Why Clergy Get Kicked Out
Every year thousands of clergy are moved, removed, or otherwise asked to retire from the pulpit
“Southern Baptists, who have been tracking this for over 15 years, show that 4 of the 5 top reasons clergy are let go is related to the leadership style of the pastor. Too strong a style is cited twice as often as too weak a style. But one thing that is consistent no matter the... Continue Reading
New Life in an Old Prayer?
Luther called the Lord’s Prayer the greatest martyr, because it is so tortured and abused
J. C. Ryle commented: “Thousands who never read Bibles are familiar with it. It is often the first prayer that children learn. Yet it contains the germ of everything which the most advanced saint can desire. Happy would it be for the world if this prayer was as well known in the spirit as it... Continue Reading
Where Sometimes Is Heard a Realistic Word
"I’m inclined to give a lot of credit for that to the Protestant innovations that came about in the century or so before liberalism began to develop as a theory of government"
“I tend not to find Catholic political thinking especially helpful for guiding us through the most fundamental problems of our time. One of those problems is how to conceive of a society that no longer shares a common culture — that’s “centerless,” as I’ve sometimes put it in my writing. Catholic thought always seems to... Continue Reading
The “Nones” and the “Buts”
In this post I want to focus on the group that is categorized as “religiously unaffiliated”
“The use of the category of “Nones” in surveys pertaining to religion should be replaced with “Buts”—that is a category for those who will say something like “I am Catholic, but…” The results of such surveys would be much more enlightening.” If one wants information on large numbers of people, it makes perfect sense... Continue Reading
The Curious Case of Psalm 37:3
What I found is that there is no consensus on the translation of the passage
“Ordinarily, the context will be sufficient to determine which of the two verbs is intended. But in Psalm 37:3, the context is sufficiently vague that it is not clear at first which verb might be intended.” Last Sunday morning in Sunday school, one of the verses we looked at was Psalm 37:3. I had... Continue Reading
My Wife Died Recently. Here’s What This First Mother’s Day Will Look Like Without Her
Jason’s wife, Kara, died on March 22, 2015 after a two-and-a-half year battle with breast cancer
We will live in the reality of life instead of in our hidden expectations of how we want to be treated. I want my kids to enter into the celebration of this day, to remember the life their mom lived and the character traits she desired to foster in them: kindness, compassion and love. Our... Continue Reading
The Failure of Winsomeness
The fact is, ours is a post-Christian society moving towards an anti-Christian one, when Christianity conflicts with secular orthodoxy.
Any churches that remain faithful to clear Biblical teaching about sexuality — gay or straight — and on the meaning of marriage and the human person, will be increasingly anathematized in this country. And those that compromise will, in time, fade to nothingness, as the ongoing unwinding of the Mainline Protestant churches demonstrates. This... Continue Reading
TGC Calls the Church to Join Them
TGC seems to be more of a denomination than simply a parachurch ministry.
As far as I know my own heart I am not disgruntled about anything. But I am troubled. I am troubled by the fact that TGC is calling for the church to join them as they do what God has commissioned the church to do. I am troubled by what I see as a lack... Continue Reading
A Teachability Refresher
Why we need to maintain a humble, teachable demeanor
Reproof is not merely for conviction’s sake. Conviction is always for completion. The goal here is that a teachable spirit would please God as he, by the Holy Spirit and through others, brings our character and doctrine closer and closer to Jesus Christ. From work, to education, to recreation, much of our lives revolve... Continue Reading
Heidelberg 63: Rewards Merited For Us By Christ And Given Freely To Believers
There are heavenly rewards. They are vastly disproportionate to anything done in us or done by us in the life.
The good news is that Christ has condignly merited both our justification and our salvation. Christ’s benefits were earned for us by his works. They are given freely to us who believe. It was works for the Christ and it is grace for us Christians. 63. Do our good works merit nothing, even though it is... Continue Reading