Heaven and Hell
In this age of tolerance and relativism, failure to believe in Jesus’ atonement on the cross for human sin or to live by traditional moral standards does not seem like a valid basis for anyone going to hell. To many, the concept of everlasting suffering is unjust, offensive, or even absurd. Heaven and hell are... Continue Reading
Adorning the Doctrine of God Our Savior
And yet in every generation God raises up his people to join this struggle, to live and speak from biblical truth and with gospel power against the crudeness and immorality and cruelty to which we sinful humans are so inclined. This blog posting is a slightly edited version of a chapel message which I gave... Continue Reading
Hold The Cheese, Please!
On our way to church last week, we stopped behind a car with this bumper-sticker: God recycles. He made man out of the dust. Really? That’s our witness? A cheesy idiom that will win over the environmentalists? Will it? Maybe they were environmentalist, chastising wastefulness. If this was the case, I think it would have... Continue Reading
Harold O. J. ‘Joe’ Brown, the Christian Action Council and Me
This reminiscence from the current Executive Director of the World Journalism Institute and fellow Covenant Seminary alum describes from an insider’s view the founding of what we now know today as CareNet. It is a wonderful piece of anecdotal history that all who are part of the pro-life movement today should know about. (Don K.... Continue Reading
Being More Biblical Is More Comforting – Applying the Scriptures to Two of the Most Painful Situations That Believers Face
I recently received a note from a Reformed Baptist believer. He has a friend who just lost a baby at almost 8 months, and finding the “age of understanding” and “innocence of babies” explanations biblically unsatisfying, he asked how I would comfort someone in that situation. Since our congregation also has recently gone through this,... Continue Reading
Following Jesus While Rejecting the Bible? Yet Another Tragedy in Mainline Protestantism
Clearly, this action could not have happened without this denomination having abandoned any required belief in the full authority, inspiration, and truthfulness of the Bible long ago. This most recent decision sets the stage for the total capitulation of this church to the normalization of homosexuality — an act of open defiance against the Scriptures.... Continue Reading
A Visit to a Megachurch
Since vacation time gave me the opportunity to visit a local megachurch, the one everyone has been talking about for years, I took up on that opportunity and attended their second service. The church has been around town for ninety years and has steadily grown those many decades. Some have estimated that the church has... Continue Reading
Reformed Rap – The Sound of the Reformed Resurgence
Many conservative Christians, and fundamentalists in particular, refuse to endorse rap music or hip-hop of any kind. They cannot think of the genre without its cultural associations with a sinful lifestyle. But conservative evangelical leaders see the value in this music and the movement under-girding it Christianity Today recently highlighted Reformed Rap and Hip-Hop. Click... Continue Reading
Bursting The Seminary Bubble, Part II
In the battle to renew and rebuild the wobbling edifice of the Church in the 21st century, I’d put my money on the 30-something apprentice with an iPod, some business experience and a day job over the 20-something with a piece of paper and a huge load of debt every time. My previous article, The... Continue Reading
Parenting 001
Does it seem like parenting has gotten more complicated? I mean, as far as I can tell, back in the day parents basically tried to feed their kids, clothe them, and keep them away from explosions. Now our kids have to sleep on their backs (no wait, their tummies; no never mind, their backs), while... Continue Reading