Easy Virtues and Cruel Mistresses – Basic Advice on How to (and NOT to) Interpret Luther
Before addressing a particular element of Rob Bell’s new book, I want to make sure that anyone reading this understands exactly what I am and am not doing. First, to avoid the usual indignant reactions from the guardians of conscience in the evangelical world, I want to stress that I am writing at this point... Continue Reading
Putting it In Perspective: The Inspiring Message of Nick Vujicic
So Nick implored the Sunday morning crowd—“see what God can do with what you have……If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart.” How often do we complain about things—the minor and major irritants of life? We have too much... Continue Reading
Texting God
The Yellow Pages used to encourage us to “let our fingers do the walking,” saving ourselves the time and effort of going from store to store to track down what we want. Today, a parallel adage might be to “let our thumbs do the talking.” Rather than place the call for the give and take... Continue Reading
When Winston Warned America – Remembering Churchill’s Prophetic ‘Iron Curtain’ speech at 65
It took the rest of the world a while to awaken to Churchill’s reality. When it did, it recognized the prime minister as a political prophet. But on March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill was a voice in the wilderness. It was 65 years ago, March 5, 1946, when Winston Churchill delivered his “Iron Curtain” speech... Continue Reading
Six Observations on the PCA’s Voting on BCO Amendments
I’ve been doing some analysis of the voting thus far on the (now failed) proposed amendments to the PCA Book of Church Order (BCO). If you are not the sort of person who is interested in number crunching and statistics, read no further. However, I think there are some interesting observations to be had from... Continue Reading
How Do We Find Men Who Will Plant Inner City Churches?
I am a cheer leader and supporter of black men planting churches for black people in black communities, and in the Presbyterian Church in America we have far too few of them. The racial and cultural handicap for black men to be trained in our circles, and to identify with our denomination (which is mostly... Continue Reading
Edmund Clowney on Norman Shepherd’s Controversial, Distinctive Theology
The unconditional character of the covenant of grace in Christ requires us to recognize faith as the sole instrument. The conditionality of faith is unique not because it is a condition that God’s grace provides. The total response of those united to Christ is given by grace. Faith is unique because it presents nothing, but... Continue Reading
Evangelicals and missionals need human dignity – understanding the ‘Jones Principle of Justice’
If justice is directed by the need to bring redemption to wherever the curse is found Christians would be involved in all sorts of issues. Missional churches in major cities, for example, would consider abortion a social justice issues and suburban churches would be much concerned about material poverty. I’m beginning to wonder if one... Continue Reading
Beware in Your Search for Perfect Peace!
So beware of perfect peace in your aspiration for church. Whether you are looking to lead a church to perfect peace or to find one that does not have conflict, your search will be more successful if you look for a church who has a perfect peacemaker, because perfect peace in this fallen age will... Continue Reading
Private Bradley Manning – A Victim of the Military Empire?
It is indispensable to our success in this war that those we ask to fight it know that in the discharge of their dangerous responsibilities to their country they are never expected to forget that they are Americans, and the valiant defenders of a sacred idea of how nations should govern their own affairs and... Continue Reading