Millennials and the Demise of Print: Five Implications for Churches
The Millennials have absolutely no loyalty to or preference for print media
I recently was reading a print magazine article to one of my grandsons who was cuddled in my lap. He saw a photo on the page and tried to swipe it like he would on an iPad. When nothing happened he declared my “picture was broken.” That is the age and the era that are... Continue Reading
Are We Headed For A Crash? Reflections On The Current State of Evangelical Worship
Performancism: The worship leader as the performer. The congregation as the audience. The sanctuary as the concert hall.
Sing songs people know (or can learn easily). Sing them in congregational keys. Sing and celebrate the power, glory, and salvation of God. Serve your congregation. Saturate them with the word of God. Get your face off the big screen…Err on the side of including as many people as possible in what’s going on. Keep... Continue Reading
The Way It Really Was in the PCA in 1973
Ruminations of the status of the PCA of a signer of it founding charter at the first General Assembly in Birmingham in 1973
The conservative element in the local PCUS presbyteries had become generically evangelical, or in some cases fundamentalist. Most ruling elders in the majority of conservative churches had never read the Westminster Confession of Faith. Actually, I don’t think many of them even knew it existed. It’s an embarrassing fact, but it is true! ... Continue Reading
A Review: The People of God: Empowering the Church to Make Disciples
To shape the community culture in a church, the focus needs to move away from programs to communal relationships that transforms life
The whole backbone to the “why” of small groups happens to be the Trinity and our being made in the image of the Trinity. The authors tease out how we are hard-wired for communal life, that God’s creative action intentionally made us social beings as seen in Genesis 1 and 2. As the Father, Son... Continue Reading
Commentary: Anti-Muslim Bigotry Taints Florida Ban On Foreign Laws
The law says that judges will not apply foreign law if it "contravenes the strong public policy of this state or if the law is unjust or unreasonable."
Lawmakers in Florida recognized what civil rights groups have urged all along — that our courts and judges are competent to apply foreign law within the limits of American public policy and constitutional values. Given our ever increasing transnational world where Americans routinely establish business family relationships abroad, this rule of public policy allows our... Continue Reading
The Grace That Saves Is The Grace That Leads Us Home
If there is one central area of confusion surrounding progressive sanctification, it has to do with the role of exertion in the Christian life
“If there is one central area of confusion surrounding progressive sanctification, I think it has to do with the role of exertion in the Christian life. Is there any place for God-infused effort as we “grow in grace” (2 Pet. 3:18)? When we meet people whose hands and feet cause them to sin, can we... Continue Reading
No Need to Apologize to Me
Conversations about sanctification are long, historical, sometimes exegetical, and incredibly abstract
“I do wonder about a couple of matters in this kerfuffle between opposite points on the North American Presbyterian compass. First, we have yet another theological imbroglio among PCA pastors in which the courts of the church seem to have little or no bearing. No one seems to think of this as a denominational problem... Continue Reading
8 Lessons on Evangelism from Proverbs
Solomon is not a lecturer, he’s a pleader. Solomon is not simply reciting facts, he’s persuading souls.
“Proverbs is not just a choice between two philosophies but a choice between two people. It’s a choice between a person who is folly (the devil) and a person who is wise (the Son of God). Proverbs 8 hints at a person in the Godhead who especially embodies the Wisdom of God. But it’s the... Continue Reading
Why Students Using Laptops Learn Less In Class Even When They Really Are Taking Notes
According to a new study based on a series of lab-based experiments, handwriters learn better
“The researchers conducted three separate studies involving a total of 327 students to reach their conclusions. All students got the same lectures, but some were told to use laptops and others were told to take notes by hand. When it came to learning the concepts in the lectures, the handwriters won.” “Are you one... Continue Reading
An Introduction to Confessional Subscription
Holding to a stated confession is biblical and prescriptive, and fits well with the witness of Scripture
“No confession deserves any respect if it is not thoroughly biblical. A confession, if a faithful echo of what God already says, can guide us and protect us from the disabilities of an age or locale. Confessions that parrot and lightly amplify the soundings of Scripture endure, while also equipping God’s family with strength and... Continue Reading