Review: The Gospel Centered Woman
Why do most books for Christian women focus more on the externals of femaleness than on the heart of discipleship?
Alsup “gets it” that Christian women are, first and foremost, simply Christians. She makes it clear that Jesus—not Ruth or Esther or even the Proverbs 31 woman—is our primary identity. Why do most books for Christian women focus more on the externals of femaleness than on the heart of discipleship? Wendy Alsup. The Gospel Centered... Continue Reading
Health-Food Heresy: When Eating Healthy Becomes Your God
How do you battle the idol of healthy eating? Whether or not you battle weight, be aware of the battle for your worship.
We can most likely agree that overeating or obsessing about food is sinful idolatry. But could I also be sinning while I’m eating a well-balanced diet, low in carbs and high in protein and losing weight? Or, what if you’re a girl who has never struggled with over-eating but has always been overly cautious about her eating... Continue Reading
Federal Vision, Peter Leithart & the Reality of Doctrinal Standards in the PCA
I love the PCA, but I am perplexed and heart-broken by the SJC's decision to uphold the Pacific Northwest Presbytery's exoneration of Peter Leithart
I really do love the PCA. I want to believe the best of my fathers and brothers on the SJC. I have tremendous respect for them and great sympathy for the position the PNWP put them in. But ultimately, when it comes to guarding the doctrinal integrity of the PCA, the buck stops with the... Continue Reading
Thoughts on Same-Sex Marriage, Part I: The Politics of Rights and “Ressentment”
“Ressentiment”: confusion about rights versus privilege, and confusion over whether the issue is civil or religious in nature
In the present conversation, proponents of state recognition of same-sex unions routinely suggest that their “rights” are being violated or “taken away” unless same-sex marriage is approved. Such a claim inflames ressentiment, but it adds little to the discussion, and is, in fact, erroneous. To which right, precisely, does this claim refer? Does the Bill... Continue Reading
Pastors and Their Critics: A Word to Pastors
Samuel Rutherford after being praised: "Woman, if you knew the blackness of my heart, you would gather your children and run."
Criticism, offered in love and received with humility, provides ministers with tremendous opportunities to grow. It gives us the opportunity to become more effective for the advance of Christ’s kingdom. And it reminds us that we really are as bad as the Bible says we are. So let us listen carefully, weigh our responses thoughtfully,... Continue Reading
Two PCUSA Congregations in Presbytery of Charlotte Leave for the EPC
Two PCUSA churches in North Carolina vote to withdraw from the PCUSA
Located in Wesley Chapel, south of Charlotte, Siler Presbyterian Church was granted its gracious dismissal from the PCUSA by the Presbytery of Charlotte and affiliated with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in the fall of 2012…. Troy Presbyterian Church, located in Montgomery County east of Charlotte, was dismissed following a unanimous quorum vote of the congregation... Continue Reading
“Marriage Equality” – An Irony
It is hard to miss the prevailing trends toward marriage devaluation
In the end, marriage confusion will be the order of the day, all because our society didn’t clarify or value natural marriage in the first place. If the litigious ramifications were to lead state and federal governments to “wash their hands” of the whole issue, then separation of marriage and state will be the ultimate... Continue Reading
The Word-less “Church”
We need the word of Christ to dwell in us richly today more than ever
Churches seem to have lost a love for and confidence in the Word of God. They still carry Bibles and declare the authority of the Scriptures. They still have sermons based on Bible verses and still have Bible study classes. But not much of the Bible is actually read in their services….Congregations where the Bible... Continue Reading
Research: Brand Awareness of Non-profits
When it comes to brand awareness in the non-profit world, size definitely does matter
When it comes to brand awareness for non-profit organizations, size does matter. Americans are most aware of massive non-religious organizations that work internationally. Just a handful of organizations dominate first-mention brand awareness in the non-profit arena….The study shows that what people tend to be most aware of are massive organizations with no religious affiliation that... Continue Reading
Why Do You Call Me “Homophobic” Because I Disagree With “Gay Marriage”?
"Homophobic" paints a person as unthinking, bigoted, and scared of something he or she doesn't agree with; I contest such a label
The label homophobic doesn’t really mean what it says. By calling me homophobic I am being accused of ignorantly or hatefully opposing homosexuality. The label is applied in pejorative way to paint me as having an illogical or irrational disagreement with homosexual practice. Of course, I do disagree with homosexual practice (or any pre/extra marital sexual practice), but I... Continue Reading