Next, we move from thinking about the nature of Christian leadership to the character of the Christian leader. Leadership is less about what you can do and more about who you are. I believe that’s true in every category we’ve been considering — home, church, and ministry. While certain skills are necessary (we’ll look at … Continue reading A Leader’s Character: Humility & Self-Control
Category: Sword and Trumpet
Why We Must Look Back in Order to Move Forward
What is Christianity? This is an important question because, if we don’t know what Christianity is, we can’t retain it for ourselves nor pass it on to others. Whether you are in a healthy church, a weak church, or are rebuilding from next-to-nothing, you must know what Christianity is. This should be a given. If … Continue reading Why We Must Look Back in Order to Move Forward
Disciple-Making Leadership
In the previous editorial I introduced the first two components of gospel-shaped leadership: (1) Christian leaders serve others, and (2) Christian leaders are gracious. These focus on the leader’s character. Now we’ll consider two more: (3) Christian leaders draw people toward Christlikeness, and (4) Christian leaders strengthen those in their care. These both focus on … Continue reading Disciple-Making Leadership
How to Spot a False Teacher – Part 3
Sixth Sign: Heretical Someone is a false teacher if he teaches false doctrine. This is probably the first thing we think of. I put it last, not because it is insignificant, but because I wanted to emphasize something I said in the first article: The way to discern a false teacher is not just by … Continue reading How to Spot a False Teacher – Part 3
Gospel-Shaped Leadership
A Christian leader must embody gospel grace. If he doesn’t, his leadership is no longer “Christian.” This kind of leadership — we’ll call it gospel-shaped leadership — imitates the way God relates to us through the gospel. These leaders benefit those in their care, just as God blesses all people — and especially His covenant … Continue reading Gospel-Shaped Leadership
How to Spot a False Teacher – Part 2
Third Sign: Hypocritical Someone is a false teacher if he wants to be praised by other people rather than by God. The Pharisees stand out as the primary example of this kind of false teacher. They were immaculate on the outside, at least according to their standards and their interpretation of God’s law. But on … Continue reading How to Spot a False Teacher – Part 2
Toward Healthy Leadership
In the next few editorials, we will consider Christian leadership. My goal is not necessarily a be-all-end-all discussion of leadership, but an exploration of Christian leadership. I hope to be general enough that the principles apply to pastors as they lead their churches, to husbands as they lead their wives, to mothers as they lead … Continue reading Toward Healthy Leadership
How to Spot a False Teacher – Part 1
In the last year or so, a spotlight has been shone on corruption among some charismatic/New Apostolic Reformation leaders. The man behind the light is Mike Winger, the featured teacher of BibleThinker, an influential ministry primarily focused on exegetical Bible teaching. In the last year, he released over ten in-depth reports on significant charismatic leaders, … Continue reading How to Spot a False Teacher – Part 1
Shaped by Scripture
We are wrapping up our consideration of the things which shape our beliefs and values. I called them spheres — areas or domains which shape us. Some are entrenched and immovable, like tradition and culture. Others are immediate and personal, like philosophy and experience. Others shape how we think: smart phones, technology, and social media. … Continue reading Shaped by Scripture
Dispensationalism Affirmations and Denials
The below document was drafted and adopted by The Sword and Trumpet in 2026 to explain our position on dispensationalism. These affirmations and denials are being set forth to clarify where we stand regarding dispensationalism. It is composed with both covenantalists and dispensationalists in mind. Dispensationalism has often been caricatured by covenantalists and others who … Continue reading Dispensationalism Affirmations and Denials