When preachers preach the gospel, some audiences will not believe what they hear. Even if preachers clearly communicate the gospel to their hearers, some will refuse to receive it in faith. Preachers, therefore, should not become frustrated or discouraged.   Quoting Romans 10:14–17, author Roger E. Van Harn explains the central role of hearing in... Continue Reading

If the course of our country, wherever that may be, is to progress in a God-fearing and righteous manner, that must start in the Christian home. We cannot expect the world around us to pursue a path we secretly balk against ourselves. Casting down idols in the public square will not last if we are... Continue Reading

Consider the program and aim of bigotry: It seeks to pigeonhole and caricature another group in order to disparage their dignity and worth. Bigotry flattens a person’s three-dimensionality. It is dismissive, and its purpose is to gain control. These markers sound quite a lot like what passes today for political discourse.   Among the thinning... Continue Reading

We need to be careful how we judge and who we celebrate. The triumph of the gospel is never just the victory of ‘The Few,’ but of the whole body working together. We need to know that our contributions, however small and insignificant they might seem, matter.    This month marks the 80th Anniversary of the... Continue Reading

What is unfolding before our eyes is a new secular religion. For all its claims of “inclusivity,” this new faith is deeply intolerant. It has roots in the American past that would likely surprise its adherents: the Puritan era of our nation’s earliest religious zealots. Progressives are now engaged in doing theology without God.  ... Continue Reading

Settling for superficial peace and the ceasing of hostilities is tempting. But the goal of the believer is to glorify God by being conformed to the image of Christ. That can only happen when we deal with the heart first and foremost.   How long has it been since your last conflict? Many of us... Continue Reading

In an effort to promote certain terminology that neither the Scripture nor Reformed confessions espouse or ideologies that are in opposition to Scripture, the church has been left unsettled as to the theology of male and female relationships and roles. Many husbands and wives, sessions, and presbyters, have had long discussions and debates on portions... Continue Reading

The radical left seems to have a vested interest in destroying our civilization from within for the sake of some apocalypse or other. That is a dangerous place for us to be.   Some years ago, Michael Hanby observed that we are all Marxists now. By this, he meant that everything has become politicized for... Continue Reading

We know that sanctification is a divine work through the Word by the Spirit of truth. So, we must plead with the Spirit that He would mold and shape us into the image of Christ, through the truth, from one level of glory to the next.   We don’t want to remain spiritual children, perpetually... Continue Reading

Desperate to find a way to attract their wandering children, worried parents demand the church to change in some way to attract and retain their young people. This move, church-blaming, creates an unhappy environment of disgruntlement and embarrassment along with the pressure to offer a consumer-driven Christianity.   This essay comes from the heart of... Continue Reading