In this case, the sharpest point of disagreement may well be with the one aspect of Judge Bellows' ruling in which the Virginia Attorney General joined in requesting review: the order that The Falls Church hand over to the Diocese all of the pledge money it had collected from and after February of 2008, regardless of the intent expressed by the Church's donors that none of their gifts should go to the entity that was suing them for their property

Grace Wong, a senior at the University of Southern California, agrees with Kim’s vision. She thought about joining Epic as a freshman but chose the more multicultural InterVarsity for two simple reasons: “I wanted a small fellowship, and not an Asian fellowship.” She grew up in an Asian church, but said joining a more diverse fellowship opened up her perception of God and her whole world of understanding: “In Asian communities, it’s great that you’re comfortable and you understand your own culture, but you block off a huge part of the world.”

All of these efforts (in Geneva) were grounded in an expectation that those seeking help would also seek work. Calvin taught that begging without honest work (for those who were able) was incompatible with a biblical work ethic—a break from Roman Catholic almsgiving that had distributed charity more indiscriminately. And diaconal assistance in Geneva came with biblical counseling from the deacons, and an expectation that recipients attend the local church.

Christian historian George Marsden says this type of situation is perennial. In cases where two or more parties both affirm a statement and still have different interpretations of what that statement really intends, trustees may try to “rein the faculty in,” he said.   Less than a year after Cedarville University hired theologian Michael Pahl,... Continue Reading

CCEF is occasionally identified as anti-science, especially psychological science, but this is not the case. We are interested in careful and modest science. When we find it, we work to understand it as part of a larger reality. By that I mean, once we have a reliable observation, we want to “retell” that observation in... Continue Reading

Follow Closely and Learn from the Apostles’ Examples in Acts. Luke’s account of the early Apostolic ministry is hugely important. It’s the only substantial account of Apostolic sermons in which Christ is explicitly preached from the Old Testament. Here are three examples:

Spouses, children and the congregation itself may know before you do. God may be speaking through the people around you. Take the community of faith seriously. We make these decisions as interrelated parts of the church, as expressed through a church. Discernment is one of the gifts we offer one another in this body. Discreetly explore the spiritual direction available to you through this local body of Christ wherein you serve.

When it comes to the two kingdoms doctrine and Christian liberal arts institutions like Covenant College (the college of the Presbyterian Church in America) in Lookout Mountain, Georgia there may not be that much conflict after all. That, at least, is the conclusion to which one might come in response to a panel discussion on the topic yesterday between Michael Horton, a professor at Westminster Seminary California, and several Covenant College faculty.

If, then, people are the most valuable of all of God's creations, the defense of human dignity should be the core governmental occupation, and protecting it from those policies that endanger human dignity most immediately and profoundly should be the primary occupation of Christians in political life. In practical terms, this means that the indisputably biblical duty to defend the right to life, defend the God-ordained social institution most at risk (marriage), and defend the religious liberty that is foundational to all other freedoms rank at the top of the believer's civic duties.

If the person who fell morally in a way that disqualifies them from ministry submits him or herself to the care of the church leadership, then restoration is typically the next focus.