Jacobus was honored with the Doctor of Divinity by Jefferson College, 1852, and the Doctor of Laws, by the College of New Jersey, 1867. But he appreciated most of all the honor of representing the Old School as its last moderator in 1869 and as joint moderator with the New School’s Rev. Philemon H. Fowler,... Continue Reading

It is the reward that awaited Jesus when He finished His work on earth and returned to His Father’s Presence and glory. And it is the reward held out to all who take seriously the news that their lives have been hidden with Christ in God, that, believing in God, He will reward them with... Continue Reading

Low tide isn’t only the portent of a return. Low tide reveals the terrain of the land that the sea has shaped. High tide covers the sea’s effects, but when the tide is low we see things that had before been obscured. In the same way, secularization has revealed Christendom’s effects in a new way.... Continue Reading

When we think about what Satan is doing in the world, it seems obvious that Satan’s decisive destruction will occur not in circles huddled around a pentagram chanting “Hail Satan” but in Christian counseling groups where participants look one another in the eye and tell each other that God is fine with their sin. Indeed,... Continue Reading

The newborn baby laid in the manger wasn’t wearing the well-made, beautiful clothes of a high priest; rather, he was wrapped in cleaning cloths for animals. He didn’t look glorious or important, but his job was the most important in the world—to give himself throughout his life and in his death on the cross to... Continue Reading

What makes a true leader? The early church faced this question when rapid growth sparked a crisis. Their response revolutionized leadership—and their insights are just as vital today.   What does a leader look like? In a traditional Zambian court, observers once noticed that a chief’s advisor looked more like a chief than the actual... Continue Reading

There could hardly be better news for the people of Israel. Oppressed by the Egyptians, they called out to the God of their fathers. Their cry, far from falling on deaf ears, was heard by the one who created the heavens and the earth, the skies and the seas. God heard them, knew their plight,... Continue Reading

The High King delegates to us the shaping of life on Kingdom Earth as the population grows and diversifies, developing the earth’s resources. But we are to rule our portion of the kingdom FOR him, in alignment with the moral law of God written on every heart (Romans 2:15).   As we pursue a clear mission... Continue Reading

Confessional, orthodox Protestants should take no satisfaction in Rome’s increasing resemblance to the old enemy of liberal Protestantism. Rome still has the money and institutional weight to make a difference in these great struggles over what it means to be human. If Rome equivocates and falls on these issues, the world will become colder and... Continue Reading

This is the sacred calling given to those who suffer—to lift trembling hands, to raise tear-stained eyes, to sing with wavering voice, to praise God as much in taking as in the giving.    Imagine that you are sitting in a prison cell. This is not some posh or even stark 21st-century prison cell, but... Continue Reading