We must remember that the Reformation generated new questions. The fact is that the Reformers pushed for personal assurance against a background of medieval theology where such was simply not an issue. Reformation theology generated new pastoral questions, questions it was not in its aboriginal form able to answer

We shouldn’t criticize British Reformed writers of the 16th and 17th centuries but rather than invoking dated, unhelpful, and misleading generalizations as if “everyone knows” about “the Puritans” let us speak about “this writer” or “that writer.” That will slow down our writing by making us go back to sources and to distinguish between this one and that one but that’s a good thing.

People were so kind and hospitable and they couldn't be warmer in their welcome. The only thing I can possibly complain about is the amount of cushions you find on your bed. By the time you've moved them off the bed it's nearly time to get up! I nearly put my back out a couple of times lifting them off.

Male violence against women is a real problem in our culture, one the church must address. Our responsibility here is not simply at the level of social justice but at the level of ecclesical justice as well.

Jesus Christ has come into the world as the Jewish Messiah, and his own people rejected him and broke covenant with their God. Therefore, the secular state of Israel today may not claim a present divine right to the Land, but they and we should seek a peaceful settlement not based on present divine rights, but on international principles of justice, mercy, and practical feasibility.

Mr. Tuininga sadly appears to compare us to militant radicals.  Christian Reconstructionism has always promoted a “bottom-up” motif for the expansion of the Kingdom – not a “top-down” motif.  It is through the preaching of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit that hearts will be changed and converts will then become desirous... Continue Reading

Ministers out here smile more in the pulpit, it's possible they don't but I've just noticed it on this trip. There's a warmth and friendliness that we need to cultivate from the front. I should also say that even the exiled Brits even smile a bit more than they used to.

When people ask me whether Christians need to keep this command, I explain this is the wrong question. The question for me as a Christian is not, "Do I have to keep this law?" but rather, "How does God, my Redeemer and covenant Lord, expect me to keep this law?"

“Throughout American history, the most successful church movements have not been the ones that kept up with contemporary culture, but the ones that were confident enough to tug hard against it.” (New Yorker)

'Answer my question about women's rights or saving the whale' might simply be another way of saying, 'I don't want you to tell me that my neglect of my wife and children is an offence to God.'