“An Army of the Living God”: Stonewall Jackson’s Death and Southern Memory
150th anniversary of the death on May 10, 1863, of Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson from wounds sustained at the Battle of Chancellorsville
The most fascinating aspect of Stonewall’s character was his intense Presbyterian faith. Having been baptized an Episcopalian, Jackson joined the Presbyterian Church after thorough study of the Westminster Confession of Faith, becoming “the bluest [most traditional] kind of Presbyterian,” according to one newspaper account. Jackson was rigorously principled and devout, assiduously avoiding activities on the... Continue Reading
Canadian Supreme Court Rules Biblical Speech Opposing Homosexual Behavior is a ‘Hate Crime’
Ruling: because the use of the word “sodomy” only referred to “two men” and not also the sex acts of heterosexuals, it was a direct target against a specific group of people
The Supreme Court noted in its opinion, among other concerns, that Whatcott’s use of the Bible to target homosexuals was a problem. “[Whatcott’s] expression portrays the targeted group as a menace that could threaten the safety and well-being of others, makes reference to respected sources (in this case the Bible) to lend credibility to the... Continue Reading
CRC Nominee for Executive Director Withdraws
Difficulties in finding an Executive Director for the Christian Reformed Church
This is the latest in a series of frustrating events in the leadership of the CRC. The previous Executive Director resigned suddenly two years ago, then other high-level leaders stepped down, and back in 2005 the appointed Executive Director stepped down from ministry before his first day on the job. Just days before the... Continue Reading
The Arrogance of the Urban: Part 2
It is time to abandon the evangelical quest to be “relevant”.
We have an unfortunate tendency to chase what is cool in our culture and make it the centerpiece of our ministry (often denigrating other ministries that don’t share our vision). Meanwhile, we don’t realize that we are really about 10 years behind the cultural trends anyway. We are perennial late-comers to what our world thinks... Continue Reading
Same American Dream, Different Zip Code
Like the suburban planning of a few decades ago, New Urbanism promises to set up the conditions for everyone’s social success.
It is not where you pursue social success but the Dream lies in the fact that one expects planned success to be tangibly achieved. In this regard, elites who planned the suburbs for social success, through public/private arrangements, and elites in the cities are both driven by the same cause: a lust for planned social... Continue Reading
“Gay Marriage” Shows Us Why Theology Matters
Three ways Biblically sound theology will help in the same-sex marriage debate
To invite homosexuals to embrace themselves so that they are no longer lonely is agreeing with those on the left that God was wrong in ordaining the family as one man and one woman together in marriage. It is agreeing with those whom God is pouring out His wrath. It is agreeing with those who... Continue Reading
In Praise of A (Former) Homeschooling Mom
She retires having changed three lives.
One thing instilled in our kids was a love of learning. I have heard more than one person say over the years they never picked up another book after college. Sonya never went to college but has picked up books ever since high-school. She modeled learning, both biblical and the “schoolish” type, to our three.... Continue Reading
Explaining the Universal Phenomenon of Religion
You can go anywhere on the globe and you’ll find evidence of cultic practices of sacrifice
But today the need for sacrifices to be made in faith is forgotten—we hear that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. In fact, the basic requirement of sacrifice is unknown—it doesn’t matter what your religious practices are. It doesn’t matter what you worship. It only matters that you do worship.... Continue Reading
The 17:18 Series
The book gives the reader/writer a place to write out, book by book, a copy of the Scriptures for himself
For those not familiar with this series, it is a series of essentially blank journals published by Reformation Heritage Books for the purpose of encouraging Christians to write out their own copy of the Scriptures. It is based on two considerations: first, that the king of Israel was required to write out for himself a... Continue Reading
Evolution and the Image of God
From the standpoint of evolution humanity as the image of God cannot be maintained
For many good reasons, solid Christian theologians have sharply criticized and rejected Darwinian macro-evolution as an unchristian and unbiblical teaching. Darwinism doesn’t square with the biblical record nor does it mesh with biblical doctrine. I bring up this topic because a friend pointed me to a recent article on evolution by a retired Christian Reformed... Continue Reading