Any meaningful testimony about a life changed by Christ includes not only sin’s bankruptcy but also Jesus’s beauty and power to redeem. In the past, I’ve been skeptical about people coming to Christ not because they’ve seen his beauty but because they’ve only seen their sin’s ugly fruit. Such people have identified what they’re running from, but I’ve doubted their faith in the One they’re running to. While I still think Christ’s positive pull (Matt. 12:45) is more powerful than sin’s repelling nature (2 Pet. 2:22), our current cultural landscape has me reevaluating an unlikely evangelism tool: hellfire and brimstone. Outrage: No Match for God’s Plan “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” I’ve heard this slogan thrown around more times than I can count—and not just from those who’ve adopted conspiracy theories. The news cycle thrives on (and profits from) outrage. I’m not surprised when I learn of yet another public figure’s moral bankruptcy. I’m also not apathetic, but I resist the pull to be outraged. I still believe that God will, in the end, “cut them down.” And I’m starting to think my non-Christian neighbors and friends might also find the once-unpopular doctrine of God’s judgment attractive. With trust in public officials near an all-time low, more people are adopting a pessimistic outlook on the future. They’re no longer worried that something bad may happen. They reactively assume a posture of outrage when bad things are revealed. I’m starting to think my non-Christian neighbors and friends might also find the once-unpopular doctrine of God’s judgment attractive. For Christians who embrace the doctrine of depravity, our world’s evil shouldn’t be surprising. But it’d be imbalanced for us to mimic our neighbors’ outrage and pessimism. As defenses against disappointment, these postures seem effective, but sadly, they blind us from seeing the larger tapestry God is weaving. Yes, humans are hopelessly sinful (Rom. 3:9–18, 23). Yes, power often corrupts (Eccl. 4:1). Yet God isn’t deaf to the afflicted’s cries (Isa. 59:1). He’s not blind to their plight (Gen. 16:13). Outrage accomplishes little, though it does threaten our own flourishing (Matt. 6:27). What if instead we pointed our neighbors to the One who will exact perfect justice? For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. (Ps. 37:28) The psalmist here gives us both a warning and a promise. Saints calling on God’s name will be preserved eternally, but the wicked will receive their just damnation. To “be cut off” is no small consequence. It’s the appropriate way to deal with humanity’s secret sins. Surprised by Injustice? The Lord doesn’t only love justice; he also exacts it. Think of Jesus’s warning to the one who causes “little ones” to stumble: “It would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6). When a friend or neighbor asks me what I think, for example, of the Epstein files, these words seem highly applicable. Luke similarly records an interaction where Jesus is approached about deep moral corruption in the government. Pontius Pilate had profaned some Galileans’ worship by mixing their kinsmen’s blood with their sacrifices (Luke 13:1). What strikes me here is the lack of outrage among Jesus’s audience. Pilate’s evil is irrefutable. In our day, the online world would burn red-hot condemning his actions. Yet it’s not surprising to Jesus’s audience. Why are we so scandalized when yet another public figure’s deeds are exposed as evil? I suspect many of us have a naive view of human depravity. Your neighbors and mine likely believe they’re upright moral citizens. In the post-Enlightenment West, they extend their belief in humanity’s goodness to those in positions of power. And all the while, they clutch their pearls when the latest scandal breaks—and break it will. Fertile Gospel Ground Our culture’s shock at evil is fertile ground for gospel conversations. My neighbors need to be told (as I need to be reminded) of the full gospel narrative and the place on redemptive history’s timeline we currently inhabit. Humanity was created good, but we live in a fallen world. We shouldn’t be surprised when bad people do bad things. Later, when the rich young ruler approaches Jesus and calls him good, Jesus philosophizes about the sentiment: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:18–19). If Jesus can use this tool, so can we. When a coworker brings up the latest celebrity evil, invite him or her into the Bible’s narrative. “Why are you surprised when the evil deeds of those with influence come to light?” Humanity was created upright, but he pursues many evil schemes (Eccl. 7:29), often hurting others in the process. Yet a day is coming when God’s justice will make all things right. He’ll punish the evil ones eternally in hell. And this is good news. Humanity was created good, but we currently live in a fallen world. We shouldn’t be surprised when bad people do bad things. The question is whether we’ll take stock of our own souls. We have little control over what goes on out there in the world. But we must decide to turn away from sin and to Christ for ourselves. Will we repent? I’ve often heard that the gospel is “bad news” before it’s “good news.” Before we can see how great a Savior Jesus is, we must grasp the wretchedness of our sinfulness. Not only are those in power capable of great evil—so are we. We’re not exempt from God’s justice. Will You Examine Your Heart? When we see evil in the world, will it prompt us to examine ourselves? We can shake our fists at the evil powers all we want, but we all must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. God’s justice will be exacted, either on us in hell or on the Substitute. That’s the call we must extend to our neighbors. The only perfectly just man to ever live also suffered an unjust death. The same Pilate who profaned the Galileans’ sacrifices oversaw the profaning of Jesus. But so did we. So before we respond with outrage at the world’s injustice, we must repent for the injustice in our own hearts. Apart from Christ, we all deserve hell. But Jesus suffered for us at the hands of an unjust system. This is good news even for those who don’t yet know it. Maybe you can tell them . . . and use God’s judgment of evil as your starting point.

Gentle parenting appeals to many Christian parents because it values patience, empathy, and emotional connection. But does it fully align with Scripture? This article explores where gentle parenting can reflect biblical virtues, where it may fall short, and how parents can pursue discipline that is loving, wise, consistent, safe, and rooted in the gospel.

What does Proverbs 18:22 mean when it says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing”? This article reflects on the blessing of a godly wife, celebrating her strength, support, peace, wisdom, and partnership while reminding readers that a wife is a precious gift from the Lord to be honored, cherished, and never taken for granted.

The One who spoke the earth and the heavens into existence still speaks to us today. When we seek to understand the character of our Creator, our lives will begin to reveal His protective hand.

The tired words “Let’s try that again” came out of my mouth for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Seconds before, my almost 4-year-old son looked me in the eye and, in the whiniest voice he could muster, demanded, “Get me a snack!” In our house, we talk a lot about speaking with kindness and showing respect in both our words and actions. So I prompted my son to set aside his “hanger” and try again. As a mom of four, I’ve learned that parenting is marked by a series of “agains.” There’s the daily routine of getting everyone ready and out the door, preparing meals, welcoming people home, and walking through a bedtime routine again, day after day. There are also moments like the one above when “again” helps us slow down, go back, and repeat something in a better way. And there are the big “agains” that come with having multiple children, the ones where I watch a child’s first steps again, walk through potty training again, or drop them off at kindergarten for the first time again. Whether or not you’re a parent, I’m guessing your day, too, is marked by moments of “again.” This concept isn’t new or unique to me or to our current culture, but unlike previous generations, we’re a people often discouraged by “again.” In our instant-gratification, do-it-all society, we tend to equate “again” with failure. It means the first time wasn’t good enough. It means going backward when we’re “supposed” to go forward. But this isn’t what we see in Scripture. Instead, God’s Word teaches us that moments of “again” are often sacred moments. These daily “agains” that weary us are echoes of a larger redemptive pattern that spans the metanarrative of Scripture: creation, fall, redemption, restoration. They’re moments that invite us to remember the gospel. This is God’s gracious gift of recapitulation. Lens of Recapitulation The word “recapitulation” is derived from a Latin word meaning “to go over the main points again.” Essentially, it means to sum up, to gather together, or to retell. When we read Scripture through the lens of recapitulation, we find that the Bible doesn’t just tell a story once; it echoes, reuses, and recalls it so that God’s people will remember and reenter God’s big story. We’re invited to remember God’s faithfulness in the past, cling to it in the present, and rest in the assurance of it for the future. The Bible doesn’t merely tell us that God gives second chances. It shows us a God who advances his covenant purposes through redemptive “agains.” God’s Pattern of ‘Again’ This pattern of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration repeats itself in smaller cycles throughout the larger metanarrative, and it starts in the beginning. The Bible shows us a God who advances his covenant purposes through redemptive ‘agains.’ In Genesis, God creates a good world (1:1–31), and yet in Genesis 3, humanity falls. But God covers Adam and Eve, promising a coming Redeemer (3:15, 21). Even in judgment, there’s redemption and hope of restoration. Then think about the story of Noah and the flood narrative of Genesis 6. The world descends into corruption, and so God sends judgment through water (6:17–18, 7:11–12). Yet out of those waters, dry land emerges as a type of re-creation, and God establishes a covenant with Noah (9:1–17). Creation, fall, redemption, restoration. You don’t have to read much further to see the pattern again in Israel’s story. God forms a people and calls them his treasured possession (Ex. 19:5–6). They rebel (32:1–6); he disciplines them (Num. 14:20–24) and yet delivers them (Josh. 21:43–45). The cycle repeats in the era of the judges (Judg. 2:11–19), and again in exile and return (2 Chron. 36:15–23; Ezra 1:1–4). Scripture doesn’t merely recount events. It rehearses a pattern. Each repetition reveals the same reality that we cannot secure our own restoration. Every “again” that depends on human faithfulness eventually collapses. Yet every cycle also reveals something else: God remains committed to redeeming what he created. This pattern isn’t limited to the Old Testament. We see it repeatedly in the New Testament, with the greatest “again” occurring in the person and work of Jesus. True and Better ‘Again’ In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul writes, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (15:22). Jesus enters the story not merely to forgive isolated sins but to fulfill the entire pattern. He embodies true creation as the perfect image of God. He bears the weight of the fall. He accomplishes redemption through his cross. And in his resurrection, he inaugurates restoration. Where every previous cycle of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration eventually fractured, Christ completes it—“It is finished” (John 19:30). Scripture also shows us a glimpse of the final restoration. In Revelation 21:5, we find this promise: “Behold, I am making all things new.” Do you hear the language of Genesis? The dwelling place of God is with man. The story circles back to creation, but this time, the fall will not follow. What began in a garden ends in a garden-city. What was fractured by sin is healed. What was lost is restored. The pattern reaches its intended completion. The final “again” isn’t a temporary renewal but an eternal restoration. Our Ordinary ‘Agains’ This is why our daily repetitions matter. The recapitulation in Scripture teaches us that these “agains” are purposeful. When we forgive again, instruct again, show up again, pray again, we’re not trapped in futility, failure, or regression. Instead, these moments are tangible reminders that we’re living between redemption accomplished and restoration promised. The final ‘again’ isn’t a temporary renewal but an eternal restoration. So, when I’m tempted to become frustrated by repetition in parenting or grow weary of the monotony, this is what I go back to. “Again” is an invitation to remember what God has done and what God will do. It’s a moment when God gives us strength to endure with our eyes on the final restoration, knowing that “he who began a good work in [us] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). The beauty of “again” isn’t found in our effort to get it right the next time. It’s found in the God who has woven redemption into repetition.