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Articles by Bryan Laughlin
Can the Church Talk about Politics?
The answer to the titular question is Yes. In fact, the church can’t not talk about politics. That’s not to say that the church’s mission is politics—it isn’t—but aspects of the church’s mission are political and inescapably so.
Complementarians And The Rise Of Second-Wave Evangelical Feminism
For complementarians like these are emptying complementarity of any positive content, thereby aiding the project of the late modern West, which is warring against the sexual binary and any attempts to identify traits, features, customs, habits, or callings as characteristically—much less, exclusively—masculine or feminine.
Partnership Update: Grimké and Acts 29
By Grimké Seminary | April 15, 2024 Topic: Updates Grimké Seminary was started in 2019 to come alongside churches to help train pastors and planters in their local church context. We are a handmaid to local churches and their pastors to provide support in leadership training within the life of their local church.
Complementarians and the Rise of Second-Wave Evangelical Feminism
Back in the hoary days of 2019, I (Doug) wrote an article on “The Coming Collapse of Complementarianism.” The title was never finalized, but when the draft was complete, I pitched it to two evangelical organizations known for their strong stances on the issue. The first, a church planting network, decided to pass.
Christianity and Functional Liberalism (or How Evangelicalism Denies the Faith)
Because functional liberalism detests claims to authority that do not leave the ultimacy of the individual intact, they turn gospel-centered theology into “gospel-only theology.” The technical term for this is antinomianism. They forget that sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4) and that Christ came to save us from lawlessness (Titus 2:14) and for the obedience of faith (Rom. 1:5; cf. Gal. 6:2).
Christianity and Functional Liberalism (or How Evangelicalism Denies the Faith)
During the summer of 2023, a group of cardinals from every continent posed a series of dubia (a Latin word meaning “doubts” in the sense of questions born of concern or reservation) to the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church. The dubia addressed a range of pressing contemporary matters, from the possibility of women’s ordination to the blessing of same-sex unions.
The COVID Test for Christian Virtue
This article is not actually about COVID. Yet it is about why many Christians were prime targets for deception during the COVID pandemic and how Christians—especially pastors—can become the kind of men who are resistant to folly and dishonesty for the sake of Christ’s church. Recall the early days of the pandemic. For several weeks, there were enough unknowns and conflicting reports that it was prudent to err on the side of caution.
Grimké Seminary from a Student’s Perspective
If you’re anything like me, the thought of attending a newly established seminary raises many questions. With so many seminaries across the church landscape, what need is there for one more? What would the seminary be devoted to, and what type of academic environment could a few founding pastors hope to cultivate? These and others were the questions roaming through my head as I agreed to take a chance on Grimké Seminary as part of its inaugural class (Master of Theological Studies degree).
It’s Time to Reconsider Theological Education
This is the beginning of a series of articles about the scripturally ordered, spiritually vital, yet sometimes tenuous relationship between theological education and the church. Having already broken at least one writing convention, permit me to break a few more: You should know that I write as a product of and a practitioner in both the church and the seminary. I was raised in the church from childhood, and I now lead a church as a shepherd of the people whom God has entrusted to my care.
One-on-One with Mark Sayers on the ‘Reappearing Church’
Ed: Why do you think the church needs the message of this book right now? Mark: In every age, the church needs renewing. There is a process of renewal and decline which we can see at play throughout history. It begins as God in his grace moves. Those open to his leading and humble enough to follow, respond. The move of God becomes a movement.
Sharing the Gospel in a World Filled with Good News Messag...
All people seem to possess an innate ability to share a gospel message. Whether it’s an exercise regimen, a holistic health remedy, a debt-reduction strategy, or any of a myriad of other supposed life-hacks, people of all personality types are bold and courageous when it comes to championing their good news message. The words used give insight into the worshipful undertones they purport: “life-altering” and “transformative” seem to top the list.
Bridges of God: The Church and the Rural-Urban Divide
In 1954, Donald McGavran, a third-generation missionary in India who would go on to found Fuller Seminary’s School of World Mission, published Bridges of God: A Study in the Strategy of Missions. In the book, McGavran offered western missionaries a new paradigm for ministry that cut against the dominant mission-station approach that catered to Western individualism by pulling converts out of their relational networks. McGavran’s proposal emphasized the evangelistic power of interconnectedness.
Our Modern Ephesian Moment
Today, North America is seeing the multiethnic church movement go beyond just rhetoric and percentage-based diversity to actual sophisticated models and expressions. Multiethnic churches have in a way become incubators for ethnogenesis, providing an avenue where Americans are encouraged to explore and negotiate their racial and ethnic identity through theological formation and biblical community.
Expanding the Digital Footprint of Our Churches
Two thousand years ago, the gospel spread from nation to nation via roads built by the Roman Empire. You could begin in Jerusalem and follow the road all the way to Rome. This is what people did, and the gospel could continue to spread from Rome to Spain, and then all throughout Europe. The gospel was spread via these roads, but so was the Roman Empire, which often meant the persecution of Christians along the way. There was as much conflict as there was peace.
One-on-One with Todd Chipman on ‘Until Every Child Is Home’
Today I am glad to welcome Todd Chipman to The Exchange. Todd is assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and teaching pastor at The Master’s Community Church in Kansas City. Below I talk with him about his latest book, Until Every Child Is Home. Ed: Why are you a passionate advocate for adoption and foster care ministry? Todd: I see orphans through the lens of Scripture.
Four Investments that Lead to Missional Power
People make investments constantly. Not only financial investments; all of life is an investment. We invest time, energy, passion and mental space in the things and people we love. Whatever we prioritize is highlighted with fluorescent colors in the investments that we choose to make. Football masterfully illustrates this reality. Around North America, people invest massive time, energy and resources in their favorite team. Our practices follow our passions.
Beyond the Outrage: Helping Christians Be Their Best
We live in a culture saturated in anger, polarization, and tribalism. Every day, there is a new event that ignites a firestorm on social media, in our community, and even across the dinner table. These cycles seem to be getting shorter and more intense with each passing month. For reference, go and look at the headlines in newspapers from a year ago. The stories that evoked mixtures of shock and vitriol are distant memories even as the scars and broken relationships from the insults hurled remain.
What Missionaries Can Teach Us in Post-Christian America
A former Anglican bishop tells the story of when he served as the chaplain of Worcester College, Oxford. It was his duty and privilege to greet every incoming freshman, welcoming them to the university and offering them his guidance. He recalls that the vast majority of students replied in basically the same way: “You won’t be seeing much of me,” they’d say.
Leaving the Faith by Losing the Focus
Another high-profile Christian voiced his decision to “fall away” from faith. To be fair, Marty Sampson did walk back the position, saying that “he hasn’t renounced the faith.” Nevertheless, both Sampson and Josh Harris chose to invite the public in their season of struggle and straying. As one would imagine, such public displays of de-affection has led to a range of reactions from the social media sphere—support, shock, and outrage, to name just a few.
Staying on Mission: What Missionaries can teach us in post-Christian America
Posted on June 28, 2019 By Bryan Laughlin A former Anglican bishop tells the story of when he served as the chaplain of Worcester College, Oxford. It was his duty and privilege to greet every incoming freshman, welcoming them to the university and offering them his guidance. He recalls that the vast majority of students replied in basically the same way: “You won’t be seeing much of me,” they’d say.
Book Review: Some Pastors and Teachers by Sinclair Ferguson
Some Pastors and Teachers. By Sinclair Ferguson. Banner of Truth, 2017. 824 pp. In my church study, I have beautiful floor-to-ceiling bookcases that line the walls. When I finish reading a book, it goes in its proper place on these shelves. I also have a smaller bookcase next to my desk. That bookcase contains “go to” material, books, and notebooks that I use regularly or want close at hand for regular reference. This book will go in that smaller bookcase.
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