Army Reserve Presentation Calls Christians ‘Extremists’
The list appears to come from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which labels Christian organizations “hate group” based on their beliefs about homosexuality
According to the Power Point Presentation, obtained and posted online by legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, the Army Reserve in Pennsylvania considers evangelical Christians, Catholics, and Mormons as dangerous as the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, and Hamas. The text accompanying the slide listing “extremist” groups defines extremism as beliefs, attitudes, feelings, and actions far removed from... Continue Reading
Jeremy Irons On Gay Marriage: “Could A Father Not Marry His Son?”
The implications of gay marriage and unintended consequences
Jeremy Irons: “Could a father not marry his son? … It’s not incest between men. Incest is there to protect us from inbreeding, but men don’t breed… If that were so, then if I wanted to pass on my estate without death [taxes], I could marry my son and pass on my estate to him.”... Continue Reading
Can We Learn from a Catholic Convert?
Not to worry, I'm not swimming the Tiber but....
A healthy Reformed version of a religion that works is confidence in the ordinary means of grace. You go to worship confident that God does work though the Word, sacraments, and prayers. No, these are not alive apart from the work of the Spirit, but it is not presumptuous to believe that ordinarily the Spirit... Continue Reading
Who Speaks for Complementarian Christians?
For me, it's not the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. It's the local church.
I don’t take my cues from CBMW. Instead, I submit to the authority of my local church. Because they know me and the city in which I live, they are best suited for the role of shepherd. My theological struggles over gender roles (and I have them!) will have to be hammered out at Grace... Continue Reading
Review: ‘In Six Days God Created’ by Paulin Bedard
A critique of the framework hypothesis
Not all who hold to the framework hypothesis agree in all the particulars, and Bedard is careful to note that. Bedard allows them to speak in their own words, and he has carefully cited the views he presents. I would recommend this work first to all proponents of the framework hypothesis, that they might see... Continue Reading
Leading the Church While Leading Your Family
Can we really be effective pastors and good husbands and dads?
Neither God nor my children have gone along with my desires. When my son was about four, we went to a funeral home to visit the family of an influential lady in the church who had died. After looking at her body in the casket, my son announced to her daughter that the lady had... Continue Reading
Pastors and Their Critics: To the Critics
When you offer a criticism to your minister make it constructive criticism
I’ve been the beneficiary of some really, really good critics. I never once felt insulted by them and they immediately put me at ease, even while correcting me. Along with every other human being alive, I struggle to receive criticism well. But the beauty of salvation by God’s grace alone is that I am now... Continue Reading
Big Theology for Little Kids
Catechizing provides a regular opportunity for talking to our children about our faith
One of the chief benefits of catechisms is that the firewood of biblical knowledge has already been found, chopped, hauled, split, and stacked. No parent is a perfect theologian; we all have gaps in our understanding and can fail our children by explaining only those doctrines that are most precious to our own hearts. Teaching... Continue Reading
In All the Noise, Sounds of Silence
Too often the church has failed to be profound in the profound debate over gay marriage
That’s why the silence and acquiescence in many evangelical churches is so profoundly disturbing and dismantling. The refusal of too many pastors and seminaries to teach clearly on why homosexuality cannot be the basis for marriage—the fear to be accused of bigotry—has left shrill voices and violent haters filling the public square. And it’s left... Continue Reading
Gingrich Warns of ‘Secular Tyranny’
Warning: religious Americans may soon face a “secular tyranny”
“The great danger is that you’re going to see a real drive to outlaw and limit Christianity….It’s okay to be Christian as long as you’re not really Christian. ..You can’t actually have an adoption service that’s run by Catholics unless they’re willing to be not Catholic, … You’re now beginning to see a secular tyranny... Continue Reading