I’ve seen it so many times — people that appeared to be solid believers drifting away from the faith and embracing various false teachings. It always breaks my heart! Elizabeth Prata addresses this sad reality in There’s no such thing as an ex-Christian for The End Time. She brings in plenty of Scripture to support her claim, giving clarity on why people seem to abandon Christianity. Her explanation doesn’t take away the pain, but as least it helps us understand why this happens.

It’s been a while since anyone has written for Pyromaniacs, but Dan Phillips has broken the silence. His Pastoral Letter on “Pride Month” ~~ Talking to Your Children is a wonderful resource for parents whose children may be asking some ticklish questions right now. I love the way he goes back to Genesis to lay the foundation for his explanation. Although Blogspot pulled his post from their website, Phil Johnson managed to republish it on a private site.

Check out The Mailbag: How should I approach my church leaders about a false teacher they’re introducing? by Michelle Lesley. Michelle has run this article twice before, but her readers continue to ask her this question. Sadly, more and more churches fall into promoting teachers and music that deviates from sound doctrine, making it necessary for discerning women and/or their husbands to have difficult conversations with church leaders. Michelle offers helpful guidelines for those discussions.

Leslie A knows a thing or two about flowers since she and her husband have operated a landscaping business for 36 years. So she understands how Fake Flowers are a Little Like Fake Religion. Her post in Growing 4 Life shows us four reasons that professing Christians often overlook the signs of false teaching.

For quite some time, I’ve noticed an overemphasis on patriarchy. I’ve tried to address it, only to have my peers politely dismiss my concerns. Now, however, the problem has become much more obvious, especially on Twitter. I very much appreciate Elizabeth Prata for analyzing the root cause of this disturbing trend in How does ‘hyper-patriarchy’ get born? More can, and must, be written about this cancer in evangelical circles, but Elizabeth has made a good start.

We all need tips for Navigating Pride Month, and Blake Long gives us some helpful ones in his blog, Theology & Life. His advice is practical, grounded in the Word of God. It also sobers us with the hard reality that Christians will experience varying levels of persecution for standing on Scripture in terms of LBGTQ matters. (Dan Phillips can verify that fact.)

Writing for G3 Ministries Blog, Scott Aniol reiterates, No, Women Can’t Preach in response (I suppose) to the kerfluffle in the SBC regarding this issue. He takes us through the pertinent Scriptures to demonstrate that the prohibition against women preaching is plain and indisputable.

I, appreciate The Cripplegate for publishing June is for Judgment by Robb Brunansky. Rather than focusing on the sexual immorality that people celebrate this month, Robb zeros in on the this underlying sin that offends the Lord. All of us commit this grievous sin, actually, and none of us should consider it something to celebrate.

Ready for a controversial blog post? Actually, I agree with Tom, the author of excatholic4christ, as far as We Don’t Speak Ill of the Dead? goes, but I think I’m in the minority regarding both Tim Keller and the Roman Catholic Church. I don’t expect most of you to agree with Tom right away. But think about what he says. Do some research. Maybe the Lord will use it to teach you something.

In a post for Aliens and Pilgrims, Jacob Crouch muses on the similarities between The Bible and Wallpaper, If that title doesn’t intrigue you, I don’t know what to say. It’s an encouraging piece, particularly if your time in the Word is getting a little stale.

In this week’s edition of Growing 4 Life, Leslie A walks us through The Conditions We Must Consider as we apply God’s promises. Some of her observations may seem a little legalistic at first glance, as if God bases His grace on our performance. But read more carefully. Leslie isn’t promoting a works religion. She is, however, rightly standing against the entitlement attitude that so many of us adopt.

What happened when people in the Bible saw the Lord? Elizabeth Prata of The End Time tells us that They Fell Down in fear and worship. Much different than today’s casual responses to alleged encounters with Jesus, I dare say!

What does the Bible mean when it says life and death are in the power of the tongue? Having been in Charismatic and Pentecostal churches for so many years, I’ve seen this principle of Scripture terribly misused. Thankfully, Blake Long writes This Power of the Tongue in Theology & Life to clarify the concept. In so doing, he also cautions us to be mindful of what comes out of our mouths.

Dear False Teacher: The Puritan Thomas Brooks Would Like a Word with You uses the writing of the 17th Century sage to address current false teachers who promote LBGTQ ideologies within the church. Rosaria Butterfield demonstrates creativity, Scriptural knowledge and just a little bit of wit in this timely blog post for Reformation 21.

Have you ever wondered about the leech’s daughters in Proverbs 15:30? Peter Krol writes Beware The Leech’s Daughters for Knowable Word to show us how the context helps explain that verse. He even draws our attention to how the passage applies today.

This second essay by Elizabeth Prata explains that Sexual sins are worse. Here’s why because we live in a culture that views sexual sin as normal, and even good. Elizabeth says some things which may seem harsh to 21st Century ears, but we definitely need to hear (and believe) the truths she offers. Let’s share in her boldness to stand for purity.

Just after seeing yet another blog post on a topic that the blogger discusses almost exclusively, I came across Ryan Higginbottom’s very welcome article, Emphasizing What the Bible Emphasizes in Knowable Word. His perspective brings much needed balance to our tendency to overly focus on one point of doctrine.

While we must stand firmly against the blight of feminism, we must avoid falling into the opposite extreme of thinking that women should do nothing but stay home and have babies. So I appreciate Elizabeth Prata for her diligent research in writing Patronesses Phoebe and Susanna: Two named women in the Bible for The End Time. This magnificent piece helps us see ways that God uses women for His kingdom.

In The Mailbag: Should I attend the “Bible” study to correct false doctrine?, Michelle Lesley answers wisely, but in a way I wouldn’t have expected. If your church offers questionable women’s Bible studies, you might want to read what Michelle shares here as you pray about your participation.

I look forward to Tuesdays because Leslie A usually posts in Growing 4 Life on Tuesdays. This week, she discusses the Only Two Places someone can go unless he or she trusts in Christ alone for salvation. Neither place is very appealing, actually — and both ultimately lead to hell. If you’ve never read Leslie’s blog before, this article will give you an example of her no-nonsense approach to declaring God’s truth. It’s precisely why I look forward to Tuesdays.

The Grace to You blog features an article by John MacArthur entitled Overwhelmed by Anxiety? It’s more of an introduction to his book on the topic, but it contains helpful ideas to get us thinking about the proper response to stress and pressure. I particularly appreciate his point on how to use the Scriptures about anxiety correctly.

Jeremy Howard of JeremyHoward.net offers some brief but penetrating comments on why Stopping to Pray is so difficult for us, It doesn’t take long to read, but his insights are well worth your attention.

This is one of those weeks when Michelle Lesley has a lot worth sharing with you. Her Throwback Thursday ~ Amputating Discernment Ministry from the Body of Christ addresses common objections to discernment ministry by defending its Biblical importance and distinguishing properly done ministry from those ministries that abuse the term. Her article provides a necessary corrective to both ditches.

Blake Long of Theology & Life writes a short devotional about how God sees you on Your Best and Worst Days. Although we should never take God’s grace as an excuse for laziness in our walk with Him, it’s comforting to remember how completely He justifies us, If you’re discouraged in your obedience to Him, Blake’s words might offer much needed encouragement.

Writing for The Cripplegate, Robb Brunansky tackles the question, Why Did Jesus Die? Propitiation and the Wrath of God. His explanation goes against popular evangelical thought, yet it aligns with Scripture. It also helps us remember the extraordinary grace that we have in Christ Jesus.

I don’t know how many of you teach women’s Bible studies or write Bible Study blogs, but Ryan Higginbottom’s post Against Springboard Studies in Knowable Word might help you figure out how you want to lead your study groups or write your studies. Actually, even those of us who don’t teach can learn a few things from his thoughts.

During my college days, a classmate whose dad was a minister told me that it’s okay to be angry with God. That advice may be standard psychology, but it’s rotten theology. Responding to last month’s shooting at Covenant Christian School in Nashville, Stephen Spinnenweber writes Please, Don’t Get Mad at God to argue against the notion that anger towards Him is acceptable. His article appears on the Reformation 21 blog, and very much deserves your attention.

In his charming essay, Darryl Dash of Dashhouse reminds us to Think Little instead of dreaming about the “great things” we think we should do for God. He doesn’t really say anything novel here, but sometimes it’s good to hear basic truths repeated.

Leslie A answers the rhetorical question, Should We “Eat the Meat and Spit Out the Bones?” in Growing 4 Life this week. As more and more bad teaching fills evangelical media, Christians need the humility to admit that we don’t always have the discernment necessary to recognize error. She shares one near mistake she made in reading a book that purported to be Christian, and then she offered guidelines for dealing with questionable material. I especially like her observation that discernment calls for complete purity, not for “balance.”

Jacob Crouch’s devotional, The Stream and the Spring, brings us to humility as we compare ourselves to God. Jacob blogs at Aliens and Pilgrims.

Maybe I’m drawn to Elaine Crandell’s Called By Name because it’s a fun slice of her life and I desperately need a little fun right now. Her experience as a contestant on The Price Is Right makes delightful reading. That’s not to say that her post in Treasure In Jars Of Clay is a fluff piece. But you’ll have to read it for yourselves to find out why a Christian blogger would write about a television game show.

Evidently, Blake Long knows where I’m living spiritually these days, because he writes Keep Fighting in Theology & Life as an encouragement in the battle against sin. As with most of his devotionals, this one is short and easy to read, but full of rich truth. You can chew on it for quite a while.

What if I decide something that’s not in God’s will? asks one of Elizabeth Prata’s readers. Elizabeth responds in The End Time with Biblical wisdom. She doesn’t appeal to mystical models of guidance, but rather directs us back to Christian maturity. And isn’t maturity what we really need?