Helmut Thielicke

It was the last few months of World War II. Stuttgart, Germany, was in ruins, the result of frequent Allied bombing raids on Nazi strongholds. There was one church left standing. Soon, it would be reduced to rubble and the congregation gathered in the church hall. Its...

Louisa Stead

When our son Andrew was young, he was strong-willed and cautious. He was hesitant about trying new things. My wife Chris and I had to coax him into taking swimming lessons, going to summer camp, and trying new activities. It often became a battle of wills. I would...

P. T. Forsyth

I’d love to tell you about Peter Taylor (P.T.) Forsyth’s (1848-1921) fascinating life, but I’m more intrigued by his observations on prayer. Here is but a sample from his book The Soul of Prayer:                                                       ...

Walter Chalmer Smith

The Bible asserts two things about us as people: 1. we are deeply flawed, and 2. we are deeply loved. Both things are simultaneously true about us. Some of us were raised in churches that were all about the flaws, a steady drumbeat of guilt and shame. It didn’t...

Benedict of Nursia

What are we to make of Jesus’ frequent encounters with the devil and his legion of demons? Evil spirits don’t seem to have the same prominence today as they did in Jesus’ time. Here is my take on things. When God comes to earth in Jesus Christ, the...