quite the opposite—kids are such a blessing!” I missed the opportunity. While joking about kids may seem inconsequential in the moment, this sort of talk points to a larger cultural trend toward devaluing children by depicting them as burdensome and annoying. As Christians, we need to pause and reflect on how we speak about our children. Do our comments about parenting and our children’s struggles reflect Christ’s heart or the hot takes of our culture? Under the guise of seeking comic relief from parenting’s challenges, could we be sinning by how we talk about children and their sin?

We live in a world that is so broken, and those of us who are joined from Christ are not exempt from experiencing the brokenness of the world. Faith does not make loss hurt less. - Nancy Guthrie

The years may be short, but the days are long—especially when families with small children are cut off from normal routines and stuck at home due to illness or without power due to a hurricane. In moments when your energy flags, dinner needs to be made, and your toddler is rolling around on the floor, turning on music can do wonders to lift the mood. Or you can use this playlist as a soundtrack for family toy-pickup blitz. Even better, schedule an after-dinner family dance party. This playlist is not meant for bedtime, nor were the songs chosen to teach kids theology (although some of them do just that). These upbeat songs are meant to help kids get their energy out, to help parents laugh instead of cry, and to help us make a joyful noise to the Lord.

Christian music is having a moment. In the first half of 2024, it was the fourth fastest-growing music genre, fueled by surprisingly large gains among younger listeners. Millennial and younger listeners represented 39 percent of the genre’s overall audience in 2022, but in 2024, that share is up to 45 percent. All this might come as a surprise, especially as the dominant narratives about Christianity in the West are declensional (deconstruction, dechurching, secularization, post-Christian, etc.), especially among Gen Z. But the upward trend for Christian music is real, and it’s starting to be noticed by the secular press. Billboard magazine recently published a feature article on Christian music’s “heavenly rise,” noting the growth has been especially pronounced on streaming sites like Spotify (where the genre has experienced 60 percent growth globally over the last five years). What should we make of this trend? What factors might explain this seemingly counterintuitive rise of contemporary Christian music (CCM) in a secular age? Here are four initial thoughts.

For most of my life, I didn’t feel particularly masculine. I don’t care for fixing engines, blowing stuff up, wrestling in the mud, or getting jacked. I did play football in high school, but as a 185-pound offensive lineman less than 6′ tall, any “masculinity” I possessed was pummeled out of me when the game began. Action movies bore me, I don’t want to play paintball, and while I’m a gamer, I’m more Boggle than Fortnite. When boomers say my generation is “soft,” they’re referring to me. And yet, without any “come to John Wayne” moments, something has changed—I now feel masculine. What changed for me wasn’t discovering a new hobby or buying a pair of blue jeans or sitting at the feet of Andrew Tate. It didn’t require a retreat in the woods, a workday on the farm, or a toolbox. It wasn’t a stereotypical masculine activity. It was the church.

In this episode of Gospelbound, Collin Hansen and Jamie Dunlop discuss the challenges and beauty of diversity in churches, emphasizing unity in Christ. Drawing from his experience at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Dunlop shares insights on managing disagreements within Christian community with patience, grace, and charity, as outlined in his book,' Love the Ones Who Drive You Crazy.' Watch the full episode below or listen in the Gospelbound podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.

John Piper is going to be one of the many keynote speaker at TGC25! Learn more about TGC25 and sign up at the link in our event!

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. - Ephesians 2:11-22 (ESV)

Long before I married a pastor, I was steeped in the fellowship of pastors’ wives. Mrs. Allan taught me that beauty is a wonderful apologetic. Mrs. March taught me to combat anxiety by keeping active. Mrs. Collins taught me that contentment is a matter of choice. Here’s the twist, though: these women don’t exist—at least, not beyond printed pages and the imaginations of countless readers. The pastors’ wives who populate novels such as Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, and Pride and Prejudice are some of my oldest companions. From reading and rereading their stories, I’ve gleaned true and timeless wisdom that I draw on again and again in my life and ministry. Theirs is a fellowship I cannot recommend highly enough.