Most of the YRR/New Calvinist leadership and constituency is actually Baptist. Only one of the three churches, Redeemer Presbyterian, studied by Vermurlen is even formally Reformed. One, Driscoll’s, which arguably most closely reflected the character and genius of the YRR/New Calvinist movement, no longer exists. The other is John Piper’s Bethlehem Baptist Church… The YRR/New... Continue Reading

 The splendor and majesty of the ocean hints of things yet greater. To meditate upon it is to allow the grandeur of the waves to push our thoughts beyond that which we see. Taking in the beauty of the ocean should prompt us to think upon a broader universal order. Ultimately, it invites us to... Continue Reading

When I suffered a paralyzing accident at 17 by falling about fifty feet off a Tarzan-like rope swing, all sorts of trivial pleasures that had been distracting me fell away, driving me to concentrate on my relationship with God. And to this day, my paralysis focuses me, driving distractions away. Although my body is broken,... Continue Reading

The non-Christian is separated from God’s life—the Christian is united to God’s life. This says it all, doesn’t it? The non-Christian does not have the vitality, insight, enthusiasm, wisdom, strength, joy or fruitfulness of the Christian. Do we as Christians live in the power of what we DO have precisely because we are united to God’s life,... Continue Reading

Seeing the aftermath of a car accident can wake you up, in a sad though healthy way, from a sense of escapism and forgetfulness about life’s brevity that vacation trips can produce. They remind you there is much greater journey we are all on. Reading passages such as the one above are to have a... Continue Reading

The Lord Jesus Christ who knows all things, including our secret sins, calls us to turn from them in repentance and believe in Him with faith for salvation. How can the righteous omniscient God who knows every wretched thought of our minds allow sinners with such sins on their record to go free and not... Continue Reading

We see two forms of pride in Scripture. One looks and feels nobler and is often met with pity. The other is annoying and we want to hit the mute button because we can easily spot a celebrity rant on a crowded Twitter feed. Neither is godly, and they both lead to hell apart from... Continue Reading

We already know the basic principles of biblical interpretation (context, history, and genre). We apply them every day when we read or hear anything. The problem is that we jettison those principles when we open the Scriptures. We know to consider context, but ignore it when reading a Bible verse. We know to investigate the... Continue Reading

It is breathtaking when we consider that we have been delivered from bondage to be a kingdom and priests. But if we just tuck these ideas away without their gripping our hearts or having an impact on how we are called to live for God, we miss the point.    When I was in college,... Continue Reading

Jesus does not redeem us for our ability to lead a tune. But he does redeem us for the purpose of our glorifying him through song, and demonstrating our unity in Christ by singing the same song. Thus, every Christian should be a singing Christian, and every voice in the congregation matters. You could even say... Continue Reading