“Last year I read through John’s Calvin’s great work Institutes of the Christian Religion with a young man in my congregation. What struck me most rereading it was the way Calvin repeatedly emphasizes God as our Father.”   “I’m writing a book on joy and the Reformation.” His raised eyebrows were enough to tell me... Continue Reading

“I do not want a soft theocracy in this sinful world. I want a fair and free democracy for believers and unbelievers. People should have the legal right to pursue happiness — even when they pursue happiness in sin.”   A nation that strips my neighbours’ liberty to sin will strip my liberty to call... Continue Reading

“Another way we might misunderstand the nature of freedom is by thinking that freedom means a lack of personal responsibility. This misunderstanding runs rampant in the world around us. We see people abandoning their responsibilities to their families because they are tying them down.”   “You can’t make me do this. Don’t you know this... Continue Reading

“Paravicino’s family had been divided for some time. It was predominantly Protestant, but two of its members had moved to the Roman Catholic camp, leading the opposition. Fifty-five of his relatives arrived in Zurich, while sixteen died during the attacks or while they tried to flee.”   Vincenzo Paravicino was one of the many Italians... Continue Reading

“Psalm 46 was written as a refuge for God’s people in this age of suffering. It reminds us that God is in control — even when everything around us seems out of control. It teaches us about the faithfulness and sovereignty of God. Nothing comes into our life that has not first passed through His... Continue Reading

“You would never embark on a family vacation without knowing the destination. And you would never get on the road without how knowing how to get to that destination. You have a plan. The same is true for your financial goals.”   “I want to get financially healthy.” “I want to give generously, save wisely,... Continue Reading

“Being part of this new covenant Israel is, thus, not a matter of physical descent from Abraham, but rather sharing Abraham’s repentance and faith (Luke 3:8). The new people of God includes Jews and Gentiles together (Gal 3:28), as both are grafted into the new olive tree, Christ/ Israel (Rom. 11:17–24).”   In the beginning,... Continue Reading

“Are psychiatric illnesses the result of sin or not? Are individuals to blame, or are they not responsible for their fate?” Lundy insists, “For the most part, we are left with the much more general sense that sickness and suffering in the world are distributed in ways that defy our comprehension.” Lundy points to Richard... Continue Reading

“God opens the comfort and hope of certain portions of His word to our souls, when we suffer some particularly difficult trial. Such was the case for me when my mother passed away. Those Scriptures that spoke of the reality and sting of death and the hope of the resurrection were all experientially theoretical, so... Continue Reading

“We see the maelstrom even in conservative denominations. I can see the beginnings of it in my own denomination. I recognize it because I’ve seen it before, it is deja vu all over again. And just as I’ve seen before, it is catching conservative clergy unprepared. It is the same old thing. They’re frightened into... Continue Reading