Phil Steiger
The pulpit is a clarifying moment for me. The week is full of schedules, conflicts, personalities, requests, expectations, successes, failures, budgets, attendance records, politics…you get the idea. Preparing for standing behind the pulpit is a regular exercise of focusing everything through the lens of God’s Word and truth. But don’t get me wrong – I... Continue Reading →
We have come upon an enigma of a holiday. Thanksgiving sits between two billion-dollar industries – Halloween and Christmas. Halloween merchandise hits the shelves in September, and Christmas hits the shelves, well, about the same time. Sandwiched in between are the fall-colored leaves and cornucopias for Thanksgiving. But, by in large, retail stores treat it... Continue Reading →
I worry sometimes about the lack of intellectual and moral leadership from behind the pulpit. I’m not necessarily pining for days of former glory when sermons were published in the local newspaper; I worry for the present and our near future. The people in our pews live in a high-speed hyper-information age where ideas come... Continue Reading →
Chick-Fil-A made headlines recently for their decision to reevaluate their charitable giving, and to stop giving to groups that include the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Their sin? According to CNN, “Both organizations have taken controversial stands on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.” In fact, CNN’s headline is a glimpse into a predetermined... Continue Reading →
The columnist James Bartholomew claims to have coined the term, “virtue signalling.” He writes: To my astonishment and delight, the phrase ‘virtue signalling’ has become part of the English language. I coined the phrase in an article here in The Spectator (18 April [2015]) in which I described the way in which many people say... Continue Reading →
“We need a combination of supreme moral sensitivity and economic knowledge. Economically ignorant moralism is as objectionable as morally callous economism.” Wilhelm Röpke, A Humane Economy Wilhelm Röpke (1899-1966) deserves a shot at the title: “The Most Influential Economist You Never Heard Of.” A citizen of Germany and decorated veteran of World War I, he... Continue Reading →
I have been talking a lot about sex lately. Maybe a better way to put that is that I have been talking a lot about the ethics and dynamics of human sexuality lately. But when I tell folks I am going to talk about human sexuality they often think I’m going to give them “the... Continue Reading →
#trending -All people of all ages have been sexualized by Western culture. Those in cahoots with the “sexual revolution” will disagree, but I would argue they don’t yet understand the consequences of their sexual ethic. There is no logical stopping point to the current sexual ethic. There is no taboo that is off-limits. The only... Continue Reading →
This series of posts are intended to be short thoughts on trends I see in the culture and church, both positive and negative. Given my cheery disposition, they will likely end up being mostly trending problems I see. These are not fully developed arguments, but the seeds of arguments. They are a placeholder for my... Continue Reading →
