One item worth highlighting, as the title of the post indicates, is that despite the amazing popularity of TKNY in conservative Presbyterian circles, Tim Keller cannot make up for the presence that the likes of Jim Boice and R. C. Sproul projected and still project. It could be that associations with The Gospel Coalition so... Continue Reading

The assumption in this sentence is that there is such a thing as evangelicalism and that it is presently defined theologically. That seems to me to be a huge stretch. Given that evangelicals disagree on everything from God’s foreknowledge to the ordination of women, it is hard to use the word in the singular in... Continue Reading

Regardless if yours is a small family or a big one, we need to ask ourselves: Do we continue to allow culture to shape our vision of the good life? Does the state of our bank account take priority over all things?   It’s not often that a company asks you to “go make babies,”... Continue Reading

In the case of the Christian and the Bible, most Protestants now believe that we, our Bibles open before us and the Spirit operating within us, not the church, must decide. This is not what Luther and Calvin had in mind. As I have written before, what has happened is that we got rid of... Continue Reading

Although wives are commanded to submit to their husbands (Eph. 5:22-24), and there is a distinct creation-order to the marriage relationship (Gen. 2:23-24; 1 Cor. 11:7-12), one must not blur the line between society and marriage. A woman is free to possess any vocation in society that a man can occupy so long as she... Continue Reading

Isn’t it comforting that we can honestly face our most regretful moments and not be devastated? Isn’t it amazing that we can confess that we really are sinners and be neither fearful nor depressed? We can do all of these things because, like David, we have learned that our hope in life is not in... Continue Reading

This is a battle we cannot wage effectively if we always try to come across to the world as merely nice, nonchalant, docile, agreeable, fun-loving people. We must not take our cues from others who are perfectly happy to compromise the truth whenever possible for “harmony’s” sake. Friendly dialog may sound affable and pleasant. But... Continue Reading

What does this mean for you as a pastor? I can’t say for sure. But consider subscribing to a good journal like JETS or WTJ. Don’t dismiss every book that costs more than you think it’s worth. Plow through a book on your shelf that only makes sense half of the time. Find an area... Continue Reading

We may come to believe that our ministries are only important if they are reaching a large number of people. We are tempted to believe that a pastorate can only be considered greatly effective if there are great multitudes hearing it. We think those pastors who are the greatest are those who have produced the... Continue Reading

A while back my friend Anthony Bradley posted an insightful and provocative blog piece asking why the popular influence of conservative Presbyterians prominent a few decades back (e.g., Jim Boice, R. C. Sproul, Sinclair Ferguson, and John Frame) seems to have waned in comparison to Baptists of a broadly Reformed soteriological persuasion. I posted an... Continue Reading