If we learn anything from this, let us learn that the ultimate cause of the massacre in Newtown, the massacre in Bethlehem, and countless other massacres in between was nothing less than the total depravity of the human heart, and let us remember that it was for this reason that Jesus was born.   16... Continue Reading

Dear Lord Jesus, we abandon ourselves to you—we come running with our tears and our fears, our anger and our anguish, our lament and our longings. We collapse in your presence, with the assurance of your welcome, needing the mercies of your heart.   Some stories are just too much for us to absorb; some... Continue Reading

On Monday, December 17, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., there will be a gathering/visitation open to everyone at Old Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Duluth, Georgia.  A memorial/celebration will follow at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday morning   Thomas R. Patete, longtime Executive Director of Great Commission Publications (GCP), went to be with the Lord on December 14,... Continue Reading

Free speech is under attack on all fronts and incidents like the hoax call to the hospital in London can be leveraged to set bad legal precedents and even pass bad laws. They certainly give insight into the gravitational pull of wider society on such matters as freedom of speech.   The apparent suicide of... Continue Reading

What is important to note here is that this fund was set up in the time of Sinclair Ferguson with the approval of the Glasgow Presbytery. If I were a member of the Tron I would not have given to the congregation unless I had been assured that my money would not be used to... Continue Reading

In the midst of the ensuing nastiness, a 15-member mediation team was formed (six chosen by the presbytery’s committee on ministry, six chosen by the Fremont session, and three chosen by Fremont members who wish to remain in the PCUSA). An attorney described by Wilkins as “experienced in faith-based mediation” facilitated the group’s recommendation that... Continue Reading

You could, if you are willing, find a fitting balance, as I try to do, between sympathy and normalcy. That is, don’t be surprised that I’m a little more sad, a little more shy, a little more distracted than normal. But don’t treat me like a Faberge egg, like someone too fragile to laugh at... Continue Reading

Upscale Americans are less religious than those with lower levels of education and income, but better-off Americans attend religious services just as often.   The Story: A new survey finds that 69 percent of American adults are very or moderately religious, based on self-reports of the importance of religion in their daily lives and attendance... Continue Reading

Leaders of the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention prefer to say that the denomination is a network of autonomous churches. The denomination’s constitution claims that each church is “independent and sovereign in its own sphere,” and that the Nashville-based Convention “does not claim and will never attempt to exercise any authority over any other Baptist... Continue Reading

Deeply distraught and ill over this isolation, Valjean prepares to die wretchedly alone. Marius, however, eventually discovers the deeper truth: “You save people’s lives, and you hide it from them! You do more than that, you slander yourself while you’re pretending to unmask yourself.” In the happy reunion of his family, reconciled in love, Valjean dies, peacefully anticipating his eternal refuge