“Treating fellow believers like family” is often mentioned in Christian communities, but figuring out how to do that can feel rather hazy. It's easy to say that we should care for each other, “bear one another's burdens," and "be hospitable” (Galatians 6:2; Romans 12:13). But without clear guidance, our attempts to embody these exhortations can fall flat, leading to awkward situations or unmet expectations. The Apostle Paul, a believer who intimately knew God's family and had no shortage of experience within the early Christian communities, provides helpful guidance for embodying this ideal....

A widespread misconception about heaven has been fueled not only by common people but even by well-meaning ministers and theologians. The incorrect image of heaven, some would say, is almost an unavoidable cultural inheritance from Plato, from the Greeks and Romans; but this is a misconstrued perception. The principal reason, which will be explained below, for so many ideas about heaven that are not biblical can be traced to a failure to pay heed to the Bible itself....

According to a 2012 Pew Research Center report, one-fifth of all religiously affiliated people have either left their religion or dropped out of organized religion altogether in what’s known as the “nones.” The rise of the nones is a trend in many Western countries, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, Ireland, Australia and the United Kingdom. In the U.S, for example, only 77 percent of millennials identify as religious compared to 90 percent of baby boomers....

The topic of kindness is not one that usually elicits intense theological debates amongst Christians, and it should not, for being kind is generally seen as a good thing. However, just because a concept is seemingly straightforward and easy to adopt, doesn't necessarily mean that its reality in the lives of genuine believers is trouble-free. The contention of this article is that the inconsistencies we sometimes witness between proclaimed Christian belief and demonstrated human behavior can in part be explained by an often-overlooked paradox, which is the fact that Christians can at times be bad at being kind....

This article is about the potent subject of guilt. Although guilt is usually perceived to have only a negative impact on a person’s life, in this article we will look at the way guilt can become a dangerous deception in the Christian life, particularly if misunderstood and misapplied. Jesus, in His ministry of reconciliation, came to free us from the burden of guilt, and we will see how the guilty conscience can be manipulated and exploited to keep us from the fullness of that freedom....

Pastoral ministry can be a very isolating calling. Many pastors have a misguided sense that the chief requirement for the work they do is to be superhuman or self-sufficient—to never admit to weakness or vulnerability. It's a common stereotype, but unfortunately, far too many pastors do indeed hold to this erroneous standard. As an inner voice tells these individuals that they must always be strong, never showing their weakness to others, the ability to ask for help slowly fades away....

Christians, and perhaps more specifically Evangelicals, often emphasize the reality of eternal punishment, or Hell, when sharing the gospel. This reality may seem to overshadow or focus more energy on the potential negatives of spiritual life, rather than highlighting the joy, hope, and fulfillment a relationship with Christ provides. From a theological perspective, this may cause some to question the effectiveness of this approach: Why do Christians, including myself, place so much emphasis on Hell?...