“The problem is that with the exception of the keys of the kingdom, when pastors and elders administer God’s word and open and shut the kingdom of heaven, most us using the English language are dealing not with ultimate but proximate realities. And in this world of sports, politics, law, and interior design, neutral is... Continue Reading

Just ten years ago, you could count on 99 percent of churches to have a singular address. All of the church’s buildings were at one location. Most churches had their groups or Sunday school classes at that same location. Though it was biblically errant to say so, many people referred to the one location as... Continue Reading

He was truly a colossus,  a godly man, a great preacher, a loving husband, a caring father and obviously a doting grandfather. At the end of the documentary Vernon Higham said that in his last meeting with Dr Lloyd Jones, as he was leaving the room, the Doctor called him back and said ‘Remember, I’m... Continue Reading

“Think of all the successful people you know, what is it that distinguishes them all? It’s teachability, isn’t it? Think of all the people you know that never really made the most of the gifts and opportunities God gave them. Unteachability is the common thread, isn’t it?”   There’s one characteristic that separates the successful... Continue Reading

This warm “embrace” metaphorically yet poignantly depicts the sweet tone of faith. The Westminster Confession of Faith echoes Calvin’s language, insisting that the “grace of faith” (WCF 14.1) attunes not only the mind of the believer to the Word of Christ, but also the heart of the believer to the Christ of the Word.  ... Continue Reading

Scientism is a worldview where “only scientific knowledge is valid . . . that science can explain and do everything and that nothing else can explain or do anything: it is the belief that science and reason, or scientific and rational, are co-extensive terms.”   We all have those TV shows that define our childhood... Continue Reading

“This is profound because it is utterly without precedent or parallel. It has no similar example for us to compare it. The incarnation of God stands alone in its manifold profundity. It is meant to obliterate our categories and provoke us to cover our mouths and gasp for our God-given breath. God became a man.”  ... Continue Reading

“They think ‘regular attendance’ is ‘I get there when I can,'” Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research and the study’s other co-author, said. “We found many of these large, successful congregations still have many of the same challenges of smaller congregations. They are not immune to the cultural dynamics in society.”... Continue Reading

“What is doctrine? In its basic sense, doctrine is any sort of teaching. The Bible, for example, talks about the teachings of men (Mark 7:7–8), the teachings of demons (1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 2:24), and the teachings of God (John 6:45; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 John 2:27). Here, we are concerned with divine teaching, the... Continue Reading

“The decreasing numbers have had an effect upon the ability of smaller congregations to employ full-time clergy. In a first, a plurality of Episcopal congregations in 2014 (34.5%) have only a part-time or unpaid priest, outnumbering those with a lone full-time priest.”   The Episcopal Church continued its membership and attendance decline in 2014, but... Continue Reading