Life, Interrupted
Are you resting in God’s sovereignty and his grace, or are you disquieted by fear and anxiety?
The peace given to us – sincerely and really by Christ – will keep us and guard our hearts and minds from the fear and anxiety that threatens to consume us in these days of uncertainty. Know this: there is no uncertainty in the mind of our glorious God and Savior. Rest in that, and... Continue Reading
Trinitarian Language in the Early Church
The early church built their Trinitarian theology on Scripture.
Trinitarianism did not fall from the sky, nor did Jesus write the Nicene Creed on tablets and hand it to the apostles after his resurrection. Instead, the terminology changed over time for various contextual and missional reasons, particularly in response to the issues listed below. The biblical writers did not use the same terms as... Continue Reading
John Donne–Poet of Grace and Comfort
He questioned God and searched the Scriptures for answers.
Donne has often been described as a poet of death. To some people, especially in a culture where thoughts of death are often shunned, he seemed obsessed with it. In reality, death and pain were a constant reality in his life, but he didn’t stop there. In 1623, when a sudden illness brought the... Continue Reading
Eternal Safety in a World of Danger
Into our fear and anxiety, Psalm 91 promises us eternal protection and guaranteed victory.
One of the things we must do when reading the Psalms is to ask ourselves who is speaking. In Psalm 91, the speaker is Israel’s King, a righteous ruler who has put his trust in the God of the Bible. And these promises are, therefore, for that person—the king, the righteous king who always trusts God.... Continue Reading
Pastoral Letter to the Congregation About Virtual Communion
Since the Lord’s Supper is meant to be a picture of the gathered body of Christ, it would be improper to hold ‘private communion’ in our homes.
The conviction is that as soon as we are a gathered community again, whenever that may be, we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper. We are already planning—with anticipation and hope—what that first regathered Sunday worship service will look like. And it will be joyously appropriate for that worship to picture our tangible union through the... Continue Reading
Embracing Your Reformed Roots
As we see churches and denominations swept away with the culture and times, it is important to embrace our roots, so that we might not only hold fast but even flourish in our day.
As our culture and society change, the church does find itself at a crossroads. Do we chase after our market share of the Christians in our community? Do we seek to discover what these people want in church and give it to them? Or, do we seek what God would have us to be as... Continue Reading
Weak Data, Small Samples, and Politicized Conclusions on LGBT Discrimination
Half of the six studies Frank and Baker discuss fail to “prove” that patterns of discrimination widely, systematically, and profoundly harm LGBT Americans.
The measurement, analytic, and interpretive decision-making displayed in much (though certainly not all) of this literature is troubling, indicative of a lack of standards, poorly defined concepts, impressionistic conclusions derived from small numbers of interviews, the politicization of results, and the overall novelty of the field. According to a purported deep dive into the... Continue Reading
The English Reformation: Glass Half Empty? Pt. 1
How deep, thorough, and on-going was the English reformation during this period of time considering the trials that transpired over the next 100 years?
One could accurately describe the progress of the reformation in England during that time as a repetitive dance of three steps forward and two steps back. And unfortunately that frustrating struggle did not cease during the “golden” years following Henry’s death under the youthful King Edward. The topic of this and, hopefully, the next several posts... Continue Reading
Seeing God’s Mercy in Coronavirus
In drawing us to himself, God is calling us to the most glorious life possible, not only in heaven, but even now in the midsts of hardships.
What do we do when we are unsure of what God is doing? How do we know how to respond when that is the case? If we do not fully know his intentions, how can we see his mercy? In the same way that the hidden things belong to the Lord, the revealed things belong... Continue Reading
How to Read Kings Theologically
In the midst of much judgment the reader will find the theme of God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel and his promise to bless others.
The foremost theme in these two biblical books concerns the reign of the single God of Israel who is sovereign over them and Creator of the world. He requires sole loyalty and worship. The story of Kings is the account of the manner in which rulers and prophets succeeded and failed in this requirement. ... Continue Reading