“Christian Nationalism” Misrepresents Jesus, So We Should Reject It

By Jonathan Leeman | 10.31.2022

Christian nationalism doesn’t push forward toward the eschaton, but backward toward the old covenant. It’s anti-new covenant. It nominalizes Christianity and, within a generation, undermines it altogether.

Are Buildings Essential to Healthy Churches?

By Adam Sinnett | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Church Administration | 09.30.2022

Does lacking a building put a church at a disadvantage?

The Benefits of Having a Building

By Benjamin Woodward | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Church Administration | 09.30.2022

Church buildings are beneficial because they maximize Word ministry, provide stability long-term, are a public witness to the gospel, and help the church better steward its money.

The Church: Universal and Local

By Jonathan Leeman | 08.25.2022

Christians throughout history have sometimes emphasized the local or the universal church to the neglect of the other, but a biblical posture emphasizes both.

Book Review: The Loveliest Place, by Dustin Benge

Review by Dan Miller | 08.18.2022

‘The Loveliest Place’ provides a straight-forward, clear-headed, devotionally-oriented portrait of what the church is and the glorious work of redemption God is bringing to completion in and through his beloved bride. 

There’s Absolutely No Substitute for Face-to-Face Ministry—Not Even for an Apostle

By David Daniels | 08.09.2022

Is there something indispensable about in-person ministry, something that simply can’t be replicated through long-distance communication?

Book Review: The Life We’re Looking For, by Andy Crouch

Review by Samuel D. James | 07.21.2022

Andy Crouch’s book “The Life We’re Looking For” is a necessary and convicting work that represents precisely the kind of thinking about theology, humanity, society, and the gospel we need right now.

Help! I’ve Been Asked to Deliver the Announcements

By Dave Cook | 07.07.2022

Sunday morning announcements at church may be understated, but good ones set the tone for a worship service and keep the congregation informed. The time it takes to do them well is worth it.

Book Review: Saints, Suffers, and Sinners, by Michael Emlet

Review by Mark Redfern | 06.30.2022

All Christians—at one time or another—find themselves and those around them to be disheartened and in need of encouragement, idle and in need of warning, or weak and in need of help.

How Strong Trellises Promote Strong Vines

By Paul Alexander | 9Marks Journal: Pursuing Revival While Avoiding Revivalism | 06.14.2022

If you drape your vine over a simple trellis with structural integrity, then its fruit is far more likely to mature without bruising.

The Worship Set: Today’s Sawdust Trail

By Drew Hodge | 9Marks Journal: Pursuing Revival While Avoiding Revivalism | 06.14.2022

If God really doesn’t care what we do when we gather and it’s up to us to design a “worship experience,” then everything is on the table.

How Movements Can Undermine Churches and Hurt Their Own Cause

By Jonathan Leeman | 9Marks Journal: Pursuing Revival While Avoiding Revivalism | 06.14.2022

What pastors, missionaries, and campus leaders need is a vision for church-driven ministry, not movement-driven ministry. This is how we build for the long-run, not for the sprint.

“Finney with a Twist”: Elder Jacob Knapp and the Origins of Baptist Revivalism

By Caleb Morell | 9Marks Journal: Pursuing Revival While Avoiding Revivalism | 06.14.2022

Pastors need to understand that a change occurred among American Baptists in the nineteenth century. This change has shaped our intuitions about conversion, membership, baptism, and what it means to practice regenerate church membership.

Episode 202: On Expressive Individualism (with Carl Trueman)

By C. Trueman, J. Leeman, M. Dever | 04.05.2022

What is “expressive individualism”? Why does something so abstract matter for everyday pastors and normal local churches?

Expressive Individualism and the Church

By Carl Trueman | 9Marks Journal: Expressive Individualism in the Church | 03.18.2022

Like our sinful natures, expressive individualism is something that will inform our intuitions and our understanding until the day we die. So what do we do about it?