No, Hanging Out With Your Friends is Not the Church
Here are five ways these gatherings of friends fail short of what it means to be the church.
Increasingly, I see younger evangelicals (like the one in this Relevant blog post) wondering if they can call their spiritual hang outs with friends a congregation. They are exploring the question: What is church? Who doesn’t like getting together for a fun dinner with friends and sharing about life? What’s not to love about... Continue Reading
Historical-Grammatical Interpretation and the Song of Songs
What is historical-grammatical interpretation, and how does this affect our approach to the Song?
How does this affect the way we read the Song of Songs? This is where HGI runs into a problem, because HGI recognizes the reality of figurative language, such as metaphor, simile, and symbolism. But HGI itself will not tell the reader when figurative language is being used. That has to be determined by markers... Continue Reading
Hyper-Headship and the Scandal of Domestic Abuse in the Church
Calling it a “draw-a-line-in-the-sand kind of moment” for the church, Meyer read a statement from the elders about domestic abuse
We, the council of elders at Bethlehem Baptist Church, are resolved to root out all forms of domestic abuse (mental, emotional, physical, and sexual) in our midst. This destructive way of relating to a spouse is a satanic distortion of Christ-like male leadership because it defaces the depiction of Christ’s love for his bride. The... Continue Reading
Embers to Flames: A Pastor’s Perspective on the Baltimore Riots
We Love Baltimore and pray that the Lord would allow us to be a bright light in this dark city for His glory!
As soon as a group of young people in Baltimore felt emboldened and believed the governing authorities would give them room to destroy (and that their parents would not hold them accountable) many seized the opportunity. Addressing poverty, improving infrastructure and repairing relationships with law enforcement will not change that. The only hope for changing... Continue Reading
Confessions, Oedipus Rex, and Dust in the Wind
Confessions give precise and clear expression to the nature of the protest which the Church makes against the beliefs and practices of the wider world.
The revival of interest in confessions over the last decade seems to have been preparing us for the times in which we now live. Those who are not protesting will not be distinctive and will vanish into the cultural fog. Those who have no confession robust enough to provide an ecclesiastical foundation for a protest... Continue Reading
I Can Do All Things
If we read Philippians 4:13 in isolation, apart from its context, it’s possible to see why so many take it as a declaration of personal empowerment.
Out of context, Philippians 4:13 is used as a blank-check promise for whatever is desired. But in context, it is a verse is about contentment. It’s not about your dreams coming true or your goals being met. Rather it’s about being joyful, satisfied, and steadfast even when life is hard and your circumstances seem impossible.... Continue Reading
Defective, Yet Delightful
Because of the gracious work of Christ, despite our former depravity, we can go through the veil, enter the Holy Place, and boldly approach the throne of grace.
While on earth, Jesus cured the physically diseased, healed the physically disabled, and straightened the physically deformed. He did so out of compassion for broken individuals, but he also did so to show his authority and power to save the depraved. Therefore, spiritually, Jesus takes defective men and women and does more than merely save them;... Continue Reading
Backgrounds to My Thought
A personal testimony of some of the people and writings that have influenced the distinctive ideas of Frame’s theology, apologetics, and ethics.
I should say something more about John Murray. It was common in those days for students to say that they had come to Westminster for Van Til but that they stayed for Murray. Murray was not well known outside Reformed circles, but as a theologian he was peerless. Murray, Clowney, and Van Til are the... Continue Reading
College Students and the Church (2): A Challenge to Students
“We lose our youth in their young adult years because the church never had them.”
Would the pastor or elders or members of the church notice if you failed to attend on a Sunday? If the answer is no, then this is another sign that your spiritual health is in danger. We need accountability, and we need it within the defined committed body of a congregation. The college years are... Continue Reading
PCA Pastor Richard James Lindsay Jr. Called Home to Glory
Rick Lindsay - February 14, 1955 - April 7, 2015
Richard—Rick to family, friends and congregation—will always be remembered as a giant of a man, not only because of his physical stature, but because of his steadfast love, devotion and dedication to his Lord and Savior, to the proclaiming of His Word and his God-given desire to see people’s lives changed by the true gospel. ... Continue Reading