I get that church still has some ways to go with respect to racial reconciliation. I get that despite all the progress–and there has been progress–there remains a level of ignorance that still needs addressing. Even we’ve come a long way, I get that some are unaware of their own unconscious biases that do need challenging if we are truly going to live as brothers and sisters in Christ. Because, if I’m not mistaken, that is the goal to live together as the family of God.

In a world of change and flux, it is reassuring to know that some things remain the same. Take, for example, the motion passed by the Church of England General Synod, calling for a liturgy to help transgender people celebrate their transitions. This motion is consistent with liberal Protestantism’s age-old calling, that of baptizing the moral norms du jour of the respectable chattering classes, presumably in hopes of enhancing the appeal of religion to its cultured despisers. Transgenderism was bound for liturgical acceptance.

Gospel + safety + time. It’s what everyone needs. A lot of gospel + a lot of safety + a lot of time. This is what our churches must be: gentle environments of gospel + safety + time. It’s where we’re finally free to grow.

We have discussed evangelism a lot over the past few weeks and even launched a new site focused on it at EvangelismRenewal.com. Today we discuss six statements that can kill evangelism in your church.

Ask an American Christian what type of church they belong to, and you’re more likely than ever to hear the label nondenominational. The proportion of Protestants in the United States who don’t identify with a specific denomination doubled between 2000 and 2016, according to a Gallup poll released this week. Now, about 1 in 6 Americans are nondenominational Christians.

If ever there was an era in Christian history that believers should be committed to praying for their pastors, it is now. James rebukes our prayerlessness when he says, “You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2). And what prayers are we offering up to God on behalf of our pastors? Let me suggest several.

Russell Moore was the most prominent anti-Trump voice in his denomination. It almost cost him his job.

The latest in a long line of studies, now numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands, shows that church attendance is good for your health. Published in May by researchers from Vanderbilt University, the study found that middle-aged adults who attended religious services at least once in the past year were half as likely to die prematurely as those who didn’t.

This summer, churches everywhere are weighing which Bible studies to offer in the fall. With all the busyness typical of our lives, churches face the question: What gets people to commit to faithful participation in a weekly Bible study? Though many may start, few of them finish.

On most Sundays Jesus is the center of the worship service. But on Sunday before Independence Day, Jesus often takes a backseat to the flag. I understand the motive behind such “Freedom Sunday” services. I consider myself to be as patriotic (rightly understood) as anyone. I just don’t think the symbols of the American nation have a place in the embassy of the kingdom of God.