There’s a difference between being made in the image of God, and as the image of God. We are the former, but we are not the latter. So when someone claims at a supposedly “Gay Christian” conference that God made them trans and that the church causes trauma when it fails to let ‘LGBT+ people be who they feel... Continue Reading

There’s no guarantee that your child will take you up on being discipled by you. And so you may try going down this road only to see them reject your attempts. But your calling as a parent isn’t based on producing results or the apparent lack of them. Your calling is to partner with the... Continue Reading

Item 13 passed the overtures committee by a vote of 101-23 before being approved by the Assembly on the floor with 1,022 commissioners voting in favor and 650 against. It has been disapproved by 65% of the presbyteries that have voted on it so far.   Since June, Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) presbyteries have... Continue Reading

The Spirit convicts not to condemn, but to draw us back. We have the same calling: to “pursue hospitality” (Rom. 12:13). Hospitality is not just hosting friends; it is the love of strangers. Pursuit requires intentionality, planning, and effort. It’s not optional or only for those “gifted with hospitality.” It’s a command and a continual... Continue Reading

The wise pastor Newton doesn’t tell the distressed believer that God has made her able and strong to resist sin’s power. He tells her that if she relies on Jesus, his strength and his grace will be sufficient. God doesn’t put us in possession of a new spiritual power. He puts us in the loving possession of Jesus (Rom. 7:4),... Continue Reading

He may be the most prolific writer during the antebellum era of Princeton Seminary. He wrote general and church history volumes; books for children; works for instruction in preaching; books about systematic theology subjects; numerous reviews including one of a book about Hegel; titles about family devotional practices; a life of David’s son Absalom; an... Continue Reading

Stewardship requires judgment, wisdom, discretion, decision-making, and directing others. These are not neutral or purely mechanical tasks. They require recognized authority, exercised for the sake of mercy and order. Perhaps the clearest evidence that deacons possess real ecclesiastical authority lies in the ordination vows themselves.   Note: This article is a follow-up from Dr. Guy Waters’... Continue Reading

Once Scripture is viewed as partially mistaken, every difficult passage becomes negotiable. Authority shifts from God’s Word to the reader’s judgment. This does not produce freedom. It produces confusion. Without a trustworthy Word, the church is left to drift, reshaping its beliefs according to cultural pressure or internal preference.   If Scripture is God’s Word,... Continue Reading

In Deuteronomy 5, Israel is commanded to rest because they were once slaves in Egypt. Slaves do not rest; they work without end. By resting, Israel declared that they served a different Master—one who redeems, provides, and cares for his people. Rest proclaimed freedom. For Christians today, the principle remains. Rest declares that God—not work,... Continue Reading

We can be selfish, insensitive, rude, angry, hurtful, unkind, and indifferent to others. Too often, Christians are guilty of using, “That’s just the way I am” as an excuse for their sinful conduct.   In his book, Courage is Calling, Ryan Holiday wisely points out that we should be our unique selves and not worried... Continue Reading