There is a sense in which self-care is one of our most basic responsibilities before God and our fellow man. Yet there is another sense in which it can be in direct opposition to our most basic responsibilities before God and man. Definitions and proportions make all the difference.   Words and phrases come and... Continue Reading

Addictions do not die in a decisive action. They die over a long period of time. Of course, we must recognize that God is able to — and sometimes does — free someone decisively from the draw of a particular addiction in a miraculous act. But why does it normally take an involved process over... Continue Reading

As we have been noting through this series, in the hands of the Remonstrants, grace is not sovereign, saving, efficacious in the way that the Apostle Paul had spoken of it nor in the way that Augustine and his followers in the Reformation had spoken of it. In Arminius’ theology and in that of his... Continue Reading

By insisting God’s word always operates to save, Lutherans appear to reduce the Spirit’s activity to something like an impersonal power. They must then explain the apparent failure of the word to save some people by arguing that “God, working through means, can be resisted” in a way that “God, working in uncovered majesty, cannot” (Pieper, CD,... Continue Reading

In the 19th century, on the heels of the evangelical revival of the 18th century, and as Nonconformists gained influence and increasingly cooperated together, open communion slowly became the majority practice among English Baptists. Those who practiced it, defended it by appealing to the reality of the Universal Church and the need for greater unity... Continue Reading

Knowing our complete inability to save ourselves highlights the grace and mercy of God. If I owe someone $5 and you pay it for me, I appreciate it, but I may not be overwhelmed with gratitude because I could have come up with the $5 myself. However, if I owed someone $5 billion dollars, then... Continue Reading

The main theological opposition to the doctrine of concupiscence came from the British monk Pelagius (354–420). Although none of his writings have survived, the eight canons of the Council of Carthage in 418 provided an apologetic answer to his errors. Pelagianism insisted that mankind has the innate ability to choose good over evil, thus rejecting the idea... Continue Reading

We may be living many years removed from the days when Marcion walked the streets of Rome and threatened the well being of the church in that city.  Nevertheless, Marcion’s teaching is alive and well and is still a threat to the Church.  So, it’s no wonder the Apostle’s Creed has a freshness that seems... Continue Reading

It is not our Word that we preach. And it is not with our own authority that we preach. And if we are powerful preachers, it is not in our own power that we preach. So what principles shape this calling as it comes to us? What mold do our own gifts and personalities need... Continue Reading

To lean into these words is to guard our hearts from the seductive ways of possession. It provides accountability when we all-too-easily fall into the trap that things we do (or make or have) belong to us. It is a safeguard to a wilderness of our own making, where we wander, lost and out of touch with God... Continue Reading