6 Things Millennials Can Learn from Older Folks
Millennials have a lot to learn from the older generation about commitment, giving and service.
They don’t run away when the going gets tough or flee at the first sign of conflict. They recognize the pluses and minuses of the community in which they worship and serve. Older folks understand commitment, and many can’t wait to get back to church following an illness or a stint in the hospital. They are... Continue Reading
Wars of Religion?
Prior to the modern era, most governments operated from the context of a religious mindset.
Generally, then, I tend to accept claims of “wars of religion” at face value. On the other side of the argument, I’d also note that over the past century or so, militantly secular and anti-religious regimes have caused far more bloodshed and carnage than all the crusades, jihads, and wars of religion combined. What are... Continue Reading
8 Landmark Church-state Court Decisions That Shook America
A non-exhaustive list of cases that have shaped religious freedom.
In the 1925 media circus that was the Scopes “Monkey Trial,” a Tennessee teacher was found guilty of educating students about human evolution in a public school. In Epperson v. Arkansas (1968), SCOTUS ruled that teaching evolution is in fact not a crime and prohibited states from requiring “that teaching and learning must be tailored to the principles... Continue Reading
When Mainline Protestants Were Influential
As mainline Protestant denominations declined, so too did the authority figure in culture.
It’s impossible today to imagine powerful Mainline Protestant missions officials sternly extolling righteousness to island natives, U.S. Marines or anybody else, much less compelling political action by government officials. A contemporary version might entail an activist Protestant missions executive, clad in shorts and a t-shirt, cajoling island natives into demonstrations against U.S. Navy vessels, to... Continue Reading
Render unto Caesar or unto God? Government Funding and the Crisis of Conscience
What Caesar funds, Caesar controls.
A good many Christian colleges and universities have grown dependent on funds flowing through federal student aid programs and similar forms of government funding. What happens when they face a similar choice? The math will not work in their favor. A hard choice will have to be made, and we will soon see who will... Continue Reading
President Theodore Roosevelt and Veterans Day
As president, Roosevelt frequently lauded the nation’s veterans and sought to ensure that they were well treated
His appreciation of the fortitude, virtues and sacrifices of American military personnel led Roosevelt to issue an executive order in 1902 declaring that whenever possible, preference would be given in appointing and retaining “honorably discharged veterans of the Civil War, who are fit and well qualified to perform the duties” of the positions they sought... Continue Reading
Why Doesn’t She?
What would prevent a wife in an abusive marriage from going to an elder or going to a pastor and saying, ‘Please, please help’?
3. She believes that submission and the love of a good woman will cure everything – “If I submit more and love my husband more, then he will change.” She is carrying a Pelagian burden that it is her responsibility alone to change her husband’s heart by her behavior. I’m pleased to have a... Continue Reading
10 Errors to Avoid When Talking about Sanctification and the Gospel
It’s clear that Christians are still wrestling with the doctrine of progressive sanctification.
Error #5: There is only one reason Christians should pursue sanctification and that’s because of our justification. The Heidelberg Catechism lists several reasons—motivations even—for doing good. “We do good because Christ by his Spirit is also renewing us to be like himself, so that in all our living we may show that we are thankful to... Continue Reading
What Is The Meaning of Sex?
A review of Denny Burk's new book
While there is a great deal to commend in What Is The Meaning of Sex?, let me point to just three of its most notable strengths: This book is biblical. No matter his topic, Burk never strays from a biblical text and as he looks at those texts he consistently applies careful, nuanced exegesis. This book is timely. While the... Continue Reading
Retrieving the Lord’s Supper
Is the Lord's Supper a gospel issue?
The fact is that the Lord’s Supper is gospel proclamation. Take 1 Corinthians 11:26 as proof of this: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” That word “proclaim” is a preaching word. The Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of the gospel every... Continue Reading