Abortion and Free Speech: The Granny Who Will Not Be Silenced
A grandmother’s strong stand against abortion and Massachusetts’ attorney general’s resolve to enforce a buffer zone law, have brought both of them before the Supreme Court
The case law on freedom of speech is well developed and clear. Citizens have a right to speech and expression free from governmental interference. However, speech is not an absolute right. It may be restricted in some instances. When a court judicially reviews regulations of speech, it will only allow it if the restraints on... Continue Reading
Count Your Blessings, Name Them One by One
Facing an operation with trepidation and trust
God, who has a sense of humor, removed my fourth and last concern. The nurse came in with a magic marker and wrote a big black “NO” on my right knee. The surgery was to be on my left knee. The doctor will not be able to miss the “NO” sign! One by one God... Continue Reading
The False Teachers: Pelagius
Considering the false teachings of a man with many modern adherents
Contrary to Augustine, “Pelagius taught that human beings have a natural capacity to reject evil and seek God, that Christ’s admonition, Be ye perfect, presupposes this capacity, and that grace is the natural ability given by God to seek and to serve God.” Last week I set out on a new series of articles... Continue Reading
The In Between
When loved ones are lost, there are moments of both remembering and forgetting
I will not pretend that my wife or my daughter were Enochs, who walked with God, and then were no more. Instead I will continue to be haunted. I will continue to walk where they walked. And He will continue to walk with me. There lies not a thin line but a great open plain... Continue Reading
Longman and Carson on Commentaries
A review of Longman's OT Commentary Survey, and Carson's NT Commentary Survey
The subject of bibliography has always been a favorite of mine, and that of commentaries in particular. I have my own commentary recommendations here. So, I picked up the recent editions (both published in 2013) of Longman’s Old Testament Commentary Survey and Carson’s New Testament Commentary Survey. I will start off with Carson’s survey,... Continue Reading
What Does Paul Mean by “Falling from Grace”?
What does it mean to "fall from grace"? How do we understand these terms, if we're confident that believers can't lose our salvation?
“Grace” then would seem to me to refer here, not as shorthand for any one person’s individual salvation, (although I grant that it is sometimes used that way) but rather the broader “grace” of being a community of believers in covenant with the gracious Christ of the Gospel. By becoming heretical, the Galatians are at... Continue Reading
The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying
Do you say "I'm blessed"? Should you?
I’ve noticed a trend among Christians, myself included, and it troubles me. Our rote response to material windfalls is to call ourselves blessed. Like the “amen” at the end of a prayer. “This new car is such a blessing.” “Finally closed on the house. Feeling blessed.” I was on the phone with a good... Continue Reading
A Conservative Christian Declaration: Article 6: On Beauty
We strongly affirm that that beauty is transcendent and absolute for at least four reasons
In summary, we should take aesthetic pleasure only in those things that are truly beautiful–truly worthy of delight–as compared to the absolute standard of God’s beauty and glory. To do otherwise is sin, and to regularly pursue pleasure in what is ugly hinders ordinate worship and praise to God. This is a series to further explain the... Continue Reading
7 Steps to Increase Your Self-Discipline in Ministry
Seven actions you can take to increase your self-discipline in any vocation, and especially in local church ministry
Those with low self-discipline will procrastinate on activities they don’t enjoy, only do the minimum to get by and avoid exercising daily initiative. Over time, this leads to low morale and spiritual lethargy, first in oneself and eventually in the congregation. One of the blessings of vocational ministry is the high degree of control... Continue Reading
Air Force Gives Vet Service Award Amid Religious Freedom Fight
Meritorious Service Medal awarded to a 19-year combat veteran who claimed his commanding officer fired him because of his views on same-sex marriage
Monk claimed last year that his commanding officer, Maj. Elise Valenzuela, relieved him of his duty at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio because he refused to answer questions about his beliefs on same-sex marriage. Valenzuela is openly gay and had asked Monk whether people who disagreed with same-sex marriage discriminated against homosexuals. Monk,... Continue Reading