How to Survive a Cultural Crisis
Seven Principles to Remember
America’s views on family, love, sexuality generally, tolerance, God, and so much more seems to be pushing in directions that put Bible-believing Christians on the defensive. It’s easy to feel like we’ve become the new “moral outlaws,” to use Al Mohler’s phrase. Standing up for historic Christian principles will increasingly get you in trouble socially... Continue Reading
Struggles for Men
Modern society presents special challenges to men.
Something is happening to men. By traditional societal measures of success, they are slipping. They are underrepresented in higher education. They have been disproportionately affected by the economic downturn. They are less likely to be married than in the past and more likely to be confused about their role in marriage and family. The End... Continue Reading
Advice To Young Preachers
The transition from seminary term paper to pulpit sermon.
A sermon is a divinely authorized announcement of God’s truth. It is a proclamation of the great history of redemption as much as it is the transmission of data. … If a term paper fails to meet its goals it might result in a poor grade or a re-write. If a sermon fails to do... Continue Reading
“Just Do It?” Obedience and the Need for Grace
Thoughts on Augustine and Pelagius
In 405 AD, a British monk named Pelagius attended a public reading of one of the best-selling of books of that decade – and of all time. And he didn’t like what he heard. … It was Augustine’s awareness of his continuing inward struggles after conversion and baptism that lay behind the famous statement that... Continue Reading
Connecting with the Older Streams of Hymnody
The old hymns of the faith provide the bridge to connect the Bible with our personal experience
He saw the need to begin singing substantive songs – songs rich in scriptural allusion and doctrinal truth – that would help bridge this gap. The worship lexicon of these students was anemic. They did not have a good means of connecting the Bible with their own personal experience. The old hymns of the faith... Continue Reading
The Manner Is the Message
Our view of God is not just determined by our pastor’s message but by our pastor’s manner
If our pastor’s preaching is harsh, demanding, and condemning, etc., then we’ll view God as an unyielding judge who’s never satisfied with our best efforts. If our pastor’s preaching is jokey, humorous, and laugh-a-minute, then we’ll view God as a circus clown who’s just out to make us His buddies. Think back to the pastor... Continue Reading
State Roadblocks Could Complicate Marriage Momentum
If the Supreme Court doesn’t end bans on same-sex couples’ marriages in all 50 states this June, then the constitutional bans in most of the states across the country could prove a stumbling block to the current momentum in the years to come.
Talk of momentum, however accurate it might be regarding public opinion polls, is quickly going to hit a roadblock — 30 of them in fact — that won’t simply crumble after an impassioned floor speech or, as with Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, after learning that he has a gay son. The roadblocks are the 30... Continue Reading
Davidson Bylaw on Religion Faces Scrutiny
Trustees uphold bylaw requiring Presbyterian president but some students, faculty object.
The trustees’ announcement in April sparked growing opposition from students and faculty. Since then, nearly 650 members of the college community signed a student petition online called “Sufficient Support,” asking school trustees to amend the religious requirement. Davidson’s faculty and alumni boards also each passed resolutions this month expressing disappointment the trustees hadn’t acted. Some... Continue Reading
Trustees offer modified charter language to ARP General Synod
An announcement from the Erskine College and Theological Seminary Board of Trustees
As part of its meetings May 23-24, the Board of Trustees of Erskine College and Theological Seminary voted to approve language for a proposed charter change regarding trustee removal. This proposed language addresses three important standards for trustee removal: cause, due process, and board approval. It also delineates the roles both Erskine and the ARP... Continue Reading
‘Things Which Become Sound Doctrine’
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Confessional and Theological Identity in the 20th Century. (Part 3)
Today the church stands at a crossroads where it is likely to go one of two ways—it can pursue a broad and pragmatic evangelicalism or a self-consciously Reformed identity. The former is perhaps the path of less resistance, but the contemporary identity crisis of American evangelicalism today suggests that this is not the best choice.... Continue Reading