Is There a Christian Position on Election 2012? (Part 2): Evangelicals and the Politics of Identity
Is there a Christian position on the 2012 election?
What are the implications of all this for the 2012 election? These complexities suggest that it is impractical to apply confessional criteria to political candidates. As is often pointed out, we are electing a President, not a national pastor. Ultimately, the decision for whom to vote should be made on other grounds, and the “Christian... Continue Reading
Your Guide to Christian Voting Guides
Which flyer should you take with you into the voting booth?
With days left before Election Day, it is time to figure out how you will vote. Voter guides are one way that political groups can help you with this decision. Some are very informative. Most are not. All of them are biased, some more so than others. Here is a run-down of voter guides aimed... Continue Reading
Study: When Americans Think Abortion Should Be Legal
American attitudes about abortion are rarely as simple as “pro-life” or “pro-choice”
In direct contrast to common assumptions, not all evangelicals and political conservatives believe abortion should be outlawed in every situation, and many political liberals do not want abortion to be available on demand. A new study from Grey Matter Research shows just how complex the abortion issue really is in a nation where the labels... Continue Reading
“More Light, Lord!”
Would it bother you to be without your Bible? Could you preach without it? Live without it? Worship without it?
Underestimated light. Nothing compares to the Word of God for true illumination. The faint gleams of natural revelation and human reason are light, to be sure, but they are distant candles to the present white light of God’s holy Word. And yet how ready we are to wander around in the gloom, imagining that we... Continue Reading
What the Church Might Learn From Ford
Is re-branding needed for the cause of the gospel?
That living on the edge of the culture, on the edge of the mainstream life of the more socially and religiously acceptable churches, places pressure on the Reformed to try to re-brand, or re-image ourselves, as the consultants say, so as to give potential consumers the idea that we’re what they want. I... Continue Reading
The Diverging Views of Halloween
There are Christians who believe that Halloween is demonic and pagan and Christians who look at Halloween as mostly harmless
What matters for us is how our culture celebrates Halloween today. Though how we account for the traditional beliefs and practices associated with Halloween has a great bearing on our view of the Holiday, the question we must ask is not “What was Halloween” but “What is Halloween.” And not just what is Halloween, but... Continue Reading
A Pastor’s Perspective on the New City Catechism
The New City Catechism introduces catechetical instruction to many in the Church
We owe the team from Redeemer Presbyterian and the Gospel Coalition a debt of gratitude for compiling this fine resource. They should also be commended for offering their work to us free of charge! The New City Catechism provides a helpful entre into the study of catechism. Earlier this month, Redeemer Presbyterian Church and... Continue Reading
Proof of Heaven
Neurosurgeon now convinced there is an afterlife after spending seven days in a coma
Alexander emphasizes that he is still a neurosurgeon and a man of science, but he has been fundamentally changed. His life goal is now to help explain a new picture of reality which will show that the universe is “evolving, multi-dimensional, and completely known by a God who cares for us … deeply and fiercely.”... Continue Reading
Propaganda: Giving the Puritans a Bad Rap
A rap song by Propaganda has caught the attention of a number of Christians in the blogosphere
Propaganda promotes the gospel of Christ in other raps, and says that he has learned a lot from reading the Puritans. But his rap song forcefully portrays them as deeply flawed men, profoundly guilty for their participation in the Atlantic slave trade and slave economy. A new rap song by Propaganda has caught... Continue Reading
Who Has Been Left Behind?
Do not all people need the Gospel--black, white, rich, poor, young, old?
A robust doctrine of the church (ecclesiology) must include a robust demographic. It must include people from every tribe, tongue, nation, and family. If not, we should make every effort that it does. This means that alongside church planting and college ministry, we need to have equal emphasis upon church revitalization and renewal.