Perhaps the best criticism of the PCA might be that the efforts especially of young ministers—often from Evangelical and Fundamentalist backgrounds—at racial reconciliation, instead of being increasingly “woke” have been rhetorically vague and socio-intellectually contrived, and have led to certain forms of social and intellectual naïveté regarding the consequences of adopting modern taxonomies of social... Continue Reading

What do we find in Acts 8-12? We see the gospel spreading to Samaritans and then Gentiles – a massively significant step of progression. But we also see a change of ministry opportunity. After the stoning of Stephen, we read this: “…there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and... Continue Reading

Through the years, I have learned that Christ-honoring Christians get out of bed, dress, go to church, sing the songs, pray the prayers and expectantly listen to the sermon each week solely because Jesus is worthy, not necessarily because they always want to do it. To them, it is Jesus who matters most. He is the... Continue Reading

I would suggest that the whole of a minister’s life is perpetual training to become the pastor that God calls him to be. There is never a time when pastoral training ends, and professionalism begins… Whatever conclusions you may draw about this subject, of this much we can be sure–the church needs gifted, knowledgeable, thoughtful,... Continue Reading

When we read the Scripture, we see the vision of the church as not one of mere association with a church or a pastor, but glorious participation in the gospel. The word often translated “fellowship” is koinonia in the original language. The word carries the connotation of deep participation. In Acts 2:42, believers devoted themselves... Continue Reading

In the sight of all Israel, Moses charged Joshua to be strong and courageous as he leads the people into the land God has promised. So far so good, but then Moses explicitly states why Joshua should be strong. Surprisingly, it’s not because he’s an effervescent leader, smart, or because he’s been trained by the... Continue Reading

First, when hit with a tsunami of objections, slow things down, especially when facing a group. Part of the power of the gauntlet is its ability to disorient and confuse, so take a moment to collect your thoughts. I’ve sometimes said, “Wow. There’s a lot there. Give me a moment to take it all in.”... Continue Reading

A few years ago, I never thought that I would be coming out to the world through my school newspaper at my Christian university…But my legacy will invariably be different, because I am Calvin University’s first openly LGBTQ student body president. I’m bisexual. I’ve also questioned if I was a lesbian in the past. Usually,... Continue Reading

Last week, one of those male students called to inform me of allegations that Mr. Rice had sexually assaulted him on multiple occasions. While these remain allegations at this point, we are treating them as credible because of the source of the allegations and corroborating evidence we have discovered. Immediately, I informed the police and... Continue Reading

While describing the anti-LGBTQ discrimination as “undisputed,” Judge Marshall wrote that federal law nevertheless protects organization’s conduct motivated by sincerely held, faith-based beliefs within the context of a religious educational institution. “The Court is not permitted to scrutinize the interpretation [the seminary] gives to its religious beliefs,” the judge wrote in Wednesday’s order.   A... Continue Reading