Category Archives: Ministry

Resisting the Gospels

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Darrell Pursiful

Good stuff from Tim Gombis. Well, not good, but worth reading: It goes beyond unintentionally cultivated habits.  I think that reading the Gospels for what they’re really saying threatens to upset and destabilize our church community dynamics that have become … Continue reading →

Posted in Life as Prayer, Ministry, New Testament, Theology | Leave a comment

Chaplain Mike, Douglas Wilson, and a Wood Shed

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Darrell Pursiful

“Esau Christianity” is a neologism we have needed for quite some time: I’m thinking that what Douglas Wilson needs is a Bible study. And won’t he be hacked off to discover that when God wanted to found a nation, he … Continue reading →

Posted in Ministry, Old Testament, Theology | Tagged | 1 Comment

Transfiguration Sunday Sermon: “Managing Mystery (to within an Inch of Its Life)”

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Darrell Pursiful

2 Kings 2:1-12; Mark 9:2-9 I think the closest I’ve ever been to a “mountaintop experience” was on a riverboat. I had just arrived in Louisville, Kentucky to start attending seminary. Crescent Hill Baptist Church always rented the Belle of … Continue reading →

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Eight Traits of a Responsible Ministry

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Darrell Pursiful

Chaplain Mike changes a few key words and produces something truly biblical out of something John Piper said. His conclusion: Piper and others who are elevating male/female distinctions in our day not only have an insufficient view of gender but, … Continue reading →

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Christian Egalitarianism

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Go read Ken Schenck for a succinct, Bible-affirming defense of gender equality in the church and the family. Share this: Digg this postRecommend on FacebookTweet about itSubscribe to the comments on this postTell a friend

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Prepare to Be Discouraged

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

If you don’t want anything to upset your Christmas spirit (or your faith in humanity), please click away. A church’s decision to ban a couple from its congregation, simply because their skin color is different, has cut through the heart … Continue reading →

Posted in +Fellowship, Ethics, Ministry | 2 Comments

The Sermon that Might Have Been

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Touching (and heartbreaking) story from Chaplain Mike: At the very beginning of the pastor’s message, these thoughts came to me. If what I just described had been the sermon, in my view it would have faithfully represented a plain and … Continue reading →

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Random Thought

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Jesus’ enemies denounced him as a friend of sinners. He never denied the charge. In fact he augmented it: “I’ve come for people who are sick, not those who are healthy.” It seems to me we do a disservice to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Life as Prayer, Ministry, Theology | 2 Comments

Columbus Day Reading: The People and the Black Book

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Whatever else you do this Columbus Day, please read this column by Mark Buchanan. Please. “It must be hard for you,” I said to the First Nations people, “to believe that salvation has come to my house when I refuse … Continue reading →

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A Sociology of Sunday School

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Bill Leonard provides a wonderful brief history of and apologia for Sunday School and its influence on Protestant American Christianity. In American Grace, Robert Putnam and David Campbell report that in one 2006 survey 36 percent of Americans claimed participation … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Ministry | 2 Comments