Supreme Court to Hear Westminster Seminary’s Case
The United States Supreme Court has accepted for review Westminster Theological Seminary’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
“Westminster filed the lawsuit because it objects to the regulations enacted under the Affordable Care Act that require the seminary to provide abortifacients (drugs and devices that can cause abortions), including the morning-after pill, to its employees under its health insurance policy. The Supreme Court will hear our case on March 23rd, 2016.” Under... Continue Reading
Why the Media Need to Stop Hounding Dan Walker
Christian TV presenter Dan Walker has been criticised in the media this week for believing that God created the world. David Robertson responds
Why did the Daily Mail, Times, Independent and Telegraph (amongst others) run lengthy articles about Mr Walker? Is Dan the first Transgender presenter? Is he the secret love child of one of the Royals? No. It’s worse than that – he’s a Christian! And not just a Christian, but a Baptist Christian. Even worse than... Continue Reading
Lent…if borrowed should be returned
It saddens me to see the growing excitement over such high church traditions in our churches while simultaneously diminishing the ordinary and historical practices.
Please know that I am not on a crusade to wipe out all traditions and practices that are not my own. My crusade is to wipe out the mindless and sentimental borrowing from other traditions. And, I am really not even on a crusade to convince all of my PCA brothers that they ought to return to... Continue Reading
Worldview Loneliness in the Church
This is what it’s like to feel alone because of your Christian worldview in the Church.
My worldview loneliness is not provoked by the awkward discomfort that comes from sharing the Christian faith with an unbeliever in secular culture. Which is not to say evangelizing is easy for this introvert. No, that challenge is different. I expect a lost soul to find the Gospel offensive. The mocking, callousness and avoidance of the... Continue Reading
Is It Possible To Be Too Pie in the Sky?
What does the Bible say about the relationship between longing for the day to come and this side of heaven helpfulness?
The non-Christian world has long made this accusation, but in recent years the accusation has come from inside the Christian camp as well. Within our own circles some are claiming the church has been unhelpfully influenced by Plato. If you remember back to your college philosophy class you’ll remember Plato’s allegory of the cave. In... Continue Reading
Minds, Books, and the Fruit of Traditionalism
How much has this traditionalism discouraged women from using their brains and thinking wisely for themselves?
I believe this is reflected in the books that are marketed to Christian women. These numerous volumes are long on subjective experience and stories and short on objective doctrine. Thus dubious content can find cover under emotional appeal and perceived personal rapport with the author. They are also driven by application, usually related to the... Continue Reading
Speedos or Shorts? Bikinis or Bathing Suits?
Two things in the last week have brought to my attention that those who wish to maintain anything approaching traditional Christian standards are facing a brave new world.
Religious and social conservatives, and even traditional liberals, may well have disagreed over the years about what constitutes modesty (Speedos or shorts? Bikinis or bathing suits?) but they have typically accepted that the concept itself is legitimate and appropriate. In a world where Reichian quackery rules, we do not debate the limits of modesty for... Continue Reading
The Essence of Faith: Neither Obedience Nor Love
In Reformed theology when we talk about the essence of justifying faith, we exclude love and obedience.
In other words, love and works are not the same as justifying faith; love and works are not the essence of faith. The sinner is not justified by faithful obedience, or by faith working through love, but by faith alone, only, period. True faith always results in love and good works, but love and good... Continue Reading
A Prayer for When Life is Disappointing
Disappointment is part of life in this fallen world. Things don't work the way they are supposed to.
God is preparing us now, in this life, for eternity. He uses our struggles and challenges to sanctify us and make us holy. He is making us increasingly more like Christ by stripping away the layers of sin and removing the counterfeit loves in our heart. So when disappointments come, we can ask ourselves, “What... Continue Reading
Joyful Noise: Praise with the Volume Pumped Up
There is something that generates an impact that reverberates through this world, the spiritual realm, and the Universe: a joyful church.
This is the reason we worship: he deserves it. God is good, loving, and faithful. This is why we sing, this is why we make a loud noise – because he is worthy of worship. We can worship him sincerely because he is indisputably worthy of our worship. Only in heaven we will grasp fully... Continue Reading