Every leader can grow from criticism, regardless of source or intention….But that truth doesn’t let the one offering criticism off the hook. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Paul says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” The author of Hebrews says, “And let us consider how we... Continue Reading

If in humility we—Americans, moderns, Christians—reacquaint ourselves with an earth of the seventh day, in need of gardeners, namers, dominion makers, then perhaps we can avoid our great tower’s fall….For how, without knowing nature, can we know her laws, or know her God?   There is a capital in the east, a great city full... Continue Reading

Pornography degrades the mind into darkness, dulling our senses so that we lose the ability to appreciate the subtle art that God has created all around us. It addicts us to fluff and triviality, and reality becomes intolerable.   In our previous study, we began the final section of the catechism, which is called Restoration. As... Continue Reading

Hopeful, dedicated, and spiritually zealous Rev. John R. Peale completed seminary, was licensed and ordained, married Rebecca, and with his bride they embarked on a lengthy journey to China only to be murdered in the streets of Lienchou by some of the residents they had hoped to serve.   John Rogers Peale was born to... Continue Reading

The proper kind of apologetic defense of the Reformed Christian faith grows out of its theological soil reflecting its organic roots in that foregoing Reformed theology…In short, the theology determines the method.   For some time now Christians from various non-Reformed Christian traditions have sought to use the “presuppositionalist” apologetic in their defense of the... Continue Reading

Suffering is a universal experience. If you have a pulse, you either have or will experience suffering. My sad conviction is that far too few Christians today have an adequate Biblical understanding of suffering. And this leaves them in an extremely vulnerable place when the waves of suffering finally do reach the shores of their... Continue Reading

[Denis] Noble is neutral on religious matters. Yet he sees compelling evidence that purpose may be fundamental to life….Noble’s critics worry that entertaining religion-adjacent views subverts established science and the entire scientific project.   What if the formation and function of organisms requires design and reflects purpose? And what if these phenomena suggest the reality... Continue Reading

The 51st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America was a success. It was a success because we came together as brothers, and even when we disagreed we remembered that we all serve one Master and Lord. There are areas where our church is not on the same page. There are areas where we... Continue Reading

Jesus spoke the most plain words about visiting lonely believers who can’t come to church. His words make it clear that He cares about them deeply, and gives special attention to them. They are His sheep and they need to be fed.   Visiting the sick, the needy, and the shut-ins is part and parcel... Continue Reading

We do not go looking to the experience of our desires to validate an identity. We go to Scripture. The fact of “naturally occurring” experiences or desires tells us nothing about the appropriateness of those occurrences or desires. “If it feels good, do it” is devastating as an ethic.    It is a cultural myth... Continue Reading