Why Can’t a Father Marry His Adult Son? A Mother Her Adult Daughter?
If the Court rules that the law cannot privilege procreative unions over non-procreative ones, where does that end?
If the court officially severs the ancient connection between marriage and procreation, then it really has no grounds for denying marriage to these other ensembles. If there is a limit to the principle, then Kennedy et al. are obligated to declare what it is in advance. So far, Kennedy hasn’t done that. And it is... Continue Reading
Sex After Christianity
Gay marriage is not just a social revolution but a cosmological one.
Conservative Christians have lost the fight over gay marriage and, as we have seen, did so decades before anyone even thought same-sex marriage was a possibility. Gay-marriage proponents succeeded so quickly because they showed the public that what they were fighting for was consonant with what most post-1960s Americans already believed about the meaning of... Continue Reading
The Modern University Is Failing Students in Every Respect
From cost to employment prospects, the state of American higher education is dismal for students.
Administrators should decide whether they see students as mature, independent adults who handle life’s vicissitudes with courage and without need for restrictions on free expression. Or should students remain perennial weepy adolescents, requiring constant sheltering, solicitousness, and self-esteem building? Diversity might be better redefined in its most ancient and idealistic sense as differences in opinion... Continue Reading
Sex, God, and a Generation That Can’t Tell the Difference
The only thing Millennials are black-and-white on when it comes to matters of sexual morality is that you aren’t allowed to be black-and-white on sexual morality.
Before, the sexually moral judged the sexually amoral; today, the sexually amoral judge the sexually moral. If you have a sexual ethic more solid than your average Jello mold, you’re free game for Millennial judgment. Millennials are incredibly judgmental when it comes to sexuality—if you’re not doing something you’re a loser, and if you have... Continue Reading
Optimistic Thoughts from a Pessimist
I’m optimistic because I’m persuaded that spiritual persecution will be the seedbed where biblical Christianity will truly flourish
And you know what? That’s not a bad thing. Why? Because I don’t want to be a “pretend” Christian. I don’t want my family to be a “pretend” Christian family. I don’t want my church to be a “pretend” Christian church. And I want to tremble at that possibility more than I fear the hatred... Continue Reading
Muddying The Distinction Between Justification And Salvation
Justification is a declarative, definitive (once for all) act and sanctification is a gracious work or process.
Traditionalists have corrupted the doctrines of justification and salvation out of fear that gospel of free justification and salvation would not produce the sort of godliness that they want to see in Christians. Ultimately, the Socinians, the Romanists, and the moralists (e.g., Baxter) agreed: the gospel of free justification with God and free salvation must be rejected... Continue Reading
Theological Black Holes
God surrounds us with people who are wise enough to detect the first signs of wandering, and who love us enough to warn us of the consequences.
Every time I see that “opening soon” sign I find myself thinking about people whose theology reminds me of this restaurant. I hear them tell me about some great new theological innovation they have discovered, or some great truth the church had been hiding from them. Or I see them gain a public profile and... Continue Reading
Are You Parenting with Grace and Mercy?
Parenting our children gracefully means that we treat their sin with the same patience we’d want to receive.
When my children come to me with splinters in their hands or feet, I always attempt to pull them out with gentleness and patience, knowing the discomfort the process brings. It requires a great deal of trust to let someone else poke around in a tender wound. In a similar way, correcting a child’s wrong... Continue Reading
How Do I Encourage My Pastor?
Never underestimate how meaningful and well-timed it can be when God would so lead you to do so
Maybe the most hurtful words a pastor and his wife can hear are not, “Bad sermon” or “that was a dumb decision” or “I don’t like the way you do that.” Rather, words that imply this message can be the most hurtful, “You are lazy.” Because of this, some of the most encouraging words a... Continue Reading
Pastoral Care Statement to a Congregation
What if you had a brochure, membership class lesson, or church webpage that explained to people the type of pastoral care they could expect to receive when attending your congregation?
Just as sheep (a common Biblical metaphor for Christians) are protected and fed by shepherds, so the people of God are to be watched over and nurtured. The chief Shepherd of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ (Psalm 23; John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20), who calls upon spiritual leaders in each generation to care for... Continue Reading
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