Here are articles written by author Chris Bolinger.
Note that, if you tap a link to view an article, then the article will open in a new browser window.
BiblicalLeadership.com
Click here to see articles and more from Chris Bolinger on BiblicalLeadership.com.
The Bible
Reading the Bible
4 Reasons to Read the Bible More Often
If you’ve been a Christian for a while, then you’ve been told, encouraged, and even begged to read your Bible regularly, preferably every day. But you may not have been told why. Here are four reasons to read your Bible regularly.
5 Reasons Why We Struggle to Read the Bible Regularly
The “magic number” for frequency of Bible reading is four days per week. But the vast majority of U.S. Christians do not read God’s Word that often. Most want to, but they don’t. Here are five reasons why we struggle to read the Bible regularly.
3 Tips for More Regular Bible Reading
A few years ago, I was in the middle of a challenging, two-year Christ Led Communities (CLC) program for small groups of men who want to go deeper in their faith. CLC stresses the importance of having a daily quiet time with God, which was something that I never had done. Here are three things that I learned that should help you in your quest for more regular time in God’s Word.
How to Get More out of Your Bible Reading
“When we read the Bible, we have to read it through the eyes of the people for whom that it was first written,” says David Instone-Brewer. That’s a challenge for people who study the Bible for a living. So, what are we mere mortal men to do? Instone-Brewer has two recommendations.
4 Compelling Reasons to Get a Bible Reading Partner
Reading plans, which are available for free online, are helpful if your goal is to read the New Testament or the entire Bible in a set period of time, such as a year or two. If your primary goal is application, then a devotional may help. But your best bet for reading your Bible consistently is not a tool. It’s a friend. Here are four reasons why.
3 Ways to Mine More Gold from Familiar Bible Passages
When I tried to “just get through” the Bible, even familiar passages became dry to me. I found myself going on auto-pilot. When I wrote a daily devotional, however, I discovered that there is plenty of gold to be mined from every part of Scripture, including the passages that I have read dozens of times.
The Best Resolution
There’s one resolution that, when you keep it — even imperfectly — helps you achieve all four goals for which people make resolutions: improve your health, improve your life, improve your behavior, and get closer to God.
4 Reasons Why Lent Is a Great Time to Start a Resolution
In a New Year’s article, I made the case that the best New Year’s resolution is this: read the Bible every day. Even if you didn’t make that resolution – or any resolution – for this year, the start of Lent is the perfect time to commit to reading your Bible every day. Here are four reasons why.
Why Summertime Is the Perfect “Second Chance” to Read the Bible More
At the beginning of the year, I resolved to read the Bible every day. I failed to keep my resolution. But God gives us second chances. When we rely on Him, we can fulfill a Japanese proverb: Fall seven times. Stand up eight. Here are four men in the Bible who took advantage of the second chances that God gave them.
Who Reads the Bible More: Men or Women?
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, women exhibited slightly higher levels of Scripture engagement than men did. But something happened in 2020 to change that.
Bible Highlights
3 Things You May Not Know about the Old Testament
Roughly three-fourths of the Bible is found in the Old Testament, but most Christians spend the bulk of their Bible-reading time in the New Testament. If you’re one of them, then you may not be intimately familiar with what was, in the time of Jesus, the entire Bible. Here are three things that you may not know about the Old Testament.
4 Things That the Old Testament Teaches about Suffering
If you are feeling the “holiday blues” and burned out on your traditional sources of encouragement, then try the Old Testament. It has plenty to teach on how to deal with struggles and suffering, whether at Christmastime or at any other time of the year. Here are four things the Old Testament teaches about suffering.
4 Little-Known Old Testament Verses that Point to Easter
At Easter or any other time of the year, Handel’s Messiah reveals Jesus, our risen Lord and Savior. Here are four relatively unknown Old Testament verses – each set to music in Handel’s Messiah – that can point you to Easter.
Why Does Pilate’s Wife Appear in the Bible?
There is only one mention of Pilate’s wife in the Bible. When you dig into why it is there, however, you discover that there’s a great deal of significance behind it.
What Early Christians Can Teach Us About Tolerance
The tolerance of early Christians was not due to cowardice. In fact, early Christians were persecuted by Jews and Romans alike. So, what did these first followers of Jesus tolerate? And why?
Men and the Church
The Value of Men in Church
Why Your Church Needs More Men
Murrow’s goal is to help churches attract and retain more men and boys. He reminds us that “many have called men back to the church. It’s time we called the church back to men.” Attracting more men to your church brings four major benefits.
Why (Many) Men Hate Going to Church
“I’ve been in the TV and video production industry for over 30 years. In my business, you learn that everything has a target audience. ESPN has a different target audience than the Oxygen channel, for example. If the typical church were a TV show, it would be on the Oprah Network.”
Is the Church Driving Men Away?
Is David Murrow correct that some Christian men hate going to church? In this follow-up interview, he explains what churches are doing to drive men away, why it matters, and how churches can change.
How Your Church Can Attract More Men: A Proven Blueprint
The typical Christian church in North America draws an adult crowd that’s 62 percent female. But growing churches are gender-balanced. If you want your church to grow, you need to attract and engage men. But how does an established church attract more men?
Why It’s Crucial to Get Men More Involved in the Post-COVID Church
When a church taps into its men, those men can be a powerful and motivating force for effecting positive change in the community. Effective churches need a mindset that values collaboration and teamwork.
Men’s Ministry
4 Keys for Building a Thriving Men’s Ministry at Your Church
“If your current men’s ministry is stuck, or dying, or ineffective, there is a way to breathe new life into it,” says Kevin Harris. He offers four keys to building a thriving men’s ministry at your church.
5 Military Tactics for Building Up Your Church’s Men
To build up the men of your church, you need to get them out of isolation and help them build brotherhood bonds with other Christian men. How? Dusek has five recommendations, all based on tactics that are employed by the military.
How to Make Your Men’s Ministry More Effective
Men’s events sometimes succeed at getting men in the door but, over time, these approaches are counter-productive. They don’t “stick” with men. They don’t lead to transformative life change. If you’re ready for the impact of more effective men’s ministry, here are five important steps.
Finding Your Band of Brothers at the Movies
Like the men in King Henry’s time, today’s men want to have a close-knit group of male friends who provide each other with support, encouragement, and accountability. But few men have a band of brothers. In fact, many men have no close male friends at all. And, if they do, those close friends probably don’t worship together on Sundays. So, how can a church help men develop close friendships with other Christian men? David Dusek recommends having them watch some film clips.
Teaching Life Skills: Practical Outreach for the Men, and Women, of Any Church
Is your church having trouble reaching youth, young adults, and young families? Do your older members feel like they don’t have a lot to offer to today’s “young people?” Well, they do. They have a ton of experience and expertise. And they can teach it to teens and 20-somethings who are hungry to learn. Just ask Mark Miller, the pastor of Victory in Christ Jesus Ministries in Palm Bay, Florida.
Hot Cultural Issues
How Churches Can Address a National Issue: Fatherlessness
“Fatherlessness is one of our top national social issues,” says Joel Shaffer, who lives in Grand Rapids. “Kids growing up without a father are four times more likely to live in poverty, nine times more likely to be raped or sexually abused, two times more likely to commit suicide, 20 times more likely to become incarcerated, and two times more likely to drop out of high school.” For 20 years, Shaffer has been working with local churches to fill the father void in Grand Rapids and achieve urban transformation, one person at a time.
Abortion’s Unrecognized Trauma Victims: Almost Fathers
Nearly everyone treats abortion as a women’s issue. But the loss of fatherhood is traumatic for men. Because this trauma rarely is treated, it often leads to other issues, such as addiction.
The Importance of Treating Men, Not Just Their Addictions
When one of his sons began to struggle with drug addiction, Dan Gregory decided to learn all he could about addiction and addiction treatment. What he found was a broken system. So he set out to fix it in his own backyard.
Will a Liberal LGBTQ Path Cause UMC Decline?
What has happened to other denominations that have chosen to embrace ordination and marriage of LGBTQ people? Let’s look at metrics available on denomination websites and various online analyses for membership, attendance, and baptisms within these denominations.
What Can the UMC Learn from the Salvation Army?
Before it repeals the Traditional Plan and amends its Book of Discipline to allow for same-sex marriages and ordination of LGBTQ clergy, the United Methodist Church may want to take a hard look at another denomination that shares its Methodist heritage and continues to maintain a “traditionalist” viewpoint of sexuality while taking a great deal of heat for that position: The Salvation Army.
Other Issues
Small Churches: An Essential Element in a Divine Strategy
Nearly half of American churchgoers attend a church of 100 or fewer members, and 85% of Protestant churches in North America have fewer than 200 regular attendees. So why do most pastors of small churches feel like failures? Karl Vaters did. And his struggles landed him in a Christian counselor’s office.
Calvinists vs. Arminians: Why Christians Are Divided on the Doctrine of Election
Nearly 400 years ago, a Lutheran theologian and educator named Rupertus Meldenius (or Peter Meiderlin) encouraged Christians with different points of view on non-essentials to stay unified in the Christian faith. He famously made a statement in Latin that, translated, means: In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things charity. Sadly, his advice has not stopped Christians from lobbing verbal hand grenades at each other since. Often, the mean-spirited words have resulted from a disagreement on the doctrine of election, or how people are chosen for salvation.
Why TBN Is Offering a Broader Mix of Christian Content
Think that the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is exclusively the domain of preachers such as Joel Osteen, Steven Furtick, and Joyce Meyer? Think again. A broader mix of content – including edgy, dramatic content – is starting to appear on the venerable Christian network.
Families and Friends
Parenting
7 Reasons to Thank Your Dad
Many fathers rarely hear how important they are to their children. A group that champions fatherhood and raises awareness that dads matter is the Fatherhood CoMission. The group’s Honor Your Father campaign is a nationwide collaborative effort to encourage every Christian to honor his or her dad, even if he is not involved in your life. And even if he is no longer alive.
3 Life Lessons My Mom Taught Me at Her Life’s End
Outside the classroom, my mom rarely used words to teach. Instead, she taught by example. How she led her life was the lesson for the day. Every day. As she lay dying in a hospital bed, unable to speak for the last 16 hours of her life, my mom still taught us.
9 Important Things I Learned from My Dad
While my dad never will be famous, his words — and more importantly, his actions — have taught me a great deal. Even when he wasn’t trying to. Here are nine important things I learned from my dad.
3 More Things My Dad Taught Me
My dad lived a full life, and he taught me a lot. Because he was a humble and quiet man, I learned mostly by observing his actions. A previous article covered much of what he taught me. Here are three more things I learned from him.
10 Christian Books You Should Get Your Teen
Don’t teens spend every waking moment on social media? Do they actually read books anymore? “Yes,” says industry expert Hope Bolinger. “Teens still read books. The written word is alive and well with teens.”
How to Father a Child with Depression or Anxiety
As a father, you have many opportunities to be a positive influence in the life of your child. But what specifically can — and should — you do if your child appears to be struggling with depression or anxiety? I consulted with Martha Flemming, a licensed professional clinical counselor with New Source Counseling, to arrive at these seven recommendations.
Sex
Holy Sexuality
To live as a follower of Jesus, you need to free yourself from the influence of any desires, including your sexual desires. But how? Christopher Yuan explains.
One Key to Helping Men Kick Porn
Dave turned to the crowd and asked, “How is our strong man going to be freed? Can he struggle his way to freedom? Can he pray his way to freedom? What will it take to restore him to full strength?”A man in the back shouted, “Anybody got a knife?”
5 Tips for Helping Your Christian Brother with His Porn Problem
You can play a key role in helping your Christian brother with his porn problem. Here are five guidelines for your effort.
Marriage
4 Good Valentine’s Day Gifts for Men
On Valentine’s Day, a man is expected to demonstrate love to his wife, and a woman is expected to demonstrate love to her husband. But what your husband really wants is your respect, not your love. Here are four ideas for Valentine’s Day gifts that communicate “I respect you” to your husband.
Divorce and Christian Men
What the Bible Really Says about Divorce
You go online and check out what some prominent Christian pastors say on the topic of divorce between Christians. They all say the same thing: (1)The only valid reason for a Christian couple to get a divorce is if one is unfaithful (and unrepentant). (2) If one spouse really isn’t a Christian and abandons the marriage, then the Christian spouse is allowed to divorce the unbelieving spouse. (3) A Christian who divorces is allowed to remarry only if he or she was the wronged party in the failed marriage. Then you stumble upon a reference to Divorce and Remarriage in the Church, a book by researcher David Instone-Brewer. And everything changes.
4 Critical Insights on Divorce and Its Effect on Men
From a Christian perspective, it’s difficult to see anything positive in a divorce. But my divorce has had at least one positive impact on my life as a Christian man: it has opened my eyes to the challenges faced by divorced Christians, especially divorced Christian men. Here are four things that I have learned about divorce.
9 Ways Men Can Support Christian Brothers through Divorce
Your divorced Christian brother never wanted to be in the situation in which he finds himself, and he may feel that he is struggling alone. How can you support and encourage him? I consulted with Martha Flemming, a licensed professional clinical counselor with New Source Counseling, to arrive at these nine recommendations.
How Your Church Can Minister to Men Struggling with Unwanted Divorce
This past weekend, I learned about two more men who felt abandoned by their churches when they went through a divorce. Two churches. Two communities. Same lack of support for the man in a failed, or failing, marriage. I hear these stories again and again. Church, we have a problem. We’re shooting our own wounded.
6 Things Every Divorced Dad Needs before He Starts Dating
If you’re a Christian dad who has recently gone through a divorce, then odds are that you: are hurting, feel out of place at and even abandoned by your church, and/or are lonely, and tired of being alone. You’ve got a big void in your life, and you may be itching to fill it by finding a good woman with whom to start a relationship that, ideally, will end in marriage. Before you start down that path, however, you need to consider these six things.
Christian Living
Faith
Being Patient in an Instant-Gratification World
When God seems distant, we need to follow this pattern: call out to God, remind ourselves of God’s help in the past, and exhort ourselves to be strong in God. The result will be reassurance and confidence that enable us to be patient … even when we don’t want to. Here are the stories of four men who waited for God – sometimes for a long time.
Making Leaders out of Knuckleheads
It’s easy for us to look at early Church leaders such as Philip, Peter, and John and see them as pillars of the faith. Bold, fearless men who always did the right thing. Supermen of old. But they were ordinary men. Men who made mistakes. Men who sometimes were knuckleheads.
Running from Emmaus
Consider the pair who walked to Emmaus. What would have happened to them if Jesus had stayed with them, as they wanted? They could have asked him a ton of questions. They could have celebrated with him long into the night. And the next day, they could have traveled with him wherever he went. But they wouldn’t have run from Emmaus to Jerusalem.
4 Ways Jesus Gives You Abundant Life
In John 10:10, Jesus reveals this: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Not just forgiveness of your sins. Not just salvation and an ongoing relationship with a loving God. Not just eternal life in heaven after you die. Abundant life. Right now. Here are four ways that Jesus gives you abundant life.
4 Uplifting Lessons from the Life of St. Patrick
His given name wasn’t Patrick. He wasn’t Irish. He didn’t drive the snakes out of Ireland. Instead, the real St. Patrick was a gutsy, creative, tireless missionary in a land where he had been a slave as a young man. Here are four uplifting lessons that you can learn from the life of St. Patrick.
Music and Faith
Important Stories Behind Your Favorite Worship Songs
If your church is like many, then it has replaced hymns (accompanied by an organ or piano) with worship songs performed and led by a praise band. But you may still be singing hymns – classic hymns written decades or even hundreds of years ago – at least part of the time. That’s because some of today’s popular worship songs have famous hymns as their foundation. And behind these songs are some really great stories. Here are four of them.
Top 3 Reasons to see Handel’s Messiah
If you’ve never seen a performance of this masterful oratorio, or you can’t remember the last time you did, then you need to make this the year that you go. Here are three big reasons why.
Sin
C.S. Lewis: Why Pride Is the Greatest Sin
What is the great sin? What sin is worse than any other? In his radio address, C.S. Lewis answered with clarity and persuasiveness.
Confessions of a Pharisee
I’ve been a Christian for my entire adult life. And I’ve been a Pharisee almost as long.
Leaving the Pharisee Life
I’m sick of the Pharisee life. I want out. And I’m getting out. If you’re with me on this road to recovery, you can take these seven steps, too.
Why Did Judas Betray Jesus?
Why did one of the 12 disciples of Jesus betray his Lord? And what can that betrayal teach us about our own relationship with Jesus?
7 Reasons Christian Leaders Should Avoid Self-Promotion
“Today we are expected to sell ourselves at every opportunity, from employment resumes to conversations at parties,” says David Instone-Brewer, a Baptist minister and Bible scholar. He says that the Bible gives at least seven reasons why Christian leaders should be very careful about self-promotion.
Is Sharing Fake News a Sin?
Facebook defines “false news” as any information that is inaccurate or misleading. To “fight the spread of false news” on its platform, Facebook works with a network of “independent” and “non-partisan” fact-checkers that are certified through the International Fact-Checking Network. Not everyone agrees that all of these arbiters of truth have their facts straight.
Resources for Christian Men
3 Ways to Address the Shortage of Books for Christian Men
The disparity between men’s books and women’s books is on display just about everywhere that Christian books are sold -– from small brick-and-mortar stores to the largest online outlets. Why is this the case? And what can you do about it?
Top 10 Men’s Devotionals
If you search for devotionals on a popular Christian book retailer’s website and then select an audience of “Men”, you narrow your search results from over 11,000 offerings to about 300. Which of those 300 men’s devotionals should you consider? Here are 10 that focus on the Bible and how to apply it to your life, consistently speak from a man’s perspective, challenge men to go deeper in their walk with Christ, and have achieved significant sales.
4 Ways Sports Films Connect Guys to God
Many guys love sports. Playing sports. Recalling the “glory days” of past athletic achievements. Rooting for sports teams. Talking about sports…endlessly. So when you ask a man to list some of his favorite movies, he’s likely to name a few sports films, because such films resonate with men. And they often connect guys with God.
Other Topics
5 Tips for Shaping Your Workplace Culture
You don’t have to be a chaplain to play a role in having a positive influence on your workplace, says Richard Buckley of Corporate Chaplains for America. Anyone in the workplace can shape its culture in a positive way. Here are his five tips for doing so.
5 Habits of a Discipled Leader
Preston Poore was a top performer at a large corporation. He was on the fast track to a high-level position. At least, he thought he was. There was just one problem: he didn’t know how to lead.
Tips for Sharing Your Faith with Another Guy
You don’t need to be a professional preacher or a biblical scholar to share the Good News with another man. A good place to start is by sharing the story of how and why you became a Christian. How should you share your faith story? Here are four tips from some experienced disciple-makers.
Practical Steps You Can Take if You’re Drowning in Screen Time
As we’ve given more of our time and attention to screen life, we’ve lost touch with real life, says David Murrow, author of the book Drowning in Screen Time. Reducing screen time can be tough, but Murrow offers some solid recommendations.
8 Pillars for Overcoming the “Man Laws”
Marcelle realized that there was a gap, even a gulf, between the man he was and the man he was supposed to be, the man whom God had called him to be. “My life didn’t change overnight, but my realization began a journey,” he says. On that journey, Marcelle discovered that all men follow certain “man laws” that are passed down, often unwittingly, from generation to generation.
An Innovative and Biblical Approach to Investing
Whenever stock and bond markets are performing poorly, investment advisors reassure their clients by pointing to past downturns and highlighting what happened after each: the markets recovered and grew. In the long term, the stock market does very well, advisors always say. But what happens when you invest for the long term and still don’t get the results you expect?
4 Critical Plans to Make Before Your Retire
I retired too early. I was in good shape financially, but I wasn’t ready to retire. I hadn’t prepared myself. A few years after I retired, I found myself drifting, uncertain about my future. If I had it to do over again, then I would have put these four key plans in place before I retired.