The White Working Class
You cannot write religious history, the history of religions and of religious people in America without reckoning with the social class of citizens
It is impossible to summarize all the findings and contentions related to this survey; the purpose of this admittedly brisk report is simply to remind ourselves that, while class-talk does not tell us everything, it tells us much, and we neglect it at our peril if we want to deal intelligently with politics, cultural life... Continue Reading
Does Christian cultural engagement have to take the form of war?
Rather than taking the approach of divide and conquer, many of these advocates want to effect cultural change through faithful witness and loving persuasion.
"After representing two kingdoms advocates as those who do not want to engage culture and politics Evans turns to argue that faithful cultural engagement must take the form of culture war. The liberals and elites of the Obama administration have launched a battle against us, and our only choice is to fight or run. Surely good Christians will not run"
“Hometown boy” leads PCA church plant in Southwest Virginia
Mother church in Blacksburg sends 1/3 of congregation as core group
After years away in seminary at RTS Charlotte, Waters finally returned to Virginia—to his home. He’s a hometown boy pastoring a new church plant, raising four children and reaching out to a community he knows and loves. It might sound like a daunting task but, somehow, it’s not.
Mumford & Sons and the Death of Church Music
If I want to sing a bunch of stale, bland pop songs, I’ll have a campfire, not go to church.
What Mumford has discovered, along with his masters at Universal, is that this goopy, self-serious emotionalism sells like crazy. And since he apparently has no interest in new musical ideas, you end up with a relentlessly monotonous body of work that amounts to more of a brand than an oeuvre.
Baby Boomers: Why Am I Back in Church?
"When they were young, they thought they would live forever. But they know better now.”
Think about it: when Mr. or Ms. Gallup calls, are you really going to say that the last time you went to church was three years ago? Surely meaning to go must count for something. Of course, maybe a lot of these people had been fibbing for years about going to Woodstock, and eased their conscience by giving the pollsters a more reliable account about church.
Son of a Preacher Man: The Unknown Spurrier
Rev. J. Graham Spurrier, 1915-2000
“My dad was the most uncomplicated person I’ve ever known in the world. He believed the Bible from the front to the back. If the Bible said Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days then you know what? Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days. There was... Continue Reading
Other Things You Can Do Rather Than Fire Your Pastor
Instead of rushing to fire your pastor, here are some thoughts to consider
Pause and take a step back from your plans to fire your pastors and instead, consider how you might help them to become the faithful shepherds God has called them to be…. Before you take steps to fire your current pastor and then hire in a new one and treat him the same way …... Continue Reading
Same-Sex Science
The social sciences cannot settle the moral status of homosexuality
We are told that homosexual persons are just as psychologically healthy as heterosexuals, that sexual orientation is biologically determined at birth, that sexual orientation cannot be changed and that the attempt to change it is necessarily harmful, that homosexual relationships are equivalent to heterosexual ones in all important characteristics, and that personal identity is properly... Continue Reading
Brothers, Please Just Preach the Gospel
What should ministers preach on “Pulpit Freedom Sunday?”
People aren’t stupid. If you can’t teach Biblical truth from the pulpit in such a way that your congregation knows the kinds of things to look for in a candidate then you’re doing it wrong. Remember, the part that makes this “pulpit freedom Sunday” is the actual endorsement of a particular candidate. Pastors are allowed... Continue Reading
What’s in a name?
How the consistory (or session) can alienate a church.
During Calvin’s time in Geneva probably the single greatest area of controversy between the consistory and the people of Geneva revolved around a seemingly very trivial issue: names. It was required that all infants must be baptized with Biblical names.