Secular group attacks college dorm with ‘values-oriented twist’
The Freedom from Religion Foundation complains the faith-based dorm violates fair housing laws
But officials at the public university are defending the dorm, which opens to students this fall, saying it will be open to students of all faiths. The school already has honors student dorms, substance-free dorms, and international student dorms. The new dorm will be like the others, with preference given to students of faith, but... Continue Reading
So Cultured I’m Yogurt
All too often, “engaging the culture” is a euphemism for “caving in to the culture.”
I suggest that those who are so enamored of culture that they are yogurt need to step back for a moment and ask the tough questions: is this phenomenon I am studying really conducive to evangelism, personal holiness, progress in the Christian walk? Or am I merely using this “engaging culture” mantra as a smokescreen... Continue Reading
Your Help Is Hurting: How Church Foreign Aid Programs Make Things Worse
Giving help is good, but it can often makes things worse
…when he gave something the first time, there was gratitude; and when he gave something a second time to that same community, there was anticipation; the third time, there was expectation; the fourth time, there was entitlement; and the fifth time, there was dependency. That is what we’ve all experienced when we’ve wanted to do... Continue Reading
The Young, Restless, and Reformed…In Africa
The “young, restless, and Reformed” movement is growing throughout in Africa
The testimony of these young men and women has been universally the same. They have listened to a few of the sermons and felt like men and women who have starved for years and stumbled into a room with food meant for a king. Hence, they have listened to everything that they can lay their... Continue Reading
At Christian Companies, Religious Principles Complement Business Practices
Most Christian-identified businesses were founded by evangelical Protestants who are mostly politically and socially conservative
Focusing on particular practices, like quotes on fry boats or gospel music, can obscure deep philosophical divisions among Christians who think about business ethics. For some, the Bible is a kind of business manual you’d buy in an airport bookstore, offering timeless precepts that happen to maximize profits. In June, a federal court ruled... Continue Reading
Complaint Dismissed Against San Gabriel Presbytery; Glenkirk, Covina Churches Move to ECO
Two California churches finally completed their journeys to a new denominational home when a remedial complaint against San Gabriel Presbytery was dismissed
That action by the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) for the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii took place July 11, paving the way for Glenkirk and FPC-Covina to part ways with the Presbyterian Church (USA) as new members of ECO. The order from the PJC indicated that the stay of enforcement was removed in Anderson... Continue Reading
Review: ‘How Jesus Runs the Church’
Church government is a critical part of Christian discipleship
Jesus is king, Jesus rules the church, the church is the visible representation of Jesus, and Jesus has uniquely tasked the church with missions. Add these four claims together, and you begin to understand why a rightly governed church is crucial to the spread of the gospel…. Not only that, Scripture tells us Jesus’ rule... Continue Reading
How Religious Freedom Has Become a Non-Issue in Our Country
Some foreign policy professionals think it violates the First Amendment for the United States to promote religious freedom abroad
But if 91 percent of top journos never worship, they are a tent revival in comparison to our foreign policy clerisy. And there’s the rub: Not only is religion not important in their own lives, our top foreign policy thinkers also fail consistently to understand why religion is important in the lives of others—especially those... Continue Reading
Update: Abigail, 17-year-old Member of First PCA, Jackson, Miss.; Reclassified From Missing Person to Runaway
The police have assigned two investigators to lead this search
Abigail Bonner, a 17-year-old from Madison, Mississippi, has gone missing as of late night August 2 or early morning August 3. Police have begun searching without any results. Abigail and her family are members of First Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Jackson, Miss. A Facebook page has been started to ask for help in finding Abigail... Continue Reading
Is the New Evangelical Liturgy Really an Improvement?
What the Reformed Liturgical Heritage Has to Offer
What do I mean by the “old liturgy”? I mean the traditional Protestant order of worship that stretches back to Luther and Calvin (despite their important differences), runs through Westminster, and used to be what churches did when they didn’t know what else to do. Was it rote at times? Sure. Did some churches use... Continue Reading