The Missing Elements of Modern Worship
Where have they gone? Or, perhaps more importantly, why have they gone?
“It’s not that every one of these elements has to be prominent every week (and it’s not like these are the only elements that have gone missing). There is a time and place for topical sermons. A confession of sin and assurance of pardon may not be necessary every week. There can be a time... Continue Reading
Gay Man Starts Social Media Campaign Over Church Dismissal For Unrepentant Homosexuality
Jesus, Thomas wrote, was angry with people who told others they were not worthy to be His followers
“Your desire to actively participate in a same-sex relationship with another man, and your unwillingness to heed biblical counsel from your church to turn from that relationship, has made it exceedingly difficult to shepherd you during this time,” the letter said. A gay man disciplined by a Dallas church for giving in to his... Continue Reading
Are Moms Responsible For The Way Their Daughters Dress?
A five-year-old post about modesty and girls went viral, generating more than 1 million reads
The original blog by Shelly Wildman was posted in March 2011 and titled “How Your Daughter Dresses Matters,” and referenced a Wall Street Journal column from around the same time that also dealt with the issue. “[I]t’s been an interesting week,” Wildman wrote Thursday. A Chicago-area author and blogger learned the power of social... Continue Reading
Sexual Identity: Community and Church Issues, Sexual Identity & Fear
Jesus confronts doubts even while giving (believers) a counter-cultural commission
“In my own conversations with Christians, there is perhaps even greater alarm over the agenda of sexual liberation and gender identity movements. The questions I am asked most often about Christian higher education are ones related to threats posed by government bathroom policies or anti-discrimination regulations overriding our traditional commitments to Christian views of gender... Continue Reading
Why Didn’t the Reformers Unite?
Wouldn’t it have made sense for these three centers of reform — Wittenberg, Zurich, and Strasbourg — to come together to present a united reformational front?
Martin Bucer first heard Martin Luther in Heidelberg in 1518 when both were still monks. Luther and Huldrych Zwingli knew of one another. Publicly, Zwingli praised Luther, calling him a “Hercules” and a “faithful David” who fought the Lord’s battles. It was 1529. Various reform movements were at work, purifying the church in Wittenberg,... Continue Reading
1966 And All That: Reflections On Evangelical Unity Fifty Years After The Public Disagreement Between Martyn Lloyd-Jones And John Stott
Tuesday 18th October 2016 marks the 50th Anniversary of Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ address at the Second National Assembly of Evangelicals organised by the Evangelical Alliance
“For a long periods after the Assembly the text of Lloyd-Jones’ address was unavailable . It was finally printed in full in Knowing the Times, published by the Banner of Truth in 1989. A couple of days ago I read the address again, and even on paper (especially if you imagine the voice of Lloyd-Jones)... Continue Reading
Serious Trouble Brewing in the PCA Over “Gay Christians”
It appears to me that the PCA should be preparing for some serious trouble over the legitimacy of what is being termed “gay Christian.”
Rather than adopting some new theological position at a local church or Presbytery level, let us appeal to the broader church to study the issue and report back to the church. Is sexual desire for other men or women of the same gender acceptable, as long as it does not become lust, or is it... Continue Reading
Open Letter to SBL Concerning Their Ban of IVP from the Annual Convention
The objection of SBL is that IVCF’s employee policy requires subscription to a document called “Theological Summary of Human Sexuality,” which in SBL’s mind severely restricts free inquiry.
Fifth, and somewhat baffling, is what you wrote to IVP. You said that SBL was committed to: “a variety of critical perspectives … diversity of participation and unhindered critical discourse … free inquiry and expression.” John, mate, I don’t want to be confrontational, but can you explain to me how does banning a publisher from the annual... Continue Reading
The PC Police Outlaw Make-Believe
In our surreal age of identity politics, pretending is politically incorrect.
Ms. Shriver delivered her speech while wearing a sombrero—a literal representation of her deeper point, which is that the job of fiction writers is to embody characters unlike themselves. If identity politics reaches its absurd conclusion, Ms. Shriver said, “all I could write about would be smart-alecky 59-year-old 5-foot-2-inch white women from North Carolina.” ... Continue Reading
Human Sexuality: Defined by the Mystery of the Trinity
The Bible discloses that there only two options for human existence: We either worship the creation or we worship the Creator.
We do not define God nor do we self-define. In the creation of human sexuality God, as Creator and Redeemer, reveals something of himself as both different from us, yet intimately related to us. In revealing himself, he defines us. Thus our great cosmic human task is faithfully to carry that image throughout our lives... Continue Reading