Secret hearts and sorry tales in the PCA
A PCA Ruling Elder considers the National Partnership
Interesting coincidence that at about the same time as the secret (sorry, confidential) announcement of the National Partnership, an article appeared on the PCA’s denominational magazine site about how we should blog. While generally a worthwhile article, the author took a number of conservative blogs with which he obviously disagreed to task. Yet, not a... Continue Reading
Four Things We Must Learn from the Cyprus Debacle
Christians need to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves.
Money is based on faith and trust. Money is inherently a religious issue. Money today is guaranteed in terms of the full faith and credit of men who control the federal government. Just step back and think about that for a minute! A society whose money is based upon deception and theft will hear its... Continue Reading
BioLogos and Templeton waste more money on accommodationism
An atheist evolutionist on the futility of trying to reconcile evolution and Christianity
Religious people who deny evolution are not, by and large, stupid. They know that telling them that religion and evolution are compatible isn’t going to settle the queasiness in their stomach when they realize that, in the end, evolution implies to many that humans are a contingent result of a purely materialistic process. It’s easier... Continue Reading
Grace and Legalism: Two Misunderstood Terms
As with most bad definitions, these distortions have an element of truth at their core, but they over-simplify and distort the larger reality
Obedience to God’s law is not legalism. Obedience to God’s law in an effort to earn favor from God is legalism. Obedience to God’s law in an effort to pile up enough merit to outweigh our demerits is legalism. But a grace-empowered obedience of God’s law is not legalism. What’s the difference? It’s the difference... Continue Reading
Dead is Dead
Without death Easter celebrates a comeback, not a miracle.
Without a realization of Jesus’ death Easter celebrates the unexpected rather than the impossible. Without a real death there isn’t a real resurrection. Without a real resurrection there isn’t a real point in being a Christian—no hope, no future, no perfect new creation. So Jesus’ death matters. It cannot be underplayed and can scarcely be... Continue Reading
Read the Fine Print Before Supporting “Marriage Equality”
Here are just a few of the implications of legally redefining marriage.
Supporting same-sex marriage is saying the law should enforce a new “norm” on how marriage is defined. The law should lead society to adopt this new norm and question anyone who opposes it. In light of the new definition of marriage enshrined in law, those who believe marriage is for a man and woman, with... Continue Reading
Young Adults Lag In Wealth Building
Is the answer to spend more money on programs that benefit children and youth?
Sometimes I wonder what makes reasonable people think that more government action and intervention is the solution to a problem precipitated by government intervention in the economy. I don’t get it. If wealth-building is a problem doesn’t it seem that wealth creation should be the solution? What would happen in we realized that the way... Continue Reading
New England: New Research and Analysis on America’s Least Religious Region
In our lifetime, the South has always been seen as the Bible Belt; New England and the Northwest have been less religious regions.
Every year, Gallup releases a study on the religiosity of America broken down by states (you can see my thoughts on last year’s report here). In recent decades a trend has emerged in the location of the most religious and least religious states. As one might expect, the most religious states are in the South... Continue Reading
From a Symbol of Fear to a Symbol of Faith
We know Jesus was put to death on a Roman cross, but what was it about His death that transformed this symbol of horror into a symbol of hope?
Think on this. Let it sink in. Christ suffered and died on the cross because of sin. Your sin. My sin. Since the fall, sin has been the problem in the world. We do not think much of sin in our day and age. We are beyond such things. Sin is an “old-fashioned” and outdated... Continue Reading
25 Things I’ve Learned from Church Planting
God has shown me that, more than anything, he wants my heart.
21. Spiritual warfare is real. 22. Church plants should never be started by someone disgruntled or unable to sit under authority at his former church. Church plants cannot be rebuttals to another pastor’s methods and ideas. They must be built on a clear call from God. 23. A church planter and his wife must pray... Continue Reading