Ordinary Means of Grace Ministry
Through the means of grace, God’s elect receive Christ and abide in Him through faith.
Sinners are saved and Satan is vanquished not through the visible glory of social activism, political victories, or cultural transformation. As beneficial as these pursuits might be to improve society, the saving power of Christ is not mediated through them. In fact, it’s one of Satan’s tactics to make us believe that it is. Rather,... Continue Reading
The Church’s Two Laws
There is more to becoming an officer than the laying on of hands by the elders — vows are the other essential part of officer-making.
Moral issues of officers generally get more attention than process and polity peccadilloes. But what about when someone says, “We’re not following the rules because a lot of people don’t follow the rules, and we don’t think you’re going to stop us”? What about when the seeming law of what’s allowed begins to damage the... Continue Reading
A Plea for Patience in the PCA (1)
Those in the PCA grieving because of the divisions caused by deviations from our Standards have cause for concern, but greater cause to labor patiently and faithfully within the PCA.
Calvin understood the zeal of true religion can be patient, but the rage of unbelief acts hastily. Calvin’s demeanor and his patient plodding are instructive for our present moment in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). We should not expect the theological and practical deviations from our Standards to be dealt with speedily. But that... Continue Reading
Unmasking Abusive Spiritual Leadership Part I: Shunning
Shunning is a counterfeit of a biblical principle.
Shunning is more akin to the leadership of Diotrephes, exposed by the apostle John, than faithful church discipline. “So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts... Continue Reading
Bishop Scott Jones Moves From ‘Extreme Center’ of UMC to New Global Methodist Church
Bishop Jones isn’t the first United Methodist bishop to join the theologically conservative Global Methodist Church but his exit from the UMC has caused the greatest stir.
Jones wrote his dissertation on the history of biblical interpretation and John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism, because, he said, “I recognized that how Christians interpret the Bible is the most controversial question in Christianity today.” That question is at the heart of a controversy that has haunted the United Methodist Church for... Continue Reading
Machen Was Doomed, But The PCA Is Not
PCA confessionalists stand on much firmer ground and have far better prospects than did Machen in the first three and half decades of the 20th century.
We can only speculate as to how he [Machen] might view the de facto revisions of the PCA’s confession and catechisms due to the allowances of “good faith subscription.” One thing is for sure—despite the challenges of the day, PCA confessionalists stand on much firmer ground and have far better prospects than did Machen in... Continue Reading
On Fat Ash Thursday: This Is Not About Naming Days.
If more rituals, like Ash Wednesday, are a necessity for the spiritual good of every sheep, how could a pastor fail to urge participation on each and every one?
We need the outwards means that Christ actually uses. Where has he put his promises? How does he give us the benefits of redemption? It is appalling to assert that sanctification by faith urgently needs something other than what Christ has appointed. This is about how is it even possible, and how is it actually... Continue Reading
No Ashes to Ashes: An Anglican History of Ash Wednesday
To the great surprise of many, the Protestant use of ashes for Ash Wednesday services is a modern phenomenon.
This history [of Ash Wednesday] can teach us several things, but chiefly it highlights how traditions can be invented and re-invented—and how quickly and thoroughly this can happen. Certainly most laymen assume that the use of ashes is an ancient and unbroken custom, and many a church website advertises it as such. One suspects the... Continue Reading
Machen vs. Women – A War He Never Fought
Ordained female deacons in the Northern church resulted largely from the receiving into the PCUSA in 1905-1906 of the greater part of the old born-in-revival Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which already had female deacons.
Whether the ordination of women to the offices of deacon, then ruling elder was inevitable and just a symptom of the slide or whether it actually made the slope all the more slippery…well, that’s a subject of debate. Women pastors in the PCUSA did not gain approval until 1956, two decades after Machen’s untimely death.... Continue Reading
What to Do When You Think a Friend Is Considering Suicide
For several reasons, including shame, guilt, and theological issues, suicide has been pushed into the dark recesses of even our churches.
It’s addressing a real problem. Simply, there are a lot of people who struggle with suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10–34. Almost 50,000 people die by suicide every year. As staggering as that number is, it doesn’t tell the whole story. According to the CDC, 12.2 million American... Continue Reading
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