Rome’s ‘Tyrannical Distortion’ (Murray)
When we refuse ecumenical ties with Rome, we do so on firm biblical grounds.
The Roman Catholic Church neither believes nor teaches that Scripture is the highest authority and only source of inspired and infallible truth for God’s people. In other words, they do not teach or believe “sola Scriptura.” In fact, at the Second Vatican Council, Rome said that “…it is not from sacred Scripture alone that the... Continue Reading
The Power of Biblical Thinking
Somewhat surprisingly, there has been a resurgence of interest in Norman Vincent Peale's power of positive thinking in our day.
Every week, I stumble across memes and posts on social media in which someone expresses to someone else the idea that they are “wonderful,” “beautiful,” “special,” and “loved” (oftentimes, with the adverb “so” prefixed to the verb “loved”). When I read such sentiments, my mind immediately turns to the SNL sketch in which Stuart Smalley gives... Continue Reading
How God Changes Hearts for His Glory
When the Father sends his Spirit to open blind eyes to the glories of Christ and to melt proud hearts, then hearts will indeed be won, and hatred for God turned to love.
Through his Word God enlightens minds in order that hearts might be healed and won to himself. Preachers, therefore, must avoid vacuousness in their preaching, and they must avoid heartless intellectualism. The object of all true preaching, after all, is the heart, and preaching has failed “unless it makes men tremble, makes them sad, and then anon... Continue Reading
A Man’s Place Is in the Home
For as long as the present generations can recall, it has been the norm that a man should leave not only mother and father, but also wife and children, and cleave to his desk.
Gender roles on the farm took a strikingly different shape than the way contemporary society conceives of these issues. Jalsevac explores the history of the idea of dads working “outside the home,” and in Chestertonian fashion, he questions our assumption that the place for a man is at his desk away from home. Long-time... Continue Reading
Love & Marriage… Go Together Like… A Few Comments on the Covenantal Practice Today
Marriage is a created good, is not a ‘must,’ isn’t easy.
Try as the media might to convince us that marriage is just another means for our own happiness—and one in which individuals can set their own rules and independent bounds for—we know the truth. God created this union, among many reasons, to eventually give us a fuller understanding of his relationship with the church—his holy... Continue Reading
Eternal Generation: Who Would Deny it?
Does Warfield deny eternal generation? Not any more than Calvin.
How can there be “a perpetual movement of the divine essence from the first Person to the second, always complete, never completed”?[4] Calvin seems to have found “this conception difficult, if not meaningless.”[5] To put it another way, how can there be a continuous act of generating when the three Persons have existed from eternity? While... Continue Reading
To the Next Generation of Church Leaders
Three Reasons to Think Bigger than Big
What I’ve come to believe, and what I’m passionate to commend to you, is that the equation of “bigger” with “better” is out of step with the very gospel we set ourselves to ponder and proclaim. In fact, the message and values of the gospel itself will send some (not all) of us to small... Continue Reading
Cinderella, You Shall Go to the Ball!
The second century of the early church is generally neglected in favor of other, apparently more exciting and accessible, periods.
Michael Kruger argues in his new book, Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church, this period is critical for understanding the development of the post-apostolic church. Issues of theology, authority, worship, ecclesiology, culture and canon all emerge at this time and directions of later discussions are established. The second... Continue Reading
Christians Great and Small
Billy Graham played no role in my life, but Irene Morrison was a towering figure.
Friday morning was the memorial service for Irene Morrison. A couple hundred people attended the event which was held in a little country church a hundred miles from nowhere, and open to anyone who knew and loved her. In the pews were children, farmers, nannies, retirees, and even a blogger—a B-list of normal and unknown people. ... Continue Reading
Bible Verses to Conquer Fear And Know God’s Peace
God knows our fears, and he has given us many, many Bible verses to help us overcome our fears.
Here is how we cultivate hope and put fear to flight. The key is to “call to mind” the truth about our God. We must call to mind the fact that God’s steadfast love for us NEVER ceases. We must call to mind that his mercies to us NEVER come to an end. We must... Continue Reading