It is understandable why teachers and curriculum might not put much emphasis on the destruction of Jericho’s citizens or the other instances in the book of Joshua that describe the Israelites’ killing the residents and animals of entire towns. These stories can make us feel uncomfortable, after all. They can be hard enough to explain... Continue Reading

When Michigan lawmakers began drafting the religious protection laws in 2013, faith-based groups made up about 25 percent of the state’s child welfare agencies. The same holds true in Texas. A loss of even half of those agencies would result in an immediate reduction in available foster families and the ability to recruit more, said... Continue Reading

God creates community. Through faith in what Christ has done for us at the cross, we are adopted into the family of God.  We don’t pick our friends; God chooses our brothers and sisters. We are united to one another through the blood of Christ and our friendship with each other is eternal.   My... Continue Reading

This incident comes as the U.S. Supreme Court gears up to take the case of Jack Philliips, the Christian baker who was ordered by the the Colorado Civil Rights Commission to serve wedding cake to LGBT couples — or none at all. The high court agreed in June to hear the case this fall.   A Christian... Continue Reading

The Scriptures teach and the Reformed churches confess that believers are definitively, finally, once-for-all justified before God. They will not be re-tried. They cannot be re-tried. To suggest such a thing is to insult the perfect righteousness of our Savior and to deny the once-for-all declaration of God. Christ did not become incarnate for his people,... Continue Reading

One of the most extraordinary passages in the Gospels is the confession of Jesus’ identity by the Apostle Peter. There are a myriad of remarkable spiritual dynamics at work in the passage, each of them with far-reaching theological and practical implications for the Church and, consequently, for your life and mine. We should consider Jesus’... Continue Reading

Rev. Samuel said that God commanded the devotion of ancient Israelites as “the Divine Agent of their liberation,” having freed them “economic and political exploitation” in Egypt. Christians should thus feel empowered to live their “best life today” by drawing on God’s salvific work.   Liberation theology gained momentum last century as a liberal alternative... Continue Reading

Why are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper so essential to being a true, biblical church? Well, firstly because it is biblical – Christ has commanded it!  (Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 14:22-25).[5]  And since it is his church, the worship and boundaries of the church are set and delineated by him. The church must obey.    One of... Continue Reading

As believers, we are united to one another through the blood of Christ. We’ve been adopted into the family of God making other church members our brothers and sisters in the Lord. These relationships even supplant familial ties (Luke 14:26, Matthew 12:48-50). This is why in some churches, members refer to each other as ‘Brother ____’... Continue Reading

“Control over the manner and timing of a person’s death has not been and should not be a goal of medicine,” the group concluded. “However, though high-quality care, effective communication, compassionate support, and the right resources, physicians can help patients control many aspects of how they live out life’s last chapter.”   (WNS)–Amid increasing attempts... Continue Reading