Justification by Vocabulary?
Is gospel centrality just a trend? Is “gospel wakefulness” just a buzzword? Perhaps. If so, we will end upstanding before Jesus at the end of days, resting in justification by vocabulary. Matt Smethurst recently interviewed me for The Gospel Coalition on my new book Gospel Wakefulness. Here is an excerpt that has been making the... Continue Reading
How long should you attend a church before pursuing membership?
The freedom and absence of accountability many experience in the search for a new church can cause a sinful complacency. In other words, you do not ever want to become comfortable being one of God’s sheep who has wandered away from the fellowship of the flock and the accountability of shepherds to care for you,... Continue Reading
Why Pastors Need a Seminary Education – Part 1
There are many benefits to be had through the Internet, but it can never replace the sort of community which exists between professors and students in the classroom, lunchroom, and the professor’s office. Over the years many things have changed at Westminster Seminary California (WSC). In the most important ways, however, the seminary has not... Continue Reading
Dude, Where’s Your Bride?
This path of prolonged singleness is a two way street. But I think the problem largely resides with men. Or at least as a guy I can identify the problems of men more quickly. I see two issues. First, the Christian men that are “good guys” could use a little–what’s the word I’m looking for–ambition.... Continue Reading
Not Finished Yet – American spirit of social entrepreneurship should provide hope when pessimism knocks
A half-century ago John F. Kennedy said that if some doubt whether the West has the courage to stand up to Communism, “Let them come to Berlin.” Today a sense of entitlement leaves some folks complaining instead of working, and sociologists doubt that Americans still have a pioneering spirit. Let them come to Springfield and... Continue Reading
Justified like Judas; An Analysis of Peter Leithart’s Views on Baptism
As a father and Reformed Christian, I can appreciate Leithart’s desire to tell his three year old child that he is justified by virtue of his baptism. Nevertheless, I do find his view problematic on several fronts. The following is from page 246 of the Peter Leithart trial transcript: Q: Right. So is there a... Continue Reading
Postmodern nonsense, straight out of the news
In other words, a community — or an individual — creates or constructs what is true. Something is true because the community or the individual believes it to be true. There are times when I peruse the daily news and can relate to the main character in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Penned by writer and... Continue Reading
What’s The Difference Between the Gospel Coalition and the PCA?
What makes this definition odd, especially in reference to Presbyterians, is that (Tim) Keller has been involved in the recent debates over subscription within the PCA in ways that have expanded the boundaries. …it would be hard to read Keller’s understanding of the PCA or his presence in those debates as placing him on the... Continue Reading
Punctuating the Bible
Thus, for example, Ephesians 1:3-14 (one extended sentence in Greek) is divided into three sentences by the KJV, and up to fourteen or so sentences by some of the modern simple language translations. But this punctuation is a matter of editorial choice. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic (the Aramaic portions... Continue Reading
John Piper Explains Why Women Shouldn’t Lead Men
John Piper, author of What’s the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible, explained why men, and not women, should be the leaders in their homes and the church. “The Bible really cares about the dynamic between men and women. It has nothing to do with a woman’s incompetency,” Piper said during a... Continue Reading