The Spirit keeps himself largely out of sight, his work intended to bring what God has accomplished in Christ Jesus into brightest and sharpest relief, for the blessing of sinners. So all our blessings are Spiritual blessings

Churches encourage our husbands daily to not make idols out of their careers, and to not look at porn. But how are we, as wives, encouraging and exhorting one another not to make idols out of perhaps our greatest gifts: our families?

Does “bear the sword” here mean simply carry it around so people can be impressed with how shiny and sharp it is? Obviously not. It is clearly a figure of speech signifying the government’s whole range of coercive power up to and including capital punishment. And, to top it all off, Paul says that if you oppose this power you’re opposing the God Who gave it.

Generally, ceremonial is associated with so-called “high-church” expressions of Christianity. It is certainly a part of the common discourse about the Church of Rome and often appears as a prima facie argument against the Mass. However, I’d like to reconsider this usage of the term.     In a previous post I said, “There is a legitimate... Continue Reading

My contention is that ministers are not therapists. Nor are they counselors except as those who as shepherds who come along side those under their care. They are pastors. They are Ministers of the Word and sacraments. There are limitations to the minister’s calling and abilities.     In 1970 Jay Adams’ Competent to Counsel was published and... Continue Reading

As universities capitulated to a market economy worldview when it came to educational “services,” faith was often marginalized. Truth no longer came from revelation, but from rational scientific proof. In response, faith became subject to the individual (belief) and relegated to the sidelines of the university experience. Students who desired the soothing comfort of faith... Continue Reading

We have to be careful what we decide to make into gospel issues and not simply allow our own immediate context or admittedly important cultural struggles to be decisive. Luther thought affirmation of the presence of the whole Christ, in, with and under the elements of the bread and the wine in communion, was a gospel issue such that those who denied this were 'of a different Spirit.' Zwingli thought infant baptism was a gospel distinctive, such that he collaborated with the council in Zurich in the judicial drowning of Anabaptists.

The pursuit of perfection isn’t a bad thing, but because we are sinful people it can quickly become something vile. It becomes a pursuit of the image of perfection or of being better than others.

I think one of the devil’s tactics with respect to the church on the Right today is to make them so hate everybody else that at the end of the day they can’t be believed anywhere, not even the proclamation of the gospel.

NPR and The New York Times Magazine attempt to portray MacBain and DeWitt as victims. MacBain presents herself as unnerved by the fact that her church fired her and did not appreciate her declaration of atheism behind their backs at a convention hundreds of miles away.