Christians are not blind or deaf or insensible to misery.  There is much brokenness in this world. It deeply touches Christians too.  But, we still make a radical declaration: “It is possible to believe that a sovereign God somehow filters all of these evils through his loving and just hands – his nail pierced hands.... Continue Reading

The church year commences with Advent, which includes the four Sundays before Christmas, the first in 2012 being December 2.  Strictly observed Advent is a time of reflection, repentance, and preparation. “Prepare the way of the Lord” is its message. Then comes Christmas Day which begins the Twelve Days of Christmas, which conclude on Epiphany... Continue Reading

Dickens’ works are full of morality tales about caring for the poor, the plight of child labor, the pitfalls of greed, and the importance of neighborly love. But what were the author’s own spiritual beliefs? International Dickens expert Elliott Engel has said Dickens’ writings did more to define current Christmas traditions than any other modern... Continue Reading

Obama is “absolutely” unfriendly to religion and his administration’s policies have “intentionally infringed upon religious liberties,” Warren said in an interview Wednesday. The evangelical pastor, whose 20,000-member church in suburban Los Angeles is one of the largest in the nation, was on tour in New York City to promote to the 10th anniversary edition of... Continue Reading

PCA Ruling Elder John Edward Spencer (April 16, 1920 – November 22, 2012) lived in Birmingham, Ala., and served his local church and the PCA for many years. The following is the sermon preached by Dr. Harry Reeder, Senior Pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, at RE Spencer’s memorial service on November 27.   On Thanksgiving... Continue Reading

A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill… It goes against the... Continue Reading

In no way did I mean to imply that the Civil War was not about slavery. In fact I believe that it was primarily over the slavery issue. My point was that the war was complicated—and tragic. I should have stated that more clearly.   Dear Reader, Please allow me to sincerely apologize to those... Continue Reading

Evangelicals are urged not only to give up a belief in Young Earth Creationism, but also the inerrancy of Scripture, a literal hell, and homosexuality and abortion as sins. It’s never just about evolution. To accept evolution as the “way God created” requires a type of mental gymnastics with what Scripture teaches. Once you give... Continue Reading

The effects of same-sex civil marriage in Canada—restrictions on free speech rights, parental rights in education, and autonomy rights of religious institutions, along with a weakening of the marriage culture—provide lessons for the United States.     Would recognizing same-sex relationships as marriages be much of a game-changer? What impact, if any, would it have... Continue Reading

Because many of us have never experienced the benefits of the family culture in our lifetimes, we may not even recognize our collective loss. Imagine with me, if you can, a culture where you are surrounded with people who know and love you…Allow me to outline some of the paradigm shifts that have occurred in... Continue Reading