“The effective cause (causa efficiens) of justification is God, more accurately God the Father, and still more accurately His grace and righteousness. The meritorious cause is the obedience of Christ the Mediator (causa meritoria). The instrumental cause (causa instrumentalis) is faith worked in the heart through the Holy Spirit and then put into action. The... Continue Reading

There is a fine line between legitimate probability judgments and sinful prejudice. It is a real line. God sees it even when we don’t. And my concern is to plead with you not to let the legitimacy of probability judgments function in your heart as a subtle self-justification for sinful prejudice.   Probability and Prejudice... Continue Reading

In the same way Paul rebuked Peter in Galatians 2:11 for giving the “impression that he agreed with the Judaizers,” we too must diligently rescue the gospel from even appearing off course. In short, conceding to blurred lines for the sake of unity is spiritual compromise. “We must remind the world that the gospel of... Continue Reading

“This is not an apologetics 101 text, as in a book that will compare and contrast various apologetic methods; instead, it is a guide, a book that seeks to lead the reader into a new method of sharing his faith with others.”   I have a bit of an aversion to books on apologetics. I... Continue Reading

One common critique among them is that Tucker’s view of complementarianism is wrong. Complementarianism does not teach abusive headship, it teaches using the model of how Christ leads his church. I think the author would agree that her ex-husband would have been abusive no matter what doctrine he held. But here’s the problem: the “that’s... Continue Reading

This adapted excerpt from T. J. and Jenn Menn’s Faith to Foster (Abeille Books) recounts the story of “Casey,” documenting his time with the Menn family from arrival to departure and the aftermath. The Menns have welcomed 22 foster children into their home from multiple states across America, ranging in age from birth to high school. Names have been changed to... Continue Reading

It is possible to steer a middle ground between the allegorical and literal extremes: to recognize the Song of Songs as wisdom literature that celebrates a great mystery in life, the mutual love of a man and a woman (Prov. 30:19), yet that in this celebration will not only shape our thinking about human relationships... Continue Reading

A major tone of the book is that our children are lost, and Tripp’s advice to parents is affected by this tone.  While some readers might agree with Tripp, I for one do not.  Based on Scripture, I don’t believe it is wise or helpful to call children of Christian parents “lost.”  Sometimes God is... Continue Reading

I do not have the space here to summarize the nine missteps Shaw identifies, and I want to give you a good reason to go and read the book – which every thoughtful Christian should do. But I do want to draw attention to what I take to be some of Shaw’s most important points.... Continue Reading

Joshua Harris has been reflecting a lot on the impact of his book. He’s heard from people who felt his writing taught them to be ashamed of their bodies and to feel guilty for having any sexual desires. The criticism came out recently on Twitter. One woman reached out and said the book was used... Continue Reading