A Pattern Developing: Another Court Grants Injunction on HHS Mandate
It’s possible that the Supreme Court could take up appeals from the circuit courts on these cases in its next term, which begins in October.
The government argued, like it has in other cases, that the mandate does not violate the family’s religious liberty because the company is a separate entity that doesn’t qualify for religious liberty protections. The court rejected that argument, citing the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, which granted First Amendment... Continue Reading
When He Feels Far Off
God's nearness is not a feeling, it is a truth
When we doubt our feelings, when it seems he is not coming through, not answering us, or has turned a cold shoulder, it is time for us to first confess those emotions to him. He is not surprised by our doubt. He is not scrambling for plan B. He is not trying to sweep up... Continue Reading
32 Things You Might Not Know About Charles Spurgeon
January 31, 2013 was 121 years since the great preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon passed away
January 31, 2013 it will have been 121 years since the great preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon passed away. In memory of him I bring to you 32 things you might not know about Charles Spurgeon. 1. One woman was converted through reading a single page of one of Spurgeon’s sermons wrapped around some butter she... Continue Reading
Fifty Shades of the Good Book
Digital Scriptures are Scriptures without boundaries
The fastest-growing areas for digital Bible reading are where access is restricted, said Troy Carl, national director of Faith Comes by Hearing. The ministry’s second-most popular audio Bible (after English) has become Arabic. On average, those in traditional Muslim countries listen three to four hours at a time—far more than the average three to four... Continue Reading
The PCA Has NOT Approved the Practice of Intinction
Just as a 'not guilty' verdict does not proclaim innocence
The defeated proposal would only have added a clarification to the BCO for those who felt the language of the book was not clear that intinction should not be practiced. Many who voted against the proposed BCO change did so because they felt there was no need for clarification; the book is already clear. ... Continue Reading
To the Big Stage, the Long Way: From Belhaven to the Super Bowl
Tramaine Brock is the first student from Belhaven to play in the N.F.L.
Standing on the Superdome field Tuesday, Brock said he never doubted he would be able to make the N.F.L. from Belhaven. He ultimately was not drafted but signed with the 49ers before the 2010 season. After bouncing back and forth from on the team to released to the practice squad to the active squad, Brock... Continue Reading
Don’t Let the Screen Strangle Your Soul: Part 2
The danger of never being alone
What if we prefer endless noise to the deafening sound of silence? What if we do not care to hear God’s still, small voice? What if the trivialities and distractions of our day are not forced upon us by busyness, or forced upon us at all? What if we choose to be busy so that... Continue Reading
The Left’s War against Science
Ignoring scientific consensus when it challenges cherished beliefs
According to many, especially among the secular and liberal cultural elites, the arrow runs only one way. Conservatives and evangelicals have been engaged, we are told, in an ongoing “war” against modern science (science defined as acceptance of Darwinian evolution, global warming, and embryonic stem cell research). Despite evidence to the contrary, I simply want... Continue Reading
Marks of a True Church: Pure Administration of the Sacraments
To purely administer the sacraments, a church must do so “as instituted by Christ”
This means, first, that it recognizes that there are only the two sacraments—baptism and the Lord’s Supper—and that it therefore rejects the five other sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church as false sacraments (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 68). Second, this means that it administers the sacraments without the unbiblical ceremonies and elements that have been added... Continue Reading
A new President for BioLogos, but no progress on the Adam and Eve question
An evolutionist on the significance of BioLogos' new president, Deborah Haarsma
Founded by Francis Collins, who resigned when he became director of the National Institutes of Health, BioLogos had the goal of turning evangelical Christians towards accepting evolution. They proposed to do this by showing literalist Christians that the Bible and Darwin were completely compatible. It didn’t work of course. Efforts stalled, and BioLogos began engaging... Continue Reading