No, Evangelicalism Isn’t In Decline
Challenging Jonathan Merritt’s notion that Evangelicalism is declining as are mainline denominations
On almost every point of fact, Merritt is simply wrong. There are more evangelicals in America today than at any time in our nation’s history. Conservative denominations have continued to grow for the past fifty years while liberal denominations have declined. Currently, 1 in 5 Americans is an evangelical, including 22 percent of older Millennials... Continue Reading
The State of the PCA
Further comments on the present state of the Presbyterian Church in America
Why should we think that in our church in our generation the church should move forward without controversy? I don’t like controversy. I fear those who do. But iron sharpens iron, and that means disagreement. If those in the PCA are unwilling to engage with those in the denomination with whom they disagree, there is... Continue Reading
Conservative Evangelical Leader Appointed Bishop of Maidstone
The next Bishop of Maidstone will be the Reverend Prebendary Roderick Thomas
The Reverend Prebendary Rod Thomas said: “It is both a privilege and a challenge to be asked to become a Bishop in the Church of England. The prospect of serving as the Bishop of Maidstone is similarly both exciting and daunting, and so I ask for prayer that God will give me the necessary strength... Continue Reading
Wanted: A Teaching Church
The heartbeat of the Christian ministry and of the Christian life is a teaching church
The Bible is the Word of God. All Bible-believing evangelical churches affirm this. In historic Protestantism, there is a theology of the Word that not only professes sola Scriptura but also professes the sufficiency of Scripture for all things concerning doctrine, worship, and godliness. What the church of the twenty-first century needs to be is a... Continue Reading
Dear Bryan: Replying to “The State of the PCA”
A confessionalist’s response to Bryan Chapell’s “The State of the PCA”
When confessionalists hear that gender accommodation, positive engagement over homosexuality, and the acceptance of the secularist theory of evolution are necessary to our cultural success (you didn’t mention this, but it is a looming issue in our division), we scour our Bibles in vain to discover valid precedents. In the spirit of Paul in 2 Corinthians... Continue Reading
Church Membership Obligations
Why we should be members of a local church
This is why the Lord’s Day became so important in the early Christianity. It was the time for the formal, public gathering of Christians to worship. In Acts 20:7 we read: “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them.” Had they not gathered... Continue Reading
A Call for the Church in Scotland to Return to Biblical Roots
John Knox famously said: “Give me Scotland or I die.” I wonder if the Church in Scotland has the same passion and commitment today?
Do we want to spend our time remembering the Christendom of the past, and moaning about the secularism and spiritual confusion of the present? Or do we want to see Scotland return to its spiritual roots? Do we recognise that a renewed Scotland needs a renewed Church? If we do, then we need to be... Continue Reading
Andy Stanley Trashes Expository Preaching; Calls it “Easy” and “Cheating”
Stanley says, "My challenge is to read culture and to read an audience and ask: What is the felt need?"
Stanley and other seeker-friendly “creative” preachers improve upon the Text by incessant story-telling and personal anecdotes. That’s the “engaging” part of his shtick. I’ll remind you, beloved, that Jesus taught in parables not to reveal engaging and compelling truths from Scripture, but to conceal truth from those who didn’t need it at the time (Matthew... Continue Reading
Heidelberg 63: Rewards Merited For Us By Christ And Given Freely To Believers
There are heavenly rewards. They are vastly disproportionate to anything done in us or done by us in the life.
The good news is that Christ has condignly merited both our justification and our salvation. Christ’s benefits were earned for us by his works. They are given freely to us who believe. It was works for the Christ and it is grace for us Christians. 63. Do our good works merit nothing, even though it is... Continue Reading
College Students and the Church (3): A Challenge to Churches
Does the church live together in a way that readily encourages college students to integrate into the broader church community?
The neglected key to college student ministry is the exhortation of Peter: “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9). It actually is that simple. The vision is to build relationships with college students, relationships in which counsel and discipleship and life-togetherness will come naturally and organically. This requires hospitality. It requires welcoming... Continue Reading
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