“For the church today, the office of RE, while at times allowed to suffer from an inferiority complex, is really an integral part of what the church is to do to fulfill its divine commission.  REs possess a pedigree descending from Calvin’s Genevan polity, and their work is of great importance to the health and... Continue Reading

“The second century has much to teach the modern church.  My research about what second-century Christians were like, and the opposition they received, made me see that there is much more in common between the second-century Church and the twenty-first century Church (at least in the Western world) than I originally thought.“   Due out... Continue Reading

It grieved me to hear Perry talk about her sterile religious experience, because I know that I too have been guilty of over-emphasizing morality in my own youth ministry. I have been so focused on my “flannel graph Bible lessons” and my rules about sex and social media discipline, that I have failed to share... Continue Reading

“Sola scriptura not only addresses our ultimate standard in knowing, but also alerts us to the power God’s word exercises in creating, governing and perfecting an historical process through which we come to know about knowing.”   Sola Scriptura affirms that Scripture alone is the supreme and final authority for human thinking and living. Since... Continue Reading

Comey’s thesis treats Niebuhr’s writings as a kind of wisdom literature for Christian office seekers. “Every aspiring world leader,” he advised, should study “Niebuhr’s classic statement of the human condition.”   Last fall, my students were reading Reinhold Niebuhr’s 1952 classic, “The Irony of American History,” when the renowned theologian’s title came alive for them:... Continue Reading

“The pastor loves his flock well when he preaches Christ to them and constantly, prayerfully, and tirelessly points them away from themselves and this world to Christ Jesus, the Lord. No Christian should ever underestimate the divine power that attends the faithful heralding of the Word of God.”   The measure of a pastor’s love... Continue Reading

Commission chairman David Blumberg said the two commissioners who ruled on the case told him one reason they denied Cook parole was that she “took no responsibility” and “showed no remorse” for her actions during the 90-minute hearing.   Heather Cook, the former Episcopal bishop who is serving a seven-year prison sentence for a drunk-driving... Continue Reading

“With these two volumes Boekestein, a minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America, has done us a service by providing accessible, popular pathways into Zwingli’s world, life, theology, piety, and practice and for that we are in his debt.”   Since this is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses (October 31,... Continue Reading

“Snelling, who lives in Kentucky, agrees with the official Answers in Genesis position — that Genesis is literally true, right down to the six-day creation and Noah somehow fathering the ancestors of all human beings alive today.”   All Andrew Snelling wants to do is collect some rocks from Grand Canyon in order to help... Continue Reading

We’ve grown up in a feelings-driven, truth-averse, trigger-happy culture. We’ve been told that we’re only authentically human when we “express ourselves,” whatever that means. We’ve witnessed the breakdown of the family as adults dissolve lifelong bonds over a few afternoon court dates.   The way to stand out today is this: to hunger to be... Continue Reading