Andrew Spencer

Jan 6, 2025 | thegospelcoalition.org | Andrew Spencer

In 1949, the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) was founded at a YMCA in Cincinnati as a society of scholars, theologians, and pastors who felt strongly that the Bible is true and that it’s the sole norm for evaluating theology. At that point in the history of evangelicalism, it was sometimes difficult for orthodox theologians to begin a theological discussion without first arguing for the fundamental reliability of Scripture.

Dec 27, 2024 | thegospelcoalition.org | Andrew Spencer

The parliamentary procedures known as Robert’s Rules of Order were published in 1876 because Christians had gotten unruly arguing about how to spread the gospel. It sounds like a punchline, but it’s true. Christians have been commanded to love each other to show the gospel’s power to transform sinners (1 John 4:7–12). And yet we often fail to love each other well, so we need rules to help us get along. Rules prevent conflict by setting boundaries, but they can’t make people love one another.

Dec 18, 2024 | thegospelcoalition.org | Andrew Spencer

One of the secrets to writing and editing well is reading a lot. It’s an important part of our jobs as we publish books and evaluate others for the annual book awards. The editorial team at The Gospel Coalition loves to read. We read to get ideas. We read to understand the world better. We read because we love stories. As the year draws to a close, we want to share our favorites with you. We’ve covered some of these books here at TGC with book reviews or podcasts.

Nov 12, 2024 | currentpub.com | Andrew Spencer

Love God, love the planetBy some accounts evangelical Christian resistance to environmentalism is rooted in doctrine. Some on the Left assume that theologically conservative Protestants believe humanity has the right to pillage nature. Some on the Right assume that evangelicals who think humans substantially contribute to climate change have sold out to political progressivism. In reality, theologically orthodox evangelicals have a robust doctrinal foundation for caring for the environment.

Oct 19, 2024 | thegospelcoalition.org | Andrew Spencer

Scripture never explicitly commands us to designate a set amount of time every day for prayer, Bible reading, and worship. And yet, for centuries, Christians have found regularly carving out time for those practices an important part of praying without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) and taking every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5). It’s a measure of God’s grace that he doesn’t command a specific methodology, but most of us—especially in a culture of perpetual time crush—need more structure.