Further, the New Testament explains another change between the Testaments. Sins continue to be sins—but the penalties change. In the Old Testament things like adultery or incest were punishable with civil sanctions like execution…But in the New Testament the people of God are an assembly of churches all over the world, living under many different governments. The church is not a civil government, and so sins are dealt with by exhortation and, at worst, exclusion from membership.

Joining a Reformed church, I felt like I belonged in some way now to the communion of saints—not just in my local church, but in all times and places. I had to get used to words like “liturgy” and “catechism.” (At the time, I didn’t even know that the Reformers recovered the ancient practice of catechism instruction and Rome only picked up on it as a way of countering the movement.) The public recitation of the creed and the confession of sin was jarring at first. It was a little off-putting to hear the pastor declare in Christ’s name that I am forgiven.

I believe one key is to renew our commitment to the church as an intergenerational family, in which each person has a unique role in helping the others toward our shared goal of maturity in Christ…Young people need adults in their lives who are modeling a vibrant spiritual maturity. One reason no one wants to grow up in America is that many adults don't make their life stage look very attractive.

This view of Warfield is widely accepted, perhaps the “canonical” understanding, and Livingstone and Noll are often cited, uncritically, in support. I am persuaded, however, that this understanding is mistaken. Warfield did claim to have accepted the theory of evolution in his youth, but he then rejected it early in his career. Thereafter he remained open to the possibility of it and affirmed that Scripture could accommodate it, if it were to be proven true, but he himself continued to reject the theory.

Whose Mission Statement Is this?  “What would it take to change the world, provide food for the hungry, and water to the thirsty, teach children to read, and keep them healthy, shelter families and train a new generation, give the poor a chance to better themselves, create a worldwide network of peacemakers, and conquer a... Continue Reading

When he says or does something that offends or upsets you, tell everybody else, but make sure you don’t tell him until he has heard from the others you have told. Then tell him that you agree with them. Every once in a while, send him a complaining anonymous letter.

Proposed Definition: Doctrinal Affirmation: A Doctrinal Affirmation is an interpretation of the Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity on a specific point of their teaching. It serves the churches by directing them to the Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity, applying them in response to doctrinal questions that have arisen in the churches. It should be received by the churches with respect and submission, and it may not be directly or indirectly contradicted in preaching or in writing.

We will spend the bulk of our time over the next two days dealing with areas that do not fall directly under the Confession’s stated functions for a synod. I wonder why we spend so much time on what has little to do with the purpose of a synod according to our Confession. At the Synod level, we are doing more than the Confession calls for.

At the 2011 Synod meeting, the Erskine board was directed to revise its charter and bylaws to clarify the relationship between church and schools and acknowledge that the Synod…has the power to remove board members when necessary. In February, the board…refused to make the necessary changes to the charter and bylaws.

Evangelicals need to guard against a parallel politicization of churches. Pastors as they exegete Scripture can and should make practical applications to key moral issues such as abortion, but they should be wary of going further. The Bible tells us what we need to know about past and future—how we're created and where we're going. It does not tell us precisely what to do about the Keystone pipeline or Iran's drive for nuclear weapons.