Vices And Virtues
There are some ways we, as parents, can become unbalanced in our family worship
“In our times of family worship, we should make sure our children recognize they are not okay as they are. We should help them see the depths of their sin. Then we can also help them to see the grace of God which equips them to change and live for the glory of God.” ... Continue Reading
Helping The Impossible
Judgmentalism is the metaphorical doorkeeper that keeps the undesirables and the “impossibles” from entering through the doors of our closely guarded churches
“I work with people in desperate situations. Many have been abused. Some are abusers. Some are violent drug users. Some have grown up in the foster care system. Some are angry. Some are depressed. Some are desperate. Some are quite happy. None of them qualifies as hopeless or impossible on my list.” Listen to... Continue Reading
Ministering To The Mobile
Here are 5 benefits about being in a place where you minister to the mobile military
“During the first three years, I allowed myself to become sinfully frustrated by this aspect of our church plant; it felt like I was trying to do college ministry while having to establish a local church. On one occasion, while venting my frustrations, a friend looked at me and said, “What are you complaining about? Think about... Continue Reading
Two Kingdoms Politics [Part 4]
When the subject of the "two kingdoms" comes up, the first thing that comes to most people's mind is the question of politics
“The political question is clearly central to the two-kingdoms doctrine, almost as much today as it was in the Reformation era. Here the doctrine seeks to hold together the eschatological tension between Christ’s insistence that “my kingdom is not of this world” with the triumphant declaration of Revelation that “the kingdoms of this world have... Continue Reading
Did the Early Church Fathers Believe in Sola Scriptura?
Sometimes people get the idea that sola Scriptura was a 16th-century invention
“The clearest token of the prestige enjoyed by (Scripture) is the fact that almost the entire theological effort of the Fathers, whether their aims were polemical or constructive, was expended upon what amounted to the exposition of the Bible. Further, it was everywhere taken for granted that, for any doctrine to win acceptance, it had... Continue Reading
“It is Going to Be an Issue” — Supreme Court Argument on Same-Sex Marriage Puts Religious Liberty in the Crosshairs
It will indeed be an issue, and now we have been told so by none other than the Solicitor General of the United States.
We will soon find out just how tolerant those who preached tolerance for same-sex marriage will turn out to be, now that they are ascendant in the culture. Meanwhile, even as we were repeatedly told that warnings about threats to religious liberty were overblown, the truth came out before the Supreme Court yesterday. Take the... Continue Reading
The Speech Police Are at the Door
Expressing their own ideological prejudice, liberals want opponents to have absolutely no place in their godless utopia.
In an April 18, 2015 article entitled “It is time to put an end to anti-choice speech,” Tanya Cohen (who says she is dedicated to “freedom, respect, equality, dignity”) argues that though “people have freedom of speech, [they] also have freedom from certain kinds of speech…that have no place in society.” We would want to... Continue Reading
Imperfection and Initiative in the Christian Life
We would do well to listen to Calvin as we seek to understand and apply a wise, Reformed, and biblical approach to sanctification.
Will Christians ever completely obey God in this life? Absolutely not. So then we shouldn’t work hard to grow in holiness or exhort others to do the same? Again, the answer is no. The admission of imperfection does not have to be the enemy of endeavor. We can keep trying even if we know we... Continue Reading
What Should the Church Expect as Same-Sex Marriage Moves Forward?
Thoughts from a Canadian on the changes coming in the U.S.
And here’s what it’s meant for the church here, at least insofar as I’ve been able to see: evangelical pastors have been able to, at least to this point, conscientiously object to performing same-sex ceremonies. We have also, at least so far, been free to continue to teach what the Bible says about marriage and... Continue Reading
Ordinary Elders
When we think of the work of the elders of the church what are the primary duties that we consider?
Church ministry is busy. There is paperwork that needs to be filed. There are letters that need to be written. There are phone calls and emails and texts. In the midst of all the busyness of ministry, be mindful of those ordinary things to which the elders have been called. They are called to minister... Continue Reading