The heart gravitates so quickly to familiarity and comfort, to knowing and being known. Amy Carmichael wrote, “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.” But even missionary life, with all of its perceived and real challenges, can become comfortable.    “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.” It certainly started out that way. There... Continue Reading

To Paul, this was true Christian freedom: to do whatever it takes to love one’s neighbor for the sake of Jesus. This is what Paul had in mind when he wrote, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). We glorify God when, out... Continue Reading

This year marked the first time since Gallup began surveying Americans about trust of various occupations in 1977 that fewer than 4 in 10 gave clergy the highest ratings. In 1985, 67 percent said clergy had high or very high honesty and ethical standards—the high-water mark for the profession.    Americans trust those delivering shots... Continue Reading

The first comment I remember our then nine-year-old daughter making after the fire was, “Well, we’re not supposed to store up treasures on earth.” Exactly. And while the fire was surely a trial, we lost no eternal treasures that day. We had lost nearly everything, but we had God’s Word, and that is everything. Without... Continue Reading

There is a theology, piety, and practice that is not bipolar—or is not supposed to be so. The theology of the confessional Presbyterian and Reformed (P&R) churches (as distinct from the mainline or liberal P&R churches) affirms the inerrancy of God’s holy Word, the goodness of creation (against the Gnostics), the reality and effects of... Continue Reading

Aging is one of the conditions of our humanness and, in that sense, is incurable. I have found peace with my aging, not only through accepting it but by making it an offering to God, who can transform it into something for the good of others. The early fires of youth may be just embers... Continue Reading

Forgiven. Guiltless. Righteous. Regenerate. Born again. New spirit. Redeemed. Adopted. Sealed. Sanctified. Preserved. Glorified. One day, resurrected. Hope. This is the message that a tumultuous culture needs to hear. They just need the gospel. And God calls us to speak.    You can already feel it. This coming year is going to be a rowdy one,... Continue Reading

This article will follow the sequence of the canons. Though it is often forgotten, this sequence was already established by the time the Synod of Dort convened in 1618. Before the meeting of the synod, the Arminians had presented their teaching in the form of five opinions. The five points of the Canons of Dort... Continue Reading

Arminius and the Remonstrants, though they protested that they were merely following Scripture (as someone, somewhere said, “all heretics quote Scripture”) were, in the judgment of the Reformed churches, guilty of subtly placing reason above Scripture. It is not that there is no place for reason in Reformed theology. None of the magisterial Protestants (least of all... Continue Reading

As we turn to the ninth commandment, the progressive emphasis returns with vigor: “We should care more about love and less about sex.” Of all the postmodern cliches that abound, this one may be the most common.  And it’s quite effective, rhetorically speaking. After all, it tells people what they already want to hear.    I continue... Continue Reading