4 Fears That Every Pastor Faces
Four fears tempt every pastor
Do you load the future on your shoulders, with all of its questions and concerns? Or do you give yourself to the work of the present, leaving the future in God’s capable hands? How much are you haunted by the “what ifs”? Do you greet the unknown with expectancy or dread? Do God’s presence and... Continue Reading
The ‘Inactive Roll’ and Biblical Shepherding and Discipline in the ARP Church
The concept of an inactive roll violates the clear intent of Biblical church discipline and shepherding
The concept of an inactive roll violates the clear intent of Biblical church discipline and shepherding. Even our definition of an active member is disgracefully lenient. A member of the Rotary Club has higher attendance requirements placed on him or her than in an ARP church! We are called to a far higher and holy... Continue Reading
First Wave at Omaha Beach
Thousands of Americans were spilled onto Omaha Beach. The high ground was won by a handful of men like Taylor who on that day burned with a flame bright beyond common understanding
When he was promoted to officer rank at eighteen, S. L. A. MARSHALL was the youngest shavetail in the United States Army during World War I. He rejoined the Army in 1942, became a combat historian with the rank of colonel; and the notes he made at the time of the Normandy landing are the... Continue Reading
Revised Belgic Confession Article 36: The Magistrate Is Subject To God’s Law
Belgic Confession Article 36 “Of the Magistracy and Government” has direct application in the ongoing debate over the so-called “two kingdoms” movement. The Magistrate Is Subject To Both Tables Of The Law, The Authority Of God’s Word, And Serves To Advance Christ’s Kingdom
In examining both the text of the revised Belgic 36 and the accompanying historical record surrounding the revision, we should clearly conclude that: 1. the Magistrate is subject to both tables of God’s law; 2. the Magistrate is subject to the authority of God’s Word; 3. the Magistrate is ordained to advance the kingdom of... Continue Reading
Calvinist Baptists but No ‘Lutheran’ Baptists?
What does it mean to be a Calvinist in a Baptist denomination; why not a Lutheran?
Although John Calvin and Martin Luther are generally recognized to be the two principal reformers of the sixteenth century, there is a certain asymmetry in their respective legacies, as seen in the fact that no one ever complains of creeping Lutheranism in the Southern Baptist Convention. As far as I know, there is no pro-Luther... Continue Reading
‘Glimpses of Grace,’ A Review
Does God just want us to be happy about our life’s circumstances?
So many of us women grow up dreaming about having a family. We dream of the kind of wonderful wife and mother we are going to be. I know I imagined it just like the Bible verse, “Her children arise and call her blessed.” But that didn’t happen for me. They arose with dirty diapers... Continue Reading
ELCA Lutherans Elect First Openly Gay Bishop
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has elected its first openly gay bishop to oversee churches in Southern California
Erwin, who holds a doctorate, bachelor’s and two master’s degrees from Yale University, has spent several years teaching university and seminary classes. He currently serves as a pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Canoga Park, Calif., and a professor of Lutheran confessional theology at California Lutheran University. Part Osage Indian, Erwin is also the first... Continue Reading
Teacher Awarded $171,000 in Insemination Case
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati fired Christa Dias when she was pregnant saying she violated church doctrine.
Dias, 34, was a computer teacher at two of the archdiocese’s East Price Hill, Ohio, schools — Holy Family and St. Lawrence — in 2010 when she told officials she needed maternity leave. That surprised officials because Dias is single and having a child outside of marriage violates Catholic teaching. When she told them how... Continue Reading
The Problem with Praise Teams
We should hear congregational praise when it is sung
Roughly twenty years ago, I began teaching the course on Presbyterian Denominational Standards at Gordon-Conwell Seminary. About a fourth of the course addressed Presbyterian polity and three-fourths addressed Presbyterian worship. Students in those days will recall that I often expressed concern about performing choirs and overly-loud organs. In each case (performing choir and overly-loud organ)... Continue Reading
Breaking the Silence on the Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit
The silence surrounding the SGM lawsuit is disconcerting
We all, especially clergy as the “shepherds” of the church, have a duty to protect the innocent, which includes ensuring predators are kept away from children. The charges brought against SGM are grave, and (though we must hold our conclusions until the legal system does its work to find truth and deliver justice) we ought... Continue Reading