Following the Good Samaritan
A response to Tullian Tchividjian's article on the Good Samaritan
Pastor Tchividjian emphasizes the parable as a condemning, first use of the Law kind of story. I think this is a legitimate understanding of the story, and he’s right to point to the kind of righteousness that would be required to be justified: perfect righteousness. Only Jesus has that, and in that sense it is... Continue Reading
Lutheran Love
Lutheran soteriology and the contemporary Reformed soteriological controversy
Of course, these Reformed distinctives have been disturbing to Lutherans. Reformed attempts to frame justification in association with union with Christ have been viewed with great suspicion as an incipient compromise of the gratuity of justification by faith, and the Reformed emphasis on covenant has also been seen as involving an inappropriate mixture of law... Continue Reading
She Completes Me
Behind every good man is a greater woman; godly wives complete and improve their husbands
The same LORD who knighted Moses on Horeb was about to kill him at the Motel 6. The only thing that saved the savior, was the quick worship of his wife, Zipporah. Obediently, she did what her husband should have done years ago. She circumcised her son, saved her husband’s life, and let Moses know... Continue Reading
Pete Seeger, Marxist Minstrel
Pete Seeger’s death at age 94 is a cultural catharsis for the American left
The media is hailing Seeger as a “social-justice” crusading “progressive,” a voice for the poor, the downtrodden, the working man, and the environment. He’s also being portrayed as a victim of wild-eyed McCarthyites who maniacally searched for a red under every bed. Well, the full story is a little different. Editor’s note: A shorter... Continue Reading
Gallup: Mississippi Most Religious State, Vermont Least Religious
Ten of the 11 most religious states in 2013 are in the South; the 10 least religious states are from New England and the West
Ten of the 11 most religious states in 2013 are in the South. The exception is Utah, a majority of whose residents identify as Mormons — the most religious of any major religious group in the country. The 10 least religious states in 2013 are from two areas — New England and the West —... Continue Reading
A Conservative Christian Declaration: Article 2: On the Whole Counsel of God
A series explaining the articles of “A Conservative Christian Declaration”
While affirming the place of the gospel as the boundary of fellowship, we want to insist that the whole counsel of God is the center of fellowship, and that pursuit of this center is of irreplaceably great value for worship, fellowship, and devotion. Further, this center is not merely doctrinal: the center of Christianity includes... Continue Reading
God Opened (Or Closed) The Door …
The good and bad ways of using “open door” language
This is good advice for those of us who use the expression “God opened (or closed) the door.” When choosing to speak this way, let us keep an eye on our deceitful hearts which are all too quick to hijack an otherwise fine expression for self-centered or self-acquitting reasons. We’ve all heard someone say... Continue Reading
Should the Church Do Counseling?
The church must speak and demonstrate the power of the Gospel as it addresses issues endemic to the human condition
When a church commits to counsel people, they are saying that they are willing to get down in the trenches of daily life and love people with the redemptive compassion of the Incarnate One. They are saying that good preaching, as important as it is, is just the beginning of ministry of the Word not... Continue Reading
PCA Ruling Elder Stephen M. Fox Called Home to Glory
Fox was long time member and Ruling Elder at Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Montgomery, Alabama
Stephen Michael Fox, 74, long time member and Ruling Elder at Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Montgomery, Alabama, died Tuesday morning, February 4, 2014, of an apparent heart attack. A graduate of the University of Alabama, Fox was the owner of Walker Printing Company for many years. Fox not only served as an elder at... Continue Reading
Bill Nye’s Reasonable Man—The Central Worldview Clash of the Ham-Nye Debate
The central question of the debate was this: “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?”
The central issue last night was really not the age of the earth or the claims of modern science. The question was not really about the ark or sediment layers or fossils. It was about the central worldview clash of our times, and of any time: the clash between the worldview of the self-declared “reasonable... Continue Reading