Redemption for the Scars
By His wounds, we are healed
I knew abortion was sinful and wrong. But then again, so was sex before marriage. It was a little too late to be worried about sin. All I knew was that in three weeks I would move to a new town and start a new school. I would go to cheerleading camp and be a... Continue Reading
The End of Denominations?
Why we need to stop dividing the Church
The Church is not about how we interpret the Bible—that’s not to say sound theology isn’t important, but our understanding is not the primary focus. The Church is about Jesus. It is ever, only, always about Jesus. Rather than distracting ourselves (and everyone else) with all the different types of churches, we should be showing... Continue Reading
God’s Providence and Marriage
A response to "My Husband is not my Soul Mate"
I think she’s absolutely and utterly wrong. What she says here is completely at odds with the doctrine of God’s sovereignty. While it’s true that many have abused passages like Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 37:4, there is actually a biblical basis for believing in God’s providence for your life, even in who you marry. ... Continue Reading
Knowing vs. Feeling in Worship
Don’t ask me what I feel about myself. Ask me what I know about God.
The Christian faith engages our minds. This is something that we ought to keep reminding ourselves of, so that we don’t allow our minds to fossilize, and that we continue to be sharpened and to make progress. “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed we have a building from God,... Continue Reading
Let’s Rethink This “Covenant” Issue, Shall We
On the other hand, we could just continue to rehash the same old issues in the same old ways.
But all this stress on covenant, what we might call “pervasive covenantalism,” raises the question of whether prominence has turned into overemphasis and imbalance. Are we dealing, as OT scholar John Stek has argued in a fine but somewhat overlooked article (“Covenant Overload in Reformed Theology,” Calvin Theological Journal 29 (1994): 12-41), with a case of “covenant... Continue Reading
Partisan fighting spells trouble for church insurance under Obamacare
The concern is that the church plans won’t be viable if everyone who can get a tax credit leaves and goes to the state exchange
A bill under consideration would assure that employees insured under church plans could use the same tax credits offered to people on government exchanges. In June, Democratic Senators Mark Pryor (Ark.) and Chris Coons (Del.) introduced the Church Health Plan Act of 2013 aimed at allowing church employees to apply for tax credits. More than 1 million pastors and... Continue Reading
The Myth of the Perfect Millennial Church
After searching high and low, this generation ends up just as lost as most of us once were.
The church’s worship is never about me, or my generation, or even about what one writer called “something bigger than me.” It’s about God. And only in thoughtful reference to his word can we have a church for all generations. [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been... Continue Reading
The Newest in Marriage Degeneration: Wedleases
Human relations have been reduced to the contractual.
A “bad” relationship and “messy” divorce point to the great fear that spurs the wedlease idea. Marriage carries inconvenience and dissatisfaction. People get hurt, make mistakes, and inflict harm. The modern West has stripped away safeguards against the all-consuming self. Easy divorce, lax cultural expectations, and enshrined fulfillment pave the way for social disassociation. It... Continue Reading
A Gameplan for Combating Worry
Anxiety is a universal human experience, and you need to approach it with a plan.
It’s not as though your Father doesn’t care about the things you worry about: your friends, your health, your money, your children, and so forth. Your Father knows what you need. You can go to Him with the things that concern you. Cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you. You’ll have to leave your... Continue Reading
Pastoral Visitation: The God-Given Responsibility to Shepherd
How should one prepare for a pastoral visit?
Out of this spiritual inventory should flow a second area of preparation. Are there any areas in your Christian experience with which you are having problems? In James 5:16 we are called to confess our sins to one another. The pastoral visit is the perfect time to be honest and open about your problems. Are you having... Continue Reading