I know, because I remember sitting before the ministerial committee of the Memphis (now Mid-South) Presbytery of the PCUSA in the 1980s and telling them that I wanted to be a minister in their denomination, and that I wanted to go to Reformed Theological Seminary The story of today’s PCUSA reminds me of an incident... Continue Reading

John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis said, “interracial marriage is not only permitted by God but is a positive good in our day. That is, it is not just to be tolerated, but celebrated.” He followed this by noting that the issue remained “extremely controversial since it is opposed by people from all... Continue Reading

The speaker then said what universalists cannot come to terms with. “He marked us out for Himself; He drew a circle around our names in eternity past and He passed over other names and left them to their just condemnation …That He would have mercy upon those He would have mercy and He would have... Continue Reading

{Mohler wrote} that evangelicals should be prepared to acknowledge that biological factors may operate in forming same-sex attraction. By taking seriously biological factors, is Mohler facing facts honestly as he calls evangelicals to do? Or is he improperly enabling gays as described by Exodus’ Mr. Walker? As noted last week, Southern Baptist Seminary’s President Rev.... Continue Reading

There are moments in history when the goodness of humanity brilliantly illuminates the darkness. June 1, 2010, was just such a moment. The place, appropriately, was one of the darkest cities in America — Detroit, ravaged by the collapse of the automobile industry. At Comerica Park, the Detroit Tigers’ Armando Galarraga was pitching. The crowd... Continue Reading

The apostolic practice and teaching clearly show that the church’s ministry of mercy is to its members. We in the church have a long way to go before there is not a needy person among us, before we serve one another in humility and love after the example of our Lord. (Author’s Note: What follows... Continue Reading

Sometimes, the truth hurts. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a staunch conservative started a controversy with comments he made at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual conference. The Associated Press quotes Mohler as saying that homosexuality isn’t something that people can “turn on and turn off.” Mohler went on to say that... Continue Reading

Ecclesiastical structures are power structures of a similar sort to the ones we have been discussing. And an ecclesiastical structure has a dominant culture, just as a nation or a corporation does. It sets up rules which tend to benefit those who are members of the dominant culture and which tend to perpetuate their tenure... Continue Reading

There’s an attempt today to shift the stigma to the other foot. If the shoe fits, that is if you fall into the criterion of those who refuse to celebrate divorce, you will like those of previous decades be forced to wear the stigma. While attention regarding attacks on marriage is currently and for good... Continue Reading

Purposeful dating and engagement, while living separately, provides the time to evaluate each other and to commit to developing the various parts of the relationship. Doing so apart from financial ties like a mortgage means that if you do get married, it is based on a strong relationship – not economic convenience. Amidst all the... Continue Reading