Has the church lost the conviction that God speaks through his Word? I’ve heard far too many anemic sermons, and surely preached my share—sermons that present information, even connecting the dots of doctrine and application—but without addressing the hearers with the authority of the God who still speaks. We hear Christ speaking when the Word […]
Friday, 15 July, 2022 by Andrew J. Miller
Resident Assistant training took an unexpected turn when, a week before my junior year of college began, our RA supervisor took out a large bowl, filled it with water, and washed our feet, one at a time. His name was Randy. Your typical football player type, he was handsome and dated an attractive blonde. He […]
Friday, 24 December, 2021 by Andrew J. Miller
What is theology good for? Or, more specifically: what are doctrinal formulations from ecumenical councils like Chalcedon or the Westminster Confession of Faith good for? One answer is that such theology helps us properly interpret unclear passages of Scripture. Protestants have traditionally held that the basics of the Christian faith are so clearly expounded in […]
Monday, 13 December, 2021 by Andrew J. Miller
Theology Is for Preaching: Biblical Foundations, Method, and PracticeEdited by Chase R. Kuhn and Paul GrimmondLexham Press, 2021416 pages (paperback), $29.99 Does theological acumen enable better reading and proclaiming of Scripture? If it does, then preaching has a theological element. A visit to an art museum with my artist mother teaches me far more than […]
Wednesday, 01 September, 2021 by Andrew J. Miller
Some opening sentences address readers similarly to when the door knocks but you know that it is only the UPS worker dropping off a package—there is no urgency to open the door; there is no urgency to keep reading, other than the commitment you already made to reading a book you purchased. Other opening lines […]
Monday, 30 August, 2021 by Andrew J. Miller
Engaged ruling elders bring vitality to a congregation. Like life in a city without the infrastructure of roads, water, and power lines, church life without active ruling elders grinds to a halt and pastors, however talented, find themselves drained. Enter Vital Churches: Elder Responsibility for Their Pastors and Congregational Planning by Wendell Faris McBurney, a […]
Monday, 19 July, 2021 by Andrew J. Miller
“Yesterday I was dead, and today, I live.” Only a select few can say this, Jesus Christ being eminent among them. In fact, Jesus went one step further, declaring in Revelation 1:18: “I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Only a few others in history […]
Friday, 02 April, 2021 by Andrew J. Miller
Does the church read the Bible differently than others do? If so, how? Derek Taylor’s new book, Reading Scripture as the Church: Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Hermeneutic of Discipleship, attempts to answer these questions and more, delving into the interplay between hermeneutics and ecclesiology. Taylor charts the way forward to an “ecclesial hermeneutic” that is, “a hermeneutic […]
Tuesday, 10 November, 2020 by Andrew J. Miller
Question upon question arises about our future: will schools be closed in the fall? Will the pandemic intensify when the weather cools? Will the economy recover? For Christians and church leaders, one question particularly haunts us: will worship services be disrupted again? Panic seems to reign all around us. The recent lockdown, with its physical […]
Wednesday, 17 June, 2020 by Andrew J. Miller
I find in myself a weariness from the COVID-19 lockdown. I am weary of my tenure as a televangelist, leading a worship service of ten with more participating virtually. I am weary of fasting from the Lord’s Supper. I am weary of not being able to smile at congregants, shake their hands, and see the […]
Tuesday, 26 May, 2020 by Andrew J. Miller
I can vividly imagine the valley below one of the many lookouts of “Skyline Drive” on the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. On sunny days, one of the most eye-catching details of the landscape are the conspicuous dark spots that shade vast portions of the valley, those areas that are under the shadow of a […]
Thursday, 30 April, 2020 by Andrew J. Miller