Christians Need Not Fear Scientific Inquiry
This does not mean that we should uncritically accept all pronouncements and pontifications of scientists.
When we oversimplify theology or oversimplify science, we encounter many difficulties between the two. Science is a complex enterprise. So is theology. Their relationship is to be studied closely and deeply if we are to discover an ultimate harmony between them. There is a sense in which the Christian should be the most passionate... Continue Reading
The Puritan Call to the Ministry
The Puritans understand the call to ministry as a sacrificial calling.
Differing from the Church of England at the time, the Puritans understood the call to ministry not as an ambition of academic or clerical achievement, but the shepherding-care of the local church. In doing so, they sought to love the local church for the glory of her Savior, Jesus Christ. Rightly understood, the Puritans... Continue Reading
Courage, and Tactics, in the Gender Debate
Reclaiming apologetic preaching and teaching around fundamental philosophical categories of personhood prepares Christians for a smart and effective witness concerning gender issues.
Key to the gender debate is what makes a person, and how one’s gender is integral (or not) to that personhood. Christian theology gives us what we need to navigate this evolving cultural frontier. The Old and New Testaments are the foundation on which much of the Western tradition bases its ideas of a person:... Continue Reading
The First Worship War
A heart of worship will manifest itself in excellent, obedient offerings to God.
Good heart motivation alone does not justify disobedience of God’s clear instructions or worshiping in flippant, casual ways. On the other hand, doing exactly what God has commanded without a heart that desires to please and glorify him is equally deficient. Both are important. The very first conflict following the Fall was a conflict... Continue Reading
Bringing our Children to the Table
In doctrinally serious churches, welcoming the children of believers to the Lord’s Supper is one of the most important elements of the life of the church.
At what point is a child mature enough to examine his or her own heart to see whether or not he or she is discerning the body or not? Certainly, there is absolutely no reason why we would ever assume that an infant could examine his or her own heart with any sort of conscious maturity.... Continue Reading
Hospitality in a Fallen World
Christians are called to love our families, neighbors, and enemies.
Because Christian hospitality flows out of the gospel, it is a powerful tool. It strengthens families, communities, and is a strong witness. Hospitality is an instrument for sanctification, unity, and blessing. The last chapter of Revelation gives us a picture of Heaven, where God welcomes His people into His city. But for that home... Continue Reading
You Don’t ‘Let’ God Do Anything
God doesn’t need our help. And he doesn’t need our permission.
The devil is actively trying to get us to think we can dethrone the true Sovereign and enthrone ourselves. And the full counsel of the true gospel is the right antidote to “let go and let God” thinking, because only the gospel reminds us that God is sovereign over us and our circumstances. An... Continue Reading
Accepting “No” as God’s Will
Sometimes the way of suffering is the Father’s plan.
Never did a man pray more earnestly than Christ prayed in Gethsemane. Who will charge Jesus with failure to pray in faith? He put His request before the Father with sweat like blood: “Take this cup away from me.” This prayer was straightforward and without ambiguity—Jesus was crying out for relief. He asked for the... Continue Reading
Cartographers For Christ
What if you held in your hands the promise of real riches that belonged to you, if only you were willing to do the searching and digging?
The Puritan Thomas Goodwin once remarked that “In Christ are treasures that will require digging to the end of the world.” The riches of Christ pose a paradox to us: they are “unsearchable riches” (Eph. 3:8), and yet those who seek them with diligence will find them (Prov. 8:17). In other words, the digging never... Continue Reading
Pineapples and Biblical Interpretation — What’s the Connection?
The root fallacy of biblical interpretation is exegetical root fallacy.
When a person tries to define the meaning of a biblical word by appealing to its etymology (its history of how a word’s meaning changes over time) or to its component parts, they are committing the error of exegetical root fallacy. They are trying to say a word now means such and such because its... Continue Reading