Synod 2024: An Appraisal and a Vision
My hope is that the CRC would be a home for refugees of the sexual revolution, a place where God’s grace abounds but the boundaries don’t budge.
My prayer is that everyone in the CRC will be able to articulate the gospel and would unashamedly spread this good news. While the evangelical world has the gospel, they are adrift without a confessional tradition to ground them. Many have floated in the directions of the prosperity gospel or Christian nationalism or pastoral personality... Continue Reading
This Is How Religious Liberty Dies
Kamala Harris says it out loud in asserting a false right to abortion.
Religious liberty, which is among the fundamental rights explicitly recognized in the Bill of Rights and is the foundation of all other rights, is rejected in favor of abortion rights, which are invented rights without a historic foundation. Harris rejects the actual fundamental right, religious liberty, and asserts a false right, abortion, claiming it to... Continue Reading
The Good News About the Bad News
A dark backdrop for bright gospel light.
Our sinful estate is bad news, and thinking about bad news isn’t pleasant. But here’s the good news about the bad news: by remembering the horror of sin, and by reflecting on our helpless and spiritually ruined estate, we are able to celebrate the rescuing grace of God all the more. The bad news reminds... Continue Reading
Pietism vs. Piety — What’s the Difference?
Christians should be known for their piety.
The practice of pietism, either seeking personal encounters with God or practicing asceticism (another form of pietism that involves denying oneself of physical pleasures for the sake of spiritual advancement), can be appealing to people because they feel like they are being more religious and, thus, closer to God. Yet, Paul specifically states that such... Continue Reading
(Corporate) Worship
When we gather to worship, we are gathering as a body of believers.
When we gather together to worship, God pours out His grace on His people. We should love the gathering of the saints. We should value the corporate nature of the weekly worship of God’s people. Let it drive away our sinful individualism and let us learn to highly value the gathered church. I was... Continue Reading
Pastoring People Through Slow Change
The process of change in Christians is usually very, very slow.
Part of the pastor’s job is to help Christians regularly refocus on the gospel. To a friend who is bitter, we encourage them to, “…forgive, as God in Christ forgave you,” (Eph. 4:32). To the husband who is passive: “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her,” (Eph. 5:25).... Continue Reading
Teasing Out Idolatry in Narcissism
Instead of worshipping the God of the universe, narcissists make themselves the god of their own universe, creating a reality centered entirely on them.
For those living with or around a narcissist, while there are ways to minimize harm, the greatest need is the transformation of the narcissist’s heart—not a change in how you relate to him. By the Lord’s grace, the true God has been known to change self-worshipping people at least a time or two: consider Manasseh... Continue Reading
Lost – Minister’s Letter Oct 24
Our world thinks that it knows better than previous generations.
Luke 15 is a chapter for our day. It speaks to the religious, and irreligious; the one who knows he’s lost, and the one who doesn’t. It makes us face up to the reality of our lives. It shows us the terror of what it is to be lost and the glory of what it... Continue Reading
Why Psalm 23 Is My Favorite Psalm
Psalm 23 paints a vivid picture of the tender loving care of my Lord.
We don’t wander the wilderness, left to our own devices to find food, rest, and safety for ourselves. We have a faithful Shepherd who is watchful over all of these details in our lives. These are things everyone longs for, and it’s important to remind ourselves often that these are realities for Jesus’ sheep. The Lord is my shepherd;... Continue Reading
When Kings Take Counsel Together
The World May Not Rule Itself Without Christ
When our rulers and men of wealth, the mighty in the land, take counsel together to substitute human authority for divine authority, when by their lies they throw all things into chaos that they might impose an order of their own making, this Petrine counsel is the counsel we must take. We must fearlessly adhere... Continue Reading
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