I Would Rather be Treated by a Smart Turk than an Untrained Christian
The idea of a comprehensive understanding of salvation that traces the influence of redemption (which is different from creation) to all positive developments in human society and culture is nonsense.
The statement doesn’t say, but the implication is that Christians by virtue of faith, regeneration, the Bible, trust in Christ, are somehow competent to conduct scientific investigations, perform medicine, and write laws and public policy simply by virtue of their faith. These writers may assume that to work in medicine or science you need to... Continue Reading
A Plea for Pastors to Get Outdoors
As with children, so with pastors: it’s essential to our well-being to delight ourselves in God’s creation.
Known for our love of learning and study, pastors—particularly Reformed pastors—can easily spend successive days in sermon preparation, meetings, and pastoral counseling with our skin never feeling the sun and our eyes rarely beholding the spectacle of God’s creation. What free time we do have, we often spend watching TV shows and sports or engaging... Continue Reading
Chinese Pastors Make Public Declaration in Face of Persecution
“We believe and are obligated to teach all believers that all true churches in China that belong to Christ must hold to the principle of the separation of church and state and must proclaim Christ as the sole head of the church.”
But we are even more obligated to proclaim good news to the authorities and to all of society: Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, the Savior and King of mankind, in order to save us sinners was killed, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God, destroying the power of... Continue Reading
Should Christians Abandon Christmas?
I think there is a biblical response to the objection, and also an answer to the question “What would be lost?”
Many Old Testament passages look forward to the coming of our Lord, conceived in a virgin’s womb, born in Bethlehem. Matthew devotes almost two chapters to describing and explaining the event; Luke does the same. John takes us right back into eternity when he invites us to reflect on its significance. There are other passages... Continue Reading
Living on Mission Means Living on Purpose
Like most things in life, evangelism requires personal effort, endurance through difficulty, and the regular repetition of basic (unglamorous) tasks.
It doesn’t just happen; nobody falls into evangelistic faithfulness. Living on mission means living on purpose. It looks like an embracing of a biblical identity and responding with biblical urgency. Evangelism is something that we know we are called to do but often struggle doing. In a 2012 Lifeway study, 80 percent of those surveyed... Continue Reading
Worship in Redemptive History
The ‘wars’ that have raged around ‘worship’ are anything but new
“Although it is undoubtedly true that God is glorified through his people ministering to one another when they gather, if the worship of God on earth is meant to mirror that of heaven, then there has to be an occasion for all eyes – both individually and corporately – to be directed towards God. The... Continue Reading
Quarter of Churchgoers Don’t Take Day of Rest
Females (26 percent) are more likely than males to say they don’t take a Sabbath rest (18 percent)
“Almost half of church attendees aren’t sure if one of the Ten Commandments still applies today,” said McConnell. “Perhaps the most important biblical teaching on the Sabbath came when Jesus said, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’ According to Genesis, God created everything in six days before resting on... Continue Reading
Boards of Christian Organizations Back SOGI Compromise
Major Christian groups endorse framework to expand LGBT rights in exchange for religious protections.
Two major evangelical organizations have formally endorsed principles that would add sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) to federal nondiscrimination law. The boards of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) quietly passed similar motions in recent months, advancing a multiyear effort they say is necessary to preserve... Continue Reading
When the Church is Driven by Pragmatism Over Gospel
The story seems to be something of an indication of the state of the wider Anglican Communion and the way these things are likely to go.
As Jules Gomes notes on his blog, ‘Critics have accused Dean Hance of hypocrisy as the policy of “radical inclusion” pushed by Archbishop Justin Welby is turned on its head when it comes to traditionalist Christians.’ As far as ‘mutual flourishing’ and ‘radical inclusion’ are concerned, it is entirely unclear in what way the Progressives... Continue Reading
Biblical Sexuality Isn’t a Stump You can Mow Around
When Scripture does speak we passionately stand on what it says…especially when it comes to defining sin.
We don’t mow around a denial of biblical truth. The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture means that we are not to call something a sin which the Bible doesn’t. Nor are we required to do something unless the Scripture requires this of us. That gives us the freedom to mow around stumps when it... Continue Reading
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