Enjoying Eternity: What Will God’s People be Doing Forever?
The new earth will include perfect community and society as God originally intended.
Are you longing for eternity now? The Bible’s revelation of the new earth provides enough concrete details to excite our imaginations.4 What God describes far exceeds pictures of floating cherubs, feathery wings, or encompassing light. Eternal life is truly life—overflowing with new experiences, inner fulfillment, and guiltless enjoyment. We do not lose anything good that we... Continue Reading
Just What is Involved in Protestants Going Back to Basics? Reflections Spurred by Carl Trueman’s Recent Appeal
Going back to basics requires clearer definitions.
Which councils are we to accept, and which are we to reject? Evangelicals have a coherent, practical answer: we are to “test everything” in light of Scripture and “hold fast what is good” and abhor “what is evil,” including all falsehood (1 Thess. 5:21; Rom. 12:9; Eph. 4:25). Those who wish to embrace the Great... Continue Reading
Emergency Exit
Thousands of congregations leave the United Methodist Church ahead of a year-end disaffiliation deadline.
Many of the disaffiliated congregations found a new home with the Global Methodist Church (GMC). At least 3,800 congregations, just over half of those leaving the UMC, joined the GMC. Friendswood Methodist, like many Texas churches, is among them. Its pastor, Jim Bass, said his first GMC conference meeting was “very freeing.” “We were all moving... Continue Reading
Doxological Cohesion & Comprehensiveness
Psalm 144 for Worship-Its ability to bring together various elements of the Christian faith cooperatively that are often made out to be irreconcilable dichotomies.
My ongoing pastoral concern is that our doxology and praise is inadvertently introducing competitions and cancellations of various parts of the counsel of God. God does not deny Himself, and neither does His Word deny itself. Psalm 144 is a wonderful, tutorial, doxological look that consolidates various features of the Christian life that we have... Continue Reading
WCF 16: Of Good Works
Our “ability to do good works is … wholly from the Spirit of Christ” (see Phil. 2:13)
God is glorified in two ways by our works. First, by doing them we faintly reflect his glory. God is loving, joyful, kind, faithful, and self-controlled. The God who shows his goodness through tangible works of service every day loves to see his children growing up to be like him (Matt. 5:44–45; Heb. 13:20, 21). Jesus put... Continue Reading
Weak Leadership Isn’t Just Weak, it’s Dangerous
So What Should Weak Leaders Do?
Here’s the thing about narcissists and weak leadership: they assume upon your silence. And that simply makes you complicit in the problem. A passive compliance to be sure. But the result is just the same. Weak leaders save their own skins in the end – at least for a time – and glibly allow other... Continue Reading
Do You Know What Your Child Is Being Taught about Sex?
New Sex ED Curriculums
This isn’t simply about teaching your students to have a healthy view of their bodies and sex. It’s about teaching your students to view the world in a specific way. This is a worldview issue. Teen Talk plainly says the curriculum’s foundational operating principles include core values “like pro-choice, feminist, sex positive, 2STLGBQ+ positive and using an... Continue Reading
CNN Reports that the Birthrate is Going Up in States with Pro-Life Laws
Abortion activists, as you might expect, see this rise in the birthrate as a negative thing.
CNN actually goes so far as to claim that not being aborted negatively impacts the child: “Earlier research has found that there are many consequences of unintended birth, affecting the health and livelihood of the mother, the child and the family in general.” In other words, the child would be better off dead. It... Continue Reading
Christian Nationalism or Godless Nationalism
The Dangers of a Christ-Less Public Square
As Hillsdale’s Thomas West notes, a serious Christian nationalism must engage in a potentially unpopular challenge to existing civil rights laws, which “frequently limit religion as practiced outside of the narrow realm of ‘religion as such’…. Civil rights laws protect the right of unwed mothers, gays, and transgenders to nondiscrimination—which means religious schools or businesses may... Continue Reading
November 2023 BCO Amendments Update
Nearly half of the presbyteries have offered advice and consent regarding these three proposed (and recommended) constitutional changes.
Overture 23 (Item 2) on officers conforming to the biblical requirement for chastity has garnered favorable support from almost all the presbyteries that have considered it. This item is likely the final amendment in response to the Revoice Conference and corresponding movement promoting so-called Side-B Christianity. Of the 40 presbyteries which have voted so far,... Continue Reading
A Polytheistic Empire – A New Experiment About to Fail?
The United States has shifted from a Christian Nation rooted in the truth of the Bible to a Polytheistic Empire rooted in Marxist ideology
Christianity compromised God’s biblical antithesis in the name of national unity. If we were a Christian nation, we might have a hope for survival, even with variations in language and race. However, like those who sought a humanistic unity at the Tower of Babel, we are doing the same thing as they did, and we... Continue Reading
The Diversity We Need
Nonconformity in an Age of Capitulation
This is the diversity we need: Christian colleges and universities that are unafraid to pursue their distinctive missions regardless of the spirit of the age. When acting in accordance with its trademark commitment to curricular intentionality, faith integration, and programmatic integrity, Christian higher education offers something different in the marketplace than the vast majority of... Continue Reading
A Clarion Call for the Ages
2023 Books of the Year | In 1923, J. Gresham Machen exposed the deep chasm between true Christianity and the sham religion taking root in American churches. A century later, Christianity and Liberalism remains an essential book for believers.
The argument Machen makes powerfully in Christianity and Liberalism is that liberals in the 1920s had abandoned the Christian religion—that though liberal Protestantism tried to go by the name Christian, it was actually an entirely separate religion. He makes this case methodically throughout the book, contrasting the two religions with regard to doctrine, God and man, the Bible,... Continue Reading
Majoring in the Minors: Jonah
Jonah provides a wealth of Gospel connections that both foreshadow the person and ministry of Jesus Christ but also the inbreaking of Christ’s world-wide Kingdom.
Paul views Jesus in Jonah-like terms, one who is both a true Israelite and true Israel himself, and in whom even the godless and uncircumcised Gentiles can find reconciliation. What was there in God’s call to Jonah was only a dimly-lit picture, a veiled foreshadowing of something greater – it was, in the Biblical sense,... Continue Reading
Hospitality in a Time of Food Allergies and Disorders
Tips and Tricks for Food Allergies and Disorders
If creating a meal for someone with multiple allergies is not an option, create a gathering that doesn’t include a meal. Have a game night and instead of a meal provide some store-bought safe snacks. Things like chips, salsa, and popcorn are usually great for most people with allergies and food disorders. By creating an... Continue Reading
Bishop Barron in “Frank Disagreement” with Synod on Synodality’s report on “Development of Moral Teaching”
Synodality’s claim that advances in the sciences require an evolution in the Church’s moral teaching on human sexuality.
The bishop also noted that during discussions at the October synod assembly, there was a “perceived tension between love and truth,” particularly around the issue of outreach to the LGBT community. “Practically everyone at the synod held that those whose sexual lives are outside of the norm should be treated with love and respect, and, again,... Continue Reading
O Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go
Christian Hope in the Christian's Sorrows
On June 6, 1882, George Matheson sat alone a day before his sister’s wedding and penned “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.” Though delighted for his sister, the Scottish minister felt sorrow mixed in with joy before the wedding festivities. At age 20, Matheson lost his eyesight, and his fiancé at the time... Continue Reading
On Culture War, Doug Wilson, and the Moscow Mood
Where the Mood Misfires-A Couple of Concrete Examples
If you are a mature, grounded Christian in a good church, with a good sense of discernment, you can find a number of helpful things from the world of Moscow. But there’s a difference between snacking on Moscow once you are already full of good Christian discipleship and feasting on Moscow for three square meals... Continue Reading
Israel, Hamas, and Evangelicals
Evangelical support for Israel is not grounded in a putatively biblical framework, but rather in prudential considerations.
Indeed, there are many prudential reasons for Christians as Citizens to support Israel. Among them, Israel is the only free, democratic nation in the Middle East. Also, Israel is a close ally of the United States, sharing a similar cultural heritage, values, and interests. Lastly is the moral imperative. The meaning of Israel is powerfully... Continue Reading
Without the Trinity the Doctrine of the Atonement Goes off the Rails
The atonement is the apex of the triune mission of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working together to reconcile sinners and renew creation.
We need to recognize that, through and through, the doctrine of atonement needs to be thoroughly Trinitarian. It’s centered on Christ. Jesus is the Son of the Father who is empowered by the Spirit. The Apex of God’s Mission The atonement is the apex of the triune mission of God: Father, Son, and Holy... Continue Reading
Love the Sinner; Hate the Movement
Our job is to love the sinner enough to call them to repentance. And to hate the movements that accost them.
Love always seeks the best for a person. And what is best for a person is what God says in His Word. We must love men and women who are being led to the slaughter enough to point them away from these diabolical fantasies, the damned identity politics dreamt up by demons and instead bid... Continue Reading
Don’t Counsel or Debate Over E-mail or Social Media
As easy as communication is, avoid any serious communication with members of your church via e-mail, twitter, or the Facebooks. Why is this the case?
Digital communication is convenient, but in counseling and debate situations, it’s best to conduct these face-to-face. Sit down over a cup of coffee and counsel or engage in debate. In some circumstances, digital communication may be the only option, though I would sooner resort to a phone call. Leave logistical matters to e-mail (time, place,... Continue Reading
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise: History of a Classic Hymn
The inspiration for “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” came to Walter Smith during a dinner with eleven other New College alumni as they reminisced about the halcyon days immediately following the Disruption.
As the men gathered around the dinner table recalled their happy bygone student days, they particularly recollected the lofty phrasings of their mentor’s prayers. They rehearsed his most striking and memorable catchphrases — many of which now shaped cadences of their own prayer vocabulary. Realizing the riches that their conversation had uncovered, Walter Chalmers Smith... Continue Reading
Indi Gregory: Third Infant to Die at Hands of UK Government
Good parents do everything in their power to protect their children. But what happens when the government takes that power away?
Unfortunately, Justice Robert Peel denied the request, claiming that Indi’s “best interests” would be served by withdrawing treatment — that is, by letting her die in Britain. “I do not think she experiences any meaningful quality of life,” Peel asserted, “and sadly she never will.” Indi’s parents appealed Peel’s decision, but to no avail. Once... Continue Reading
A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken—Hebrews 12:25-29
The author of Hebrews warns that the unparalleled display of God’s grace goes hand-in-hand with an unparalleled display of His judgment that is still to come.
Only God’s kingdom will endure the dissolving and remaking of the cosmos. As mighty as the kingdoms of earth may seem for the moment, they cannot endure the passage of time, let alone the day of judgment! See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused... Continue Reading
What Is the Best Thing about Marriage? (Mark 10:1–12)
Marriage gives us a glimpse of the infinite love God wants people to experience in Him.
Christians are not to grieve the Holy Spirit with bitterness, but to be kind, compassionate and forgiving. We are to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. To sustain our marriage, we have to daily remind ourselves of the gospel of God’s forgiveness. What’s the best thing about marriage? I think as a teenager I... Continue Reading
The Psalms Are a Little Bible
Demonstrating the truth of Martin Luther’s claim.
The Psalms teach us about salvation. There is no salvation to be found in chariots or spears or horsemen or political power. Salvation is from the Lord. When God saves sinners, he forgives their sins. He counts righteousness to them through faith. God is the refuge and the rock of his people. He pulls them... Continue Reading
Chesterton on the Free Family
Chesterton’s love of the family always features in his writings.
In everything worth having, even in every pleasure, there is a point of pain or tedium that must be survived, so that the pleasure may revive and endure. The joy of battle comes after the first fear of death; the joy of reading Virgil comes after the bore of learning him; the glow of the... Continue Reading
No, I *AM* Spiritually Closer With Evangelicals Who Reject Certain Tenets Of “Classical Theism” Than With Classical Trinitarians Who Reject The Reformed Doctrine Of Justification.
The church must be vigilant and never forget that Rome affirms the person of Christ while denying the work of Christ, which makes her an enemy of Christ and no amount of Trinitarian orthodoxy can remedy that reality.
Fellowship among evangelicals will always be along a vast theological continuum of spiritual closeness whereas with devout Roman Catholics spiritual closeness is a binary consideration. There is none. Let us not confuse sanctification and fellowship within the body with evangelizing those outside the evangelical church. Our personal spiritual affinity toward other professing Christians should be... Continue Reading
G. K. Beale on the Expected Universalization of the Old Testament Land Promises
It is now in Christ, the Last Adam and true Israel, and the church, in union with the Last Adam and true Israel, that Eden will finally be expanded to the ends of the earth.
The New Testament understands the land promise as a promise that Israel’s land would be expanded to encompass the entire world. For example, Romans 4:13 says, “For the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law . . .” (so also Heb. 11:8–16;... Continue Reading
