Category: The Gospel Coalition

The Story: A new survey finds significant racial and ethnic differences in the perceived safety of attending religious services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Background: According the survey conducted by…

Humans have a unique capacity for wondering about meaning, purpose, and value. No other being on earth, or as far as we know in the entire cosmos, shares our reflective…

In my early years at my church, I’d sometimes ask longtime members about the pastors who preceded me. I wasn’t tempting them to gossip, but I was hoping to learn…

The new August 2020 issue of Themelios has 255 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. It is freely available in three formats: (1) PDF, (2) web version, and (3)…

The Western world is tribalizing at lightning speed. And while I believe the disruption to previously normal patterns of church is from God and for our good, it’s becoming increasingly clear…

“No one can help or hurt a child like a parent can.” Do you doubt this observation? Try finding a memoir that isn’t an extended meditation on the author’s parents.…

I (Matt Smethurst) recently read Mark Vroegop’s timely new book, Weep with Me: How Lament Opens a Door for Racial Reconciliation (Crossway, 2020). The following 20 quotes caught my attention. The…

“When I was asked to write a book on conflict resolution, my first thought was, Write one? I need one!”  Tony Merida’s honest humor in the introduction to Christ-Centered Conflict…

Growing up, “phooey” was my G-rated response when disappointed with circumstances. And if I was mad at a person, I’d go PG once in a while (when my parents weren’t…

Motherhood is joyful but daunting. We never feel like an expert because the subject keeps changing. Just when we know how to parent a toddler, it’s time for elementary school.…