During Calvin’s time in Geneva probably the single greatest area of controversy between the consistory and the people of Geneva revolved around a seemingly very trivial issue: names. It was required that all infants must be baptized with Biblical names.

We can, however, be sure of this: God is both just and merciful and always does what is right, no matter what–even when we have a hard time explaining it. This is true in the case of the salvation of infants, no matter who turns out to be right in the end.

Christianity in Chattanooga and the rest of the country has been influenced by a religious doctrine called pietism. Pietism arose in the 17th century Germany as a reaction against the reformed interest in right doctrine. Its main lights were Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf and the Moravians.

If Christians are going to portray the struggle between Islam and the West as a clash of civilizations, and then take shots at the West for abandoning Christianity, they will need to give a fuller account of the differences between Islam and Christianity on secular politics.

So from an aristocratic view: Being middle-class is both good news and bad news. The good news: Everyone is free in a way that only aristocrats once were. Nobody can tell you how to live or what to do. The bad news: Everyone has to work. There's no leisure class that feeds off the work of others. You are, of course, technically free not work, if you're willing to embrace the freedom not to eat.

If you have a church member who has been warned or disciplined by another pastor or church, you have a responsibility to investigate what’s going on. True, it might be that the old church spoke where there is no authority to speak, disciplining a parent for not homeschooling, for example. But, even then, if you will give an answer for the soul of this person, you bear the responsibility to find out what exactly is going on.

We need the awkwardness of a worship service where not every song is a wonderfully produced experience of excitement. We need awkward pauses and awkward people. Why? Because that's real life.

But we should recognize, and emphasize, that the authority of God speaking can and must only be attached to what he has said in his Word. It is illegitimate, therefore, not to mention dangerous and deceptive, for anyone to say that the word of God has come to him as an individual. If that is so, then that word would carry all the authority of God himself, and would, by definition, undermine, subvert and contravene any biblical notion of the sufficiency and authority of Scripture

Simply put, a refusal to engage the cultural and political issues of the day is no longer an option for thoughtful conservative Christians in America.  The battle has been forced upon us.  Reasons for this have to do with current political realities, especially the wholesale shift of administrative power to a technocratic elite with a... Continue Reading

The scientific and moral issues are complex. They need to be addressed honestly without claims of scientific misconduct whenever a researcher reaches conclusions that some do not like. Similarly, imperfect studies should not be championed as the final word by people longing to justify their moral beliefs with science. How about an honest pursuit of... Continue Reading