Hey everybody, This will be my last post on this website before it merges with http://www.truthunites.org. If you have subscribed to this website, you can go there instead to keep up with my writing and other work, and to subscribe instead to my monthly newsletter. Thank you all! Here is my most recent post there:
Category: Miscellaneous
Truth Unites Plans for Spring 2023
Thanks to everyone who supports Truth Unites and who has been praying for my ministry over the fall and winter. It’s been a busy stretch, and I truly appreciate your prayers. I have felt sustained by the Lord each step along the way. In August and September I refrained from travel as we welcomed little Abigail into the world. In October and early November I had a busy season of travel and ministry (which I shared about in my last post). Then over the holidays I was able to get a bit more done of my book, Why Protestantism Makes Sense:…
Truth Unites Plans For Fall 2022
Thank you to everyone who supports Truth Unites. I truly appreciate how so many folks share the videos, give feedback, etc. And my patron community is such an encouragement! If you’d like to become a patron, you can do so here. I do patron only updates + patron only zooms now and again, so it’s a great way to stay in touch and get to know each other and be a part of the ministry. This post is just a brief update on my plans going into the fall. I will be traveling a fair amount. Please pray for me…
Truth Unites Plans for Summer 2022
I’ve decided to take May completely off from social media. I’ve been pushing pretty hard on YouTube for a while now, and it’s been awesome. For some reason I just find it so much fun. But I’ve also felt pretty exhausted lately. I’ve done a lot of debates and dialogues and interviews, as well as my regular videos, on top of writing, pastoring, and seeking to be a godly husband and father. So I’m looking forward to going “dark” for a month. Here is an overview of what I’ve been doing since my last update in January, and then my…
Evangelical Self-Criticism: A Plea for Openness
Last week I put out a tweet thread expressing concern about a tendency toward conspiratorial thinking among evangelicals. I concluded the thread by affirming my solidarity with evangelicalism amidst dysfunctions: Most of the responses were positive, but there were also some very negative ones, and it was interesting to ponder the different mentalities reflected in the positive vs. negative reactions. In some respects they seem to reflect one the emerging fractures within evangelicalism. I’ve carefully considered the critical responses, sincerely trying to understand where they are coming from. Upon reflection, I’d like to interact with a few of them in…
Recent Dialogues and Truth Unites Updates
I’ve been continuing to blog less as I focus more on YouTube. Rather than sharing all of my recent interviews one by one, I thought I would compile them all in a blog post for anyone interested! From the bottom of my heart, thanks to all who support my ministry, whether via patreon or simply by engaging the videos. First of all, atheist YouTuber Tom Jump invited me to a dialogue on the existence of God over at his channel. Thanks Tom! Our discussion is the first hour of this video: Sean McDowell was kind enough to have me on…
Truth Unites Has a Podcast!
Lots of people have asked if the audio from my Truth Unites videos could be made into a podcast. It is truly my intention that Truth Unites is a ministry that serves you all, and meets as many needs as possible. So: nothing will change to my YouTube videos. If that is what you enjoy, just keep going with it. But the audio will start being available in podcast format as well. That way it allows for maximum access and ease on your end as listeners/viewers. The link is here: https://anchor.fm/truth-unites (also available on spotify). If you are willing to…
Some Recent YouTube Dialogues
I’ve been too swamped for much blogging lately because over the summer I was traveling a bit and finishing up a book project, and also because over the summer and into the fall I’ve been doing a lot more stuff on YouTube. For the rest of this fall, I’m just focusing on my church, my family, and finishing up a few remaining items of research in my project of engaging ecumenical theology. In 2022 I’m hoping to draw that research into a book, and then launch into a new study project of various cultural issues (gender, CRT, issues of justice,…
Should Churches in California Defy Government Restrictions? A Response to John MacArthur
Yesterday John MacArthur released a video update to his church family. As is well-known, Grace Community Church has chosen to defy the state order issued by Governor Newsome banning indoor worship services. At 10:35-10:50 of the video, MacArthur states: Churches are shutting down—large churches shutting down until, they say, January. I don’t have any way to understand that other than they don’t know what a church is, and they don’t shepherd their people. He further intimates that pastors and church leaders who choose not to resist the Governor’s order lack the courage to direct the church to her calling in…
Another Ortlund Update
God has blessed us during our year in the Chicago suburbs. In July Esther and I celebrated 10 years of marriage at the very restaurant at which I proposed to her in downtown Chicago (pictured right). In August little Elijah joined us. I will never forget walking around the neighborhood just outside the hospital in Highland Park, filled with joy and amazement at being a family of 5! Unbelievable. God has been so good to us. We purchased a minivan, which makes me feel like an official “dad.” I became quite adept at chucking snacks into the back row while…