The second thing I wish to express this evening is my grief. My grief at leaving behind the family we have come to know and love at St Rollox; but my grief also that the church denomination which I have attended and served since 1984 is in danger of leaving behind the gospel; turning to... Continue Reading

If interviews my college students conducted in New York this semester are any indication, marriage in America is dead. I don’t mean “in trouble” or “struggling,” I mean dead. Many of the New York 20-somethings questioned have no confidence in matrimony and have reduced it to merely a contracted long-term dating relationship. When my students,... Continue Reading

The New Gospel leads people to believe wrong things without explicitly stating those wrong things. That is, Christians who espouse the New Gospel feel safe from criticism because they never actually said belief is unimportant, or there is no hell, or that Jesus isn’t the only way, or that God has no wrath, or that... Continue Reading

Staying or leaving is not the main issue. The realities we are talking about are pervasive. They are not limited to one denomination nor are they confined to one issue. We are living as a God-fearing, Bible-believing, Christ-confessing remnant in the midst of a land where self is exalted, truth is relative and pluralism embraced... Continue Reading

I originally had seventy-five items on the Job Description for the new pastor. I decided to remove most of them. Below are most of the ones I removed, thinking it the better part of wisdom to exclude them from the eyes of the Pulpit Committee of my church. At the end of March next year... Continue Reading

“Rome is the mob. Conjure magic for them and they’ll be distracted. Take away their freedom and they’ll still roar.” — Gladiator “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth” (Ecclesiastes 7:4). Mirth: “amusement, especially expressed in laughter.” Jesus’ first miracle... Continue Reading

What do toilet paper, long bike rides down sun-dappled autumn roads, Diet Coke, and Justin Bieber have in common? Answer: #Thanksgiving, internet style. I’ve seen expressions of appreciation for each show up on Facebook and Twitter this month. I’ve certainly populated the social media universe myself with mentions of the gifts I’m grateful for, among... Continue Reading

Can we be anecdotal for a few moments? To be clear, TGC and the women represented in this article believe what they believe about marriage not primarily because of experience but fundamentally because of God’s Word. But I’ve been impressed lately by a host of strong, gifted married women who actually, joyfully, and productively give... Continue Reading

The idea that Christians are poor tippers apparently has been whispered in service circles for a long time. Many waiters try not to work Sunday brunch, so as to avoid notoriously stingy churchgoers, claims Justin Wise, the director of a Lutheran ministry in Des Moines, Iowa. A $10 bill is a joyful sight for a... Continue Reading

The percentage of children who reach age 17 with married biological parents falls drastically as one travels down the (Mississippi) River, from 57 percent in Minnesota, to 49 percent in Illinois, 40 percent in Tennessee and 34 percent in Mississippi. At the same time, the graduation rate also falls significantly (Minnesota, 86 percent; Illinois, 80... Continue Reading