The other matter which Hobson does not really address and yet which is so germane to the current situation is the role of the law courts.  With so many competing visions of what individual freedom actually looks like (as opposed to what it is in theory), the liberal state has arguably ceded significant power to... Continue Reading

When church members rebel against pastors who plainly preach the whole counsel of God, when church visitors take offense at a church’s public position on homosexuality or the value of human life, when neighbors and co-workers and employers and governments censure Christians for their faithful stand on one issue or another, it is fundamentally a... Continue Reading

In responding to gay marriages, I need to recommit myself to my own marriage. To testify to God’s standards, to seek to uphold the Scriptural standard on marriage requires me to look first inward. To ask hard questions about whether my marriage is living up to God’s standards, which go far beyond male-female heterogeneity.   Perhaps... Continue Reading

The biggest misunderstanding of Christianity that I have encountered comes from the messages that people hear and see in American media. It is widely believed that the United States is a Christian country; therefore, it is assumed that the American media (movies, TV shows, politics) represent distinctly Christian values and messages. This situation is not irredeemable, though,... Continue Reading

When we deny that the believer in Christ remains totally depraved, we are not doubting that the influence of sin remains a reality in every part of a Christian’s life: his or her thoughts, will, affections, and actions. While Christians are free of the penaltyof sin we are not free of the presence of sin in our present... Continue Reading

And yet this book also highlighted for me some significant differences between confessionally Reformed churches and the New Calvinism.  While there are many things we can appreciate about this movement, there are also points of departure.  They call themselves Calvinists, and in terms of the doctrine of salvation they are.  However, I’m quite confident that... Continue Reading

My former colleague believes the decision of the Board of Trustees signals an abandonment of interest in biblical theology and the tradition of redemptive- historical, Christ-centered interpretation, with its fructifying potential for systematic theology and preaching, matters that have been an important and distinctive part of the training provided by WTS over the years.  Nothing... Continue Reading

Everything I know about Africa I learned from Brother Gerald.  Everything I know about ministry in Africa I learned from Brother Gerald. He was my inspiration, my mentor, and my ministry model.  Although we were only to work together for two semesters, since he came back to San Antonio to earn a doctor’s degree and... Continue Reading

“Here’s what the modern world should know about World War I: This wretched war, whose reasons still baffle, enabled Hitler in Germany and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. It helped lead to World War II and the Cold War. The famous British historian A.J.P. Taylor put it plainly, “The first war explains the second and,... Continue Reading

“In more than 30 minutes we discussed a day in the life of Calvin, the need to avoid idolizing our spiritual heroes, the benefits of collegial ministry, the occasions when other pastors challenged Calvin, the courage required to endure in ministry, and more. Manetsch also identified the one pastoral challenge that frustrated Calvin more than... Continue Reading