America’s Gender Warriors In A Deal With The Devil
The biblical Satan tormented Job by taking away what he needed, while the modern devil torments Faust by offering him whatever he wants.
The biblical Satan tormented Job by taking away what he needed, while the modern devil torments Faust by offering him whatever he wants. Goethe’s protagonist rejects the devil’s blandishments, eschewing the “gold that runs through my fingers like quicksilver, a game that no-one wins, a girl who ogles my neighbor while I embrace her, honor... Continue Reading
Two Major Obstacles to Prayer (Lovelace)
The first obstacle to prayer in the Christian life is the fact that we are still sinful.
The second obstacle to prayer in the Christian life also has to do with the fall: “…There is a force in our minds resisting prayer like a solid barrier which must be broken. This force seizes on any and all of these good and bad excuses of the flesh and reinforces them in order to... Continue Reading
An Open Letter to Those Suffering in the Hospital
God remembers his beloved, and in his abiding, covenantal, perfect love, he provides for them, even when they don’t deserve it.
Trials in the hospital drive us to our knees. They plunge us into despair and churn up questions about God’s love that leave us aching for help. Yet, thanks be to God, because of the great love with which he loved us, whatever trials we endure now, Christ has already “borne our griefs and carried... Continue Reading
Three Cheers for Cultural Christianity
Cultural Christianity would provide us with a theological-moral, socio-political vocabulary and framework without which no cooperation could be possible...
That cultural Christianity in Middletown, Ohio, however poorly practiced and (likely) heterodox, influenced Vance (decades later) to take his faith more seriously is a good outcome, and one that contradicts the mood and narrative of Ortlundism. Among other things, Vance’s testimony discusses how his newfound Catholicism is spurring him on to be a committed, loving... Continue Reading
The Pensacola Theological Institute Will Meet June 16-18, 2021
The Institute theme will focus on issues of human sexuality with emphasis on the Revoice LGBTQ Controversy, Sexual Identity, and Purity within the Presbyterian Church in America.
In partnership with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, the 2021 Pensacola Theological Institute Conference will examine the controversial ‘Revoice’ LGBTQ movement within the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) June 16-18 at McIlwain Presbyterian Church in Pensacola, Fla. The speakers will be PCA ministers Dr. Jon Payne and Dr. Richard Phillips. Pensacola, Fla. – In... Continue Reading
William Booth’s Steadfastness in Ministry Despite Strong Opposition
"Fifty years hence it will matter very little indeed how these people treated us. It will matter a great deal how we dealt with the work of God.” - William Booth
Even the great Earl of Shaftesbury, a leader in the evangelical branch of the Church of England and an eminent social reformer, announced that after much study he was convinced the Salvation Army was clearly antichrist. One of the Earl’s admirers then revealed that in his own studies he had learned that the “number” of... Continue Reading
From Best Friends to Platonic Spouses
Some people are taking their friendships to the next level by saying “I do” to marriages without sex.
In the United States, where marriage is incentivized with tax breaks and other couple privileges, getting married to someone with whom you are not romantically attached affords multiple benefits, she said. “A platonic marriage is more than a passing year with a roommate who has different ideas about kitchen cleanliness,” Ms. Conger said. “A platonic... Continue Reading
Chasing Your White Whale
Dear brethren, spur one another to good works but don’t forget to spur one another on to Christ.
Peter gives us a list of things for which we are to “supplement our faith” to make our “calling and election sure” (1 Peter 1) It’s totally fine to love your KJV, or sing your acapella psalms, or read your Puritans. When those things become the measure by which you look at your faith and... Continue Reading
Pastor Abuse
We must examine our hearts as to how we treat ministers of the gospel.
If we are intent on bringing down every pastor in a public exposé when we disagree with something they have said or done rather than seeking their good in prayer, we may be fueling pastor abuse. Again, pastors are to be held accountable; however, they are not to be perpetual objects of attack. God... Continue Reading
The Chief Way Whereby Doctrine is Maintained
God’s good Word and the Gospel are not subjective, and are completely under His control, blessed by the Holy Spirit.
God is sovereign. He is the one who has determined what the gospel is. He is the one who has determined what the purpose of the Church is and of whom it is made up. We do not determine these things. Culture does not determine these things. We cannot be editing doctrine and the Gospel in... Continue Reading
Who Are You?
The supreme lie of our current world may be the ever-present message that you must define yourself.
The authority to define you lies outside of yourself, not merely in the sense of being outside of your individuality. It is outside of your nature. Only your Creator defines you. And if you have spent your lifetime defining yourself, the identity your Creator gives you will surprise you. Our world today is obsessed... Continue Reading
The Way of Temptation and the Highway of Holiness
We need to understand the actual danger and life-shattering effects of sin, and that the way of temptation is lined with the wreckage of good intentions.
The child of God who meditates upon the Scriptures will have a growing distaste for the way of temptation and growing desire for the highway of holiness. You will become that tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in its season (Ps. 1:3). Jim turned out the lights, locked his office, and headed... Continue Reading
Walz Loses in Court, Settles with Churches
"The settlement represents a vindication of the Constitutional rights of all churches and other houses of worship.”
After losing their motion to dismiss, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Walz decided to settle the case, meaning current and future emergency orders can no longer discriminate against churches on capacity limits. For the first time since invoking emergency orders, Gov. Tim Walz lost a court battle challenging his emergency powers, specifically his orders... Continue Reading
God Calms Our Sexual Insanity
The seventh commandment isn’t limited to adultery in a narrow sense — the violation of marriage vows. It’s about sexual integrity within a total way of being human.
Real sexual freedom is not when we give free rein to our sexual feelings, but when we follow Jesus on his path of wisdom. He created us for purposes so lofty only he can take us there. The seventh commandment alerts us to the sexual dimension of our true glory. You shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14).... Continue Reading
“Range” and the Generalist vs. Specialist Debate
Do what you can with the gifts and opportunities you’ve been given, to the glory of God.
Whether you emphasize range and broad sampling or deliberate practice and the head start, you’re best off when you resist the temptation to skate through life, giving yourself to neither strenuous practice in a field nor broad training and knowledge across disciplines. A few weeks ago, I devoted a column to Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000 Rule,” a... Continue Reading
Incorporation into Christ: The Mystery in Ephesians
Jesus cherishes his church, as husbands ought to cherish their wives, because his church is himself, one body with him.
Ephesians invites us…to view salvation in terms of union rather than exchange. It is our one-flesh relationship with the Messiah that pulls us out of our sinfulness and deadness and lifts us to fresh life, both positionally and transformatively, in his death and resurrection. I was a teenager when I experienced my first revelation... Continue Reading
Women Pastors, Women Preachers, and the Looming Test of the Southern Baptist Convention
Saddleback Community Church ordained three women as pastors, describing it as "historic," with Pastor Rick Warren and others praying over the first three women the church has ordained as pastors.
The convictions of the Baptist Faith & Message — all of them — describe the doctrinal basis for our Convention and for our cooperation together. Any use of the term “pastor” for women in church leadership is, at best, unwise and confusing. In an increasing number of cases, it is now clear that some churches,... Continue Reading
Standing on the Authority of God’s Word
Try men’s depraved nature with philosophy and reasoning, and it laughs at your efforts to scorn, but the Word of God soon works a transformation.
God’s Word is the anchor of truth for believers who live in a world that balks at the notion of truth. It is the firm foundation where believers may confidently rest, knowing that the sacred Scriptures will never disappoint for they are utterly reliable and trustworthy. As we embark on yet another year, the... Continue Reading
New Evidence that Porn Use Destroys Your Ability to Have Real, Loving Relationships
Their findings are not ground-breaking, but once again confirm an enormous body of research detailing how porn use destroys real relationships.
In short: If you use porn, you are destroying your ability to have a healthy, happy relationship with a real person. I could tell you dozens of personal stories that illustrate this point; I’m sure most of you could, too. Again, for anyone who wants to quit porn, visit Covenant Eyes. For anyone who wants more... Continue Reading
Preacher: Less Application Please!
the Christian life is not primarily about a moral lifestyle
Christianity could be defined as mankind’s proper response to the revelation of God’s holy righteousness and the demonstration of his grace as seen and experienced in the person of Jesus Christ. The defining attribute of my Christianity is not my ability to behave and act like a Christian, but that I am a sinner saved... Continue Reading
The Neglected Virtue of Contentment
Paul’s secret to contentment is recognizing and relishing the sweetness, sufficiency, and strength of Christ even in the most unsavory situations.
It is precisely when we are sick, struggling, scared, slandered, or sad that we may recognize our true need for Jesus, experience his life-giving power at work in our weakness, and expectantly anticipate the coming day of Christ. So in whatever challenges we face in life and ministry, let’s heed Paul’s summons to be content... Continue Reading
Worshipping with Thomas
Thomas mentions the marks of the nails in Jesus's hands and of the spear in his side not because he doubts but because he is convinced the whole idea is ridiculous.
Like John, Thomas is a committed follower of Jesus. Like Mary, he is fully devoted to the cause. But don’t tell Thomas that the eternal Sabbath is here. Don’t suggest to him he is already in Paradise. Don’t tell him time and space are reconfigured. Don’t tell him it is Easter, the Eighth Day, Paradise.... Continue Reading
A Review of Cancel Culture. Edited by Kevin Donnelly
This new volume on cancerous cancel culture is essential reading:
Those who should be speaking out against all this are not, for various reasons. But it is imperative that they do. As Peta says, “This is a war that needs to be fought. If Australia is to flourish, all of us must be confident that, on balance, we can be proud of our country’s history... Continue Reading
Overcome Evil with Good
So long as God rules and eternity awaits, evil will never triumph.
The news of their loving response headlined newspapers all over India—and then all over the world. It was a major story in the West. Gladys and Esther drew attention again when they chose to stay in India—even though some tribal people hid Dara Singh for a year before he was caught by police. Even though... Continue Reading
Geerhardus Vos, A Ruling Elder And The Reality of the Slippery Slope
Geerhardus Vos spoke prophetically and directly to the issue of the slippery slope.
My perception of the precipice of the slippery slope in the PCA is the endorsing of and/or the practice of Good Faith Subscription in the Presbyteries of the PCA. Let me quote Vos one more time from this letter. Speaking about the New School/Old School reunion in 1871 and the accommodations made therein he says,... Continue Reading
“Idiocy” in Trinitarian Theology
In claiming that God his “his own Father,” Jesus is claiming that it is God’s natural property to be his Father and, by implication, that he is God’s natural-born Son.
Jesus is not merely God’s son by virtue of creation or adoption. As it belongs to the nature of a fig tree to bear figs, so it belongs to the nature of God to beget a divine Son. In claiming to be the Father’s natural-born Son, Jesus claims to share the Father’s power to heal on the Sabbath and, by... Continue Reading
Biblical Apologetics: How Shall We Respond to Unbelief?
Well-meaning Christians have turned apologetics into a nasty slug fest. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Our response to unbelief is crucial. The world is watching. May our apologetics match the biblical model. And may we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in a winsome and compelling way. For in the final analysis, all of God’s elect will hear and believe. “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation... Continue Reading
Trusting God in the Darkness: A Guide to Understanding the Book of Job
We ought not to expect to find Wisdom (to know the answers to our questions) but rather to bow in humble worship before the one who does.
Job 28:28 gives divine affirmation to Job (and to us) that we need no secret of the higher life, no mysterious spiritual law to raise us to a deeper level of spirituality or godliness, no “answers” achieved only by some spiritual elite. No, we are called, as was Job, to begin our lives of discipleship... Continue Reading
Richard Dawkins Blindsided by The Sexual Spaghetti Monster
And now, the man for so long the hero of the anti-religious and the hard atheists, has been cancelled by the AHA for – wait for it – ““demean[ing] marginalised groups using the guise of scientific discourse”.
In other words, just as he has done much of his adult life, Dawkins pulled the lever on some of the excesses of religious groups, this times the trans movement, especially its insistence that a man who calls himself a woman is actually a woman, and not a man after all. That’s the guts of... Continue Reading
The What, When, and Why of Exhorting One Another
It is our God-given calling as Christians to keep our brothers and sisters from falling into this darkness
The author of Hebrews says that without this constant encouragement, we are prone to the “hardness of the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13). Without the encouraging word of the gospel preached to us every single day from within and from without, we are likely to instead believe the lie of the devil. We will become... Continue Reading
