Why Do You Do What You Do (and Not Something Else)?
God is good to give human beings skills and passions and good to allow us to express them in our vocations.
When I ask others why they do what they do, I’m often blessed to hear them describe their love for things I’ve never considered lovable….He is good to allow our enthusiasm about these things to be transferable and contagious. One of my favorite questions for times of small talk is “Why do you do... Continue Reading
How Church History Helps—Part 2
Employ church history to help you fight the good fight and keep the faith.
Church history will help you live the Christian life and be faithful to Christ. It will provide you with clarity in an era of confusion. It will help you be consistent while many others waver. The faithful examples and arguments of giants from the past gives you credibility when other people doubt you. The courage... Continue Reading
Church as Blueprint
In the Old Testament, the Temple was a microcosm, a miniature copy of reality.
Getting worship right really matters. Of course I’m fully aware that plenty will agree with me but their vision of “right” will not cohere with mine. It’s a challenge we have to work through. But, even so, it does mean that if we want to reform our communities we start by reforming the worship of... Continue Reading
About “Close” Confessional Communion
Why "credible profession of faith" of penitent, baptized church members is not the biblically sufficient criterion for admission to the Lord's Supper.
Those convinced of the confessional Presbyterian & Reformed view of close/confessional communion might find themselves conscience-bound by the Word of God to abstain from participation in an improperly administered sacrament. The usual standard for admission to the Lord’s Supper in Orthodox Presbyterian Church congregations (and in congregations of other NAPARC denominations) is that the... Continue Reading
The Dangerous Logic of Hate Crimes
Scotland’s vague new hate crime law is anything but “reasonable”.
The problem here is that today “reasonable” has no real content. Indeed, the legislation uses the adjective “reasonable” again and again as the essential criterion in judging whether an act or statement is a crime, but it offers no definition. That is surely a worrying lacuna. We should remember that this is a world where... Continue Reading
Reasons to Oppose Background Checks in the PCA
The 51st PCA General Assembly, in June 2024, will consider five overtures requesting amending the Book of Church Order to require background checks for ordained church leaders.
As Martin Luther and the Reformers held (and died for), only the Word of God can bind the consciences of believers. Church councils and church decrees (including the Book of Church Order) can and do err. We do not submit to our brethren when they require us to act against our consciences as informed by... Continue Reading
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
Inerrancy reminds us that when the Bible speaks, God speaks and He does not fail to utter the truth.
The Bible is no longer accepted or believed as fully trustworthy by many. As one seminary professor described it, “What we are experiencing is an existential mood in the country. Many of our students come to us with a relative view of the Bible.” If the evangelical Church does not awaken to this situation, it... Continue Reading
As Christianity Declines, We Must Confront the Threat of Pagan America
I have no doubt the result will be the making of many saints.
Christians cannot simply escape into their little ghettoes. The Christian religion cannot avoid witnessing in the public square, and its adherents, whether they be doctors, lawyers, teachers, government employees, business owners, or landscapers, cannot help but have their work informed by their faith. That battle, even if it is a losing one, must be fought in... Continue Reading
Advocates, Not Merely Adherents: Lay-of–the Land Observations and Challenges for Complementarians
We aren’t doing a good job of arguing for biblical complementarity on the merits.
We are called to be advocates, not just affirmers. We are called to be articulators, not just adherents. Compromise usually begins with silence. It ends with disavowal. And we must have an ear for the silence. Yes, each of us will have different ministry passions or commitments. But we must keep before us an ever-present... Continue Reading
Authority is Good
For far less than an obstruction to the gospel, authority is a picture of Jesus’ very life and ministry to us.
There are creatures, and a creator, and they are not the same thing. When it comes to authority, God is completely and utterly other. Whether we are husbands, mothers, managers, or pastors, we serve at God’s pleasure, derive our authority from his power, and expect obedience from others only insofar as he allows. Authority in... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- …
- 3263
- Next Page »