Commenting on the vote, LaBerge reaffirmed the statement of protest issued by the Lay Committee following the action of the General Assembly in June 2014 to redefine marriage. She said, “The passage of the amendment is further indication of the erosion of Biblical fidelity within the PCUSA. There is nothing new to say in response.... Continue Reading

“Some sexual offenders state it outright—they go after churches because Christians tend to be naïve. Anna Salter says, “If children can be silenced and the average person is easy to fool, many offenders report that religious people are even easier to fool than most people.”   It is terrible but true—sexual predators target churches. In... Continue Reading

“When believers gather as the church, they exist in some special way as the dwelling place of God—the sanctuary of worship—so that, as Jesus promised, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matt 18:20). Although individual believers are also called “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor... Continue Reading

That’s not to say you won’t find folks who will argue and talk about this issue all day long, or that many won’t go down this road. But the real guts of the debate, with evangelicals academically wrestling with Scripture, hermeneutics, and theology isn’t happening. This isn’t a “dividing” issue where different opinions line up... Continue Reading

One robust move in the past year was the unanimous adoption of Overture 6 by the theologically conservative denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). In it, the denomination acknowledges the epidemic nature of child sexual abuse in this country and argues that the silence of churches on this topic renders it complicit with God.... Continue Reading

When putting the child down, if the child lifted his head, you were to push his head down and say “no” firmly. If he lifted his head again, you were to spank him on the backside with the rubber eraser end of a pencil or a cardboard tube from a clothes hanger. You were supposed... Continue Reading

If we consider that all the things we do in a worship service are to be acts of worship, it’s a little ridiculous to give the soloist the title of “worship leader.” After all, praying is an act of worship. Actively listening to proclamation through sermon is an act of worship. Reading Holy Scripture is... Continue Reading

Judge John P. Chupp of the 141st District Court in Tarrant County, Texas, ruled Monday (March 2) that more than 60 parishes in greater Fort Worth can retain their property and remain independent of the Episcopal Church. “We are grateful for the ruling in our favor,” said Bishop Jack Iker, the former Episcopal bishop of Fort... Continue Reading

“It’s my guess that students who are familiar with theology are also familiar with how much people can waver between points of view, and they gravitate towards older, more conservative faiths that adhere to the points of view that they ascribe to.”   “I’m Kirkland An — I grew up in a nondenominational church, but... Continue Reading

“While it is impractical to have visitors over for lunch every Sunday, get in the practice of having a meal ready for guests on a somewhat regular basis. Then, seek out visitors after the service. You will find that almost anyone visiting will jump at the invitation to come to your home for lunch.”  ... Continue Reading