Let Us Go to Him Outside the Camp
Stay close, bearing with Him while the camps keep warring, and you will know peace.
These words were written to a generation of Christians who were just figuring out what following Christ should look like. They were in uncharted territory in many ways, trying to reconcile old traditions, self-righteous striving, superstitions, and the influence of false religions with their faith in the true Savior. Once Pharaoh finally let God’s... Continue Reading
Jesus in the Gospel of John—the Word
Invoking the words of Genesis, John begins a "new" creation account.
Why is Jesus called the Word? It’s clear that John wants us to understand the Word as divine and eternal. He is God. Having established that, John goes on to say: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,... Continue Reading
The Maker of the Mountains Is with You
In days of darkness, God regularly delivers his comfort and strength to us through four simple words: “I am with you.”
When you meet the kind of Christians who trust God as their faithful Creator, you will know it. Such saints have a mark they cannot hide. Not only do they walk through suffering with an abiding peace in Jesus; they also walk through suffering with an eye toward others: “Let those who suffer according to... Continue Reading
Botching Bostock
June 15, 2020, was not a good day for the Supreme Court of the United States.
Even granting what the Court claims about “the ordinary public meaning” of the Title VII statute, the notion that “discrimination based on homosexuality or transgender status necessarily entails discrimination based on sex” is just flat-out confused. It’s a bad ruling that will have very harmful consequences (and not just for religious employers). Yesterday, the... Continue Reading
Pervasive Injustice
In the aftermath of moral outrage, the question which always follows is: “How do we fix this? What problems should we address?”
The answer usually breaks down into two camps: Those who believe the problem is the system, and those who believe the problem is the individual. If we throw politics into the mix, the Democratic response is usually to reform the system, and the Republican response is usually to reform the individual. But if we think Biblically, the answer... Continue Reading
Redeeming Pastoral Ambition
The quest for glory still rages.
“Go change the world,” ambitious graduates are told, which usually means, “Go become great in the eyes of the world.” Our current culture of side-hustles can stoke discontentment too; at times I’ve struggled to feel like my calling to pastor a local church is enough, as though if I did more then I’d be something... Continue Reading
One Race, One Remedy
God sees one race of humanity with one universal problem: sin.
We must not mistake temporal injustice for God’s primary concern. We need to cultivate heaven’s perspective on the world’s maladies, understanding that instances of injustice are not necessarily ills to be cured but symptoms of the comprehensive corruption of sin’s spiritual cancer. Most of us have heard of Charles Darwin’s landmark work, The Origin... Continue Reading
I’m A White Reformed Christian. Black Lives Matter—and I’m Not “Woke”
I have a few questions for my brethren who seem overly focused on saying that once we’re in Christ, racism doesn’t exist.
I’m a Reforming white Christian woman who loves and affirms sound doctrine, and I believe systemic racism exists. I’m not woke. I’m not Marxist. I don’t align with the BLM or critical race theory movement but I can say “Black Lives Matter” because they do. When George Floyd died under the knee of a... Continue Reading
Flattery is Not Encouragement
Let us not be deceived and fall into the trap of the flatterer.
Like other good gifts from God, even the gift of encouragement has a sinister imitation: flattery. While at times looking very similar to encouragement, Scripture warns that flattery leads to selfish and destructive ends. Lurking in the shadow of every good gift from God is a twisted perversion that seeks to imitate and destroy.... Continue Reading
True Rest in the God Who Helps
As people who belong to Jesus, we need not fear the storms of life.
We belong to the One who will protect us from all harm for he has conquered the wind and wave of death itself. At the cross, Jesus bore the penalty for our sin to remove death’s sting. This means, that even if we find ourselves wading in deep waters, we can tell our frantic souls... Continue Reading