Pastoral Letter on Worshiping in a Pandemic
“A Pastoral Letter: to all the saints who are feeling guilty and may be tempted to take unbiblical measures to assuage their spiritual hunger and self-imposed guilt.”
During these strange and sad days when we are under the dark cloud of this pandemic, let us not pummel ourselves and riddle ourselves with false guilt and false grace. This pandemic is God’s providence for us. He knows well our limitations and restrictions. He has given all we need for these days, namely His... Continue Reading
New York Times Ignores The Evidence To Slander Christians As Coronavirus Deniers
Katherine Stewart couldn’t be bothered to find out, as a good journalist would, what the Cornwall Alliance or plenty of other conservative, evangelical Christians think about the coronavirus. Slander sufficed.
Stewart’s hit piece uses all the standard tools of yellow journalism: caricature, guilt by association, hasty generalization, cherry-picking evidence, ignoring contrary evidence, and more. For instance, she quotes three pastors as examples of “many of [Trump’s] evangelical allies.” One, on March 15, “urged his congregants to show up for worship in person.” “Stop denying science!! … There... Continue Reading
10 Church Members God Especially Calls Me To Love
How am I, as a pastor, to relate to particularly difficult people?
I understand why a pastor is prone to think about how these people drive him crazy. I’ve done that myself. But it was crucial to my spiritual health and to my success in ministry that I make a change in my thinking. Rather than seeing them as people who drive me crazy, I have preferred... Continue Reading
How To Livestream Your Communion Service
How do you livestream a communion service? The answer is simple: You do not livestream a communion service because you cannot.
If a virtual assembly is an assembly, would a virtual Incarnation have been an Incarnation? Could the Christ simply have waited for the Internet era, and livestreamed His presence? Clearly the divine purpose was to come in the flesh, and not ‘appear’ via Facebook Live. Jesus dwelt among us; he was the one “from the... Continue Reading
Practice Hospitality. Especially During a Pandemic.
Christian hospitality shines brightest in days of persecution and plague.
Thinking Christians do not want to unintentionally cause the death of others by spreading a virus that spares some and kills others. Obeying the civil magistrate’s order to distance, isolation, or quarantine is obedience to God’s law. In practical ways, in our neighborhood, this means that while our neighbors who are doctors and nurses are working... Continue Reading
Home Visitation: The Worst of Times, the Best of Times
We can all be ambitious in using what time, energy and opportunity God does give us.
A home visit – or a sidewalk-out-in-front-of-a-home visit – helps pastors and elders alike know how their flock is doing. Often an in-person visit reveals needs more clearly than a phone call or a screen-time session. This in turn will help you better pray for people under your care and to see them in your... Continue Reading
Thoughts After Reading Ron Citlau’s Article on the RCA
From my perspective the days of peace are over, not just for the RCA, but for the Reformed Faith around the world.
Back in the 1990s, and likely earlier, we were convinced to abandon two fundamental Reformed principles: Church Discipline and the Authority of Scripture. Not openly, of course. It was framed as love, compassion, and the desire for peace; a putting aside of differences. But lying on the street (Rev.11:3), was the Word of God. The... Continue Reading
Tampa Megachurch Pastor Arrested After Leading Packed Services Despite ‘Safer-at-Home’ Orders
Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel said the arrest is discriminatory and the county's order is being unconstitutionally applied to the church.
Howard-Browne, 58, turned himself in Monday afternoon after Sheriff Chad Chronister and State Attorney Andrew Warren on Monday announced an arrest warrant had been issued for charges of unlawful assembly and violating public health emergency rules of isolation and quarantine. Howard-Browne was released 40 minutes later after posting a $500 bond. TAMPA, Fla. –... Continue Reading
The Eclipse of the Gospel and the School of Hard Knox
Church history matters because when we forget the past, we fail to learn valuable lessons that impact our lives.
Even as a young Bible College student, I failed to understand the importance of church history. The buildings seemed so old and the names were so hard to pronounce. It is a sentiment that is not unique to me. I hear it all the time. I hear the cruel remarks about John Calvin and the... Continue Reading
Remaining Connected in a Season of Social Distancing
May the watching world see the Church of Jesus thrive during a season of unrest and public panic.
The church is God’s plan for his people. We are called the body of Christ and the body has a functionality that is greatly disrupted by disconnect. It’s extremely important for leaders to listen, pray, and use the necessary technological tools that will enable the local church to remain connected, serving, worshipping, and caring for... Continue Reading
