What is application? It is an appeal to the congregation to reckon with the implicit or explicit doctrinal, moral, or practical implications in a given passage of Scripture. Any particular application will be determined by the text. It might be a simple call to faith or it might be a detailed exhortation to godly living or... Continue Reading

These days the word cult is taboo. We don’t really identify Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses as cultists. Rather, we save it for the David Koreshes of the world. We save it for the mass murders who use religion to lure in their prey. But what do we call false religions, claiming to be Christian, and leading many... Continue Reading

Jane had ruled England for less than two weeks, during one of the most turbulent times of its history. Young King Edward VI had just died of a pulmonary illness, leaving unconfirmed orders for the installment of Jane to the throne. Taking advantage of strong popular support, Mary Tudor, Henry VIII’s firstborn, swiftly gathered her... Continue Reading

Don’t settle for only moral outrage. There is nothing inherently good or righteous about moral outrage. Let’s ask God for a heart that is both outraged and merciful, angry and trusting, incensed and humble. Let’s ask God for his heart.   These days it’s so easy to be morally outraged. Everywhere we turn there is... Continue Reading

But in my view, there comes that “God Proposition” once again. The dirty little secret, deep down in all our souls, is that our natures are sinful, and many humans have tended to kick and scratch and resist God… but there is also a part of us that yearns for the God who sees good... Continue Reading

The Presbyterian and Reformed Commission on Chaplains (PRCC), like most Endorsers, provide clear guidance on how their Chaplains must serve in accordance with their doctrinal beliefs. This guidance not only directs our Chaplains in how they can conduct their ministry, but it protects them as well from being forced to do things that conflict with... Continue Reading

You are regularly invited to share some of the most intimate moments in other people’s lives, as they get married, welcome babies, teach their kids, worry about their kids, marry their kids off, welcome grandbabies, confront every imaginable challenge, celebrate amazing opportunities, cry for sick loved ones, cry for loved ones who have died, and, one day, face eternity themselves. And, if... Continue Reading

We shouldn’t judge people. This one we hear from both the world and the church. With the church it even comes complete with a proof-text, Matthew 7:1. While Jesus warns us to not be too quick to judge, to judge with charity, to judge in a manner we would like to be judged, even He... Continue Reading

Is six-day creation a stumbling block to would-be believers?  If so, let them also stumble at the offense of the cross.  Let them scoff at swimming axe heads, manna from heaven and, most unbelievable of all, the resurrection of the dead.  It is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit that will convince the gainsayers,... Continue Reading

Reformed theologians have often argued about the order in which God decreed certain things to happen. The debate is not over the temporal order of the decrees. After all, we are talking about what God has determined in eternity past. Time is not the issue. Instead, the debate is about the logical order of the... Continue Reading