Homeschoolers Defeat Invasive Proposal in Ohio
A proposed law in Ohio that would have subjected all homeschooling families to government inspections is being withdrawn in response to a groundswell of public pressure
Under the proposed law, parents wanting to homeschool or enroll their children in an online school would have needed to first pass a background check. If that check revealed a “record or report of any investigation at any time,” then their request could have been denied. A poor relationship with a disgruntled neighbor, misunderstanding, or... Continue Reading
Pope Francis: Espousing a Peronist Rather than a Marxist Liberation Theology?
Can we argue then that the Argentine culture, so impregnated with Peronism, is playing a major role in Pope Francis’ message?
The language of inclusion explains part of the popularity of Peronism. It recognized the existence of large segments of the population which were, or could be, convinced that they were being excluded from their society. Peron flirted with class struggle and blamed the exclusion on oligarchs and capitalism. He created a space for these large... Continue Reading
PCUSA PJC Dismisses Complaint Against Presbytery of Tropical Florida
A complaint against the Presbytery of Tropical Florida by five members of the former session of First Presbyterian Church of Miami dismissed by the Judicial Commission of the Synod of South Atlantic
The complainant sought a stay of enforcement to suspend the Sept. 24, 2013, decision of the AC to assume original jurisdiction, citing a concern about the future of the church and consequences if the commission took control. The complaint alleged that serious irreparable and financial harm would result if FPC-Miami was under an AC’s direction.... Continue Reading
PCA GA for Beginners, Part 3
A continuing tutorial on preparing to serve as a commissioner at a PCA General Assembly
It is the responsibility of each presbytery to submit its records for annual review by the Committee on Review of Presbytery Records. Thus, theoretically, there are eighty sets of presbytery records and eighty commissioners to review them. In practice, some presbyteries are negligent about submitting their records, and some presbyteries are negligent about electing and... Continue Reading
Must Christians Believe in the Virgin Birth?
Denial of the virgin birth is a denial of Jesus as the Christ
If Jesus was not born of a virgin, who was His father? There is no answer that will leave the Gospel intact. The virgin birth explains how Christ could be both God and man, how He was without sin, and that the entire work of salvation is God’s gracious act. If Jesus was not born... Continue Reading
Don’t Question the Pastor, He’s Famous
The modern celebrity preacher’s ministry is marked by privilege, perks, protection from scrutiny and hubris.
Look, friends certainly have the right to support friends. But the culture of celebrity pastor is proving to be a danger to the church in one important area: the agenda. Most will tell you that the “agenda” is about the gospel. In reality, it is about advancing the personal agendas/vision-casting of the celebrity pastor. Plainly... Continue Reading
Something Better than Sovereignty
There is nothing wrong about celebrating divine sovereignty, so long as we understand that God’s inscrutable power is not exercised on a whim
Most of the readers of this blog love “Big God” theology. We love to sing and savor the sovereignty. And rightly so. But let us always remember–and make explicit before our children and our churches–that this big God is our God. More than that, through Christ, he is our heavenly Father. And by the firm... Continue Reading
Rebuilding Lost Trust in Pastors
A look at some causes and some cures for the recent decline of trust in clergy
Ultimately Gallup opinion polls are less important than God’s opinion of us. We certainly don’t want to become man-pleasers either; people can smell that a mile off too. Our first question must always be “Does God trust us?” more than “Do the public trust us?” However, without sacrificing our integrity, we must also have a concern to... Continue Reading
(Dis)ingenuous – part three of a series on Emergence Christianity
The Emergent emphasis on God’s un-knowability, while it sounds humble, in reality simply serves to justify the rejection of doctrine Emergents dislike.
On the issue of certainty, for instance, your friend’s postmodern view of God is actually every bit as inflexible as the allegedly Modern view it rejects. The dogmatism in your friend’s faith is quiet, veiled, but it’s still there. And that’s quite typical of Postmodernism. It preaches our inability to attain philosophical certainty while sneaking... Continue Reading
The Culture of Like
The more we push that like button, the more we may feed our own illusion of power.
Now I do enjoy using Facebook for sharing funny moments and even a picture or two. And I have come to be generous with the like button as I compare it to a casual smile. But there is a line that the like button can cross. It can easily be used to feed into our sinful tendency to compare ourselves... Continue Reading