Are Some Sins Easier to Condemn, Easier to Erase?
What if bigotry were as hard to discern and remedy as same-sex attraction and concupiscence?
Is it possible to think about tribalism, bigotry, undue attachment to groups, or racial supremacy the way the PCA instructs officers and members to think about same sex attraction? Both are disordered inclinations. But when people condemn bigotry between racial groups, they tend not to see it as something that lurks in a fallen human... Continue Reading
Lament And The Hope In Pentecost
We are living in a jarring time and a word coming back into popular use lately reflects our times: “lament.”
Acts 2 and its description of the mighty rushing wind of the Holy Spirit that changed the world is that way. It took strangers and brought them together, not simply so that they could understand each other’s languages but knit them into a new family, a new humanity…God has gathered us to be revived and... Continue Reading
The Evangelical Church’s Confused Witness on Race: Part 2
The predominant reason behind the Presbyterian Church in America’s and Southern Baptist Convention’s susceptibility to worldly influence on the issue of race appears to be white guilt.
The approach of leaders in both denominations is turning them into serial repenters; the PCA has been repenting for almost 20 years. They simply can’t stop confessing how racist they are and repenting of sins past and present. This fails to witness the gospel to the unbelieving culture in two ways. First, serial repentance brushes... Continue Reading
The Associated Press’s Writing Style Should Reflect Consistency
The Associated Press recently changed its writing style guide to capitalize the “b” in the term Black “when referring to people in a racial, ethnic or cultural context.”
The reference is made to a “shared history, identity and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa.” This is not realistic. Anyone living on the continent of Africa realizes identity and community are no more united than they are in Europe, Asia, or even the United... Continue Reading
The Theology of Riots: Part II
Where the fear of God is absent, the judgment of God falls.
Rioting occurs where the fear of God is absent…Christians do not agitate. Christians do not engage in disorderly conduct. Christians do not loot or lurk privily for the innocent without cause. They, rather, fear God. They refrain their feet from evil. They call the wicked to repent. They brace themselves to endure hardship as they... Continue Reading
Genevan Commons and the Discernment Deepfake
I was recently doxed and deepfaked; didn’t make for a good weekend.
None of what I have written above is meant to give Genevan Commons a mere clean bill of health. Once the distorting effects of the deepfake are removed, as best as they can be, there still appear to be a number of commentators who engaged in unbecoming and sinful rhetorical behavior. All who did so... Continue Reading
Salvation By Extinction: Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness has been given therapeutic and scientific status across the broad spectrum of psychological and physiological health and wellness needs; it is actually a Buddhist meditative technique that changes one’s perception of reality.
While Buddhism recognizes the problems of suffering and death that resulted from the Fall, it entirely misses the true balm of healing in the redemptive grace of Jesus Christ. Rather, Buddhism seeks liberation from reincarnation through the meditative techniques of Mindfulness, which is designed to change one’s perception of reality by depersonalizing the self into... Continue Reading
The Evangelical Church’s Confused Witness on Race: Part 1
The declaration of inherent white racism coming out of today’s “evangelical” church does not provide a good foundation for the church’s witness of the gospel to the millions of confused, unbelieving Americans.
It seems that the PCA leaders justify the protests because of “the evils of personal and systemic racism in our country, our church, and our own hearts.” While their statement does not put the terms ‘white’ and ‘privilege’ together or directly blame whites for their inherent racism, the PCA leaders words of repentance appear to... Continue Reading
Coarse Joking, Doxing, and Forgiveness
Doxing: “To search for and publish private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the Internet, typically with malicious intent.”
Most of us have hands that are dirty with online sins somewhere. We have at some point gone too far on social media; our criticisms of others descending into personal attacks. The combination of a keyboard and distance make righteous warriors of us. So we need to be careful to reject the sense of self-righteousness... Continue Reading
Who Defines Morality: God or State?
A proper understanding of Church/State relations actually hinges upon one question: Who defines morality: God or State?
Regardless of the differences over Kingdom Theology, or other theological issues, the Christian Church must be united and resolute in this: The Moral Law of God is not the State’s to define. This belongs exclusively to the Christian Church to teach powerfully and winsomely, in and out of church, exactly what the bible teaches so... Continue Reading
