In Praise of Denominations
Denominations serve a real purpose and are worthy of our promotion, propagation, and commitment
A congregation should also be able to expect certain theological precision and convictions from its leadership based upon the denomination’s stated beliefs and theology. In this way, a congregation is protected from a pastor who would come in and change the church in drastic ways (i.e. from an infant baptizing church to a believer’s only... Continue Reading
First Presbyterian, Houston (PCUSA), to Vote on Entering Presbytery’s Discernment Process
The PCUSA's 8th largest congregation considering leaving the denomination
The letter said that the PCUSA has made changes in several areas that reflected a “significant turning away from the traditional confessions of our faith and from the historically orthodox understanding of the authority and interpretation of Scripture outlined in the brief ‘Statement of Faith’ that was unanimously adopted by session in 2011 and 2012.”... Continue Reading
Why Are So Many French Liberals Against Same-Sex Marriage?
They are not against gays and lesbians but for the rights of children to have a father and mother.
The issue here is not a matter of religious morality. Christian teaching, like that of other major religions, is as condemning of heterosexual immorality (i.e., sex outside of marriage, unnecessary divorce) as it is of homosexuality. But the French remind us that this is not really what the political debate should be about. It should... Continue Reading
Pastoral Integrity and the Limits of Confidentiality
Confidentiality is important, but it is not ultimate
Because I refuse to allow anyone to bind my conscience on their own terms, I have occasionally stopped a person in mid-sentence when I hear the words, “You cannot tell anyone what I am about to tell you.” My reasoning goes like this: if you cannot trust my judgment regarding what to do with the... Continue Reading
‘Chalke’ It Up to Experience!
Down the slippery slope
Chalke is a good example: in the past, he was revolted by the idea that God could be angry with sin; that requires a redefinition not only of salvation but also of sin itself. Those who reject God as angry with sin tend, historically, to reduce sin to disrupted relationships between human beings. Sin is... Continue Reading
Do Truck Drivers Matter to God?
Is ministry a "higher call"?
Whenever I speak, I hang around afterward and talk with individual audience members about their specific questions and concerns. As a result, I’ve had countless conversations with people looking for an answer to the question of significance. They sit in those pews and wonder, Did I miss my calling in life? Is my life’s work... Continue Reading
Missions: Nsima, Beans, Greens, and Water; No Dessert
The importance of being culturally-aware in evangelism and missions
So I had the four guys over for lunch one day; they were all nice guys. I served them a typical Malawian meal: nsima (looks like mashed potatoes but is made from corn and is tasteless and nutritionless) beans and greens. Water to drink. No dessert. They were very polite and appreciative, but I was... Continue Reading
Freedom Is Not Free
The price tag for the Sixties cultural revolution is now becoming obvious and it is costly
“Free sex,” taught in public high schools at government expense, and modeled by Hollywood is not free for the tax-payer. The average citizen has to underwrite other people’s fantasies. This liberated life-style, outside the bonds of marriage, practiced by welfare queens and absentee fathers, now costs the tax-payer $330 billion per year in welfare payments.... Continue Reading
Kaepernicking Replaces Tebowing
A touchdown celebration—flexing his right arm and kissing his biceps—is called “Kaepernicking”
I am saying that an anti-distraction bias by itself doesn’t explain Tebow’s exile: It will be a great mystery if none of the 32 NFL teams wants him. I’m also saying that worship of Man rather than God is now our national religion: Kissing your own biceps is more acceptable than bowing before our Creator. ... Continue Reading
John Brown the Calvinist
Calvinism rightly understood is a threat to the autonomy of modern man in modern America
In modern America, Calvinism is associated with fanaticism and hate. Calvinists are a deluded sort! Modern America is not threatened by evangelicalism. Modern America is not threatened by fundamentalism. However, Calvinism is a different story. In my mind, Calvinism rightly applied, is the only real threat to the fulcrum of a godless America. Calvinism which... Continue Reading