And that has a lot to do with why Oliphant is a better guide to Reformed worship than Frame. If worship is a meeting between the king of the universe and his subjects, then would that encounter be reverent and serious or would it be casual and folksy – even humorous? That seems like a... Continue Reading

A major question one would expect to be able to answer about a given author in a book like this is whether or not he believes that hell will finally be empty or be populated (even if only sparsely). But when it comes to what Bell believes on that basic point, I have to say... Continue Reading

Below is the third article by Dr. David Norman, President of Erskine College and Seminary, as it appeared in the ARP Magazine regarding inerrancy, followed by an open letter from this author in response. Inerrancy: The Bottom Line By Dr. David A. Norman President, Erskine College & Seminary In this, the last of my three-part... Continue Reading

Don’t read your Bible at home… Don’t engage your children in questions they have concerning Jesus and God. Live like you want to live during the week so that your kids can see that duplicity is ok. 1. Make sure your faith is only something you live out in public Go to church… at least... Continue Reading

Now this old division has been overshadowed by a larger division between new opposing camps we may call the Meliorists and the Traditionists. The former think we must improve and sometimes change substantially the tradition of historic orthodoxy. The latter think that while we might sometimes need to adjust our approaches to the tradition, generally... Continue Reading

“You can’t give away someone else’s property, and you certainly cannot give it to yourself.” So say congregations that are defending their sanctuaries, bank accounts and endowments from denominational confiscation. “Au contraire: The law is different where churches are involved,” say high church officials. “When your congregation joined the ‘hierarchical’ [sic] Presbyterian Church (USA), you... Continue Reading

I confess I was surprised when I stumbled across a Barna survey that examines how having children influences parents’ relationships with churches, because the results are at odds with what preserves my own sanity. Apparently having children does not draw nearly as many people into church as I would have thought. If I’m being completely... Continue Reading

I know countless unmarried men and women who are serving the Kingdom of Christ with distinction and dedication. I am so thankful for their commitment and service. But this does not change the fact that when the Bible speaks of the teaching office in the church, it speaks of a man who is expected to... Continue Reading

What I do now believe, however, is that evangelicalism has its own set of fetishes which are also superstitious and just as potentially harmful. Some time ago on Reformation 21 I recounted certain events from my visit to Italy: the awesome beauty of Rome; the flight to Padua with a delightful Maronite priest; and the... Continue Reading

It seems to me that Mr. Snyder didn’t receive justice from the Supreme Court. May he be healed of his pain and find his justice in a court higher than the erroneously named “Supreme Court.” On March 2, the Supreme Court issued a decision in the case Snyder v. Phelps that illustrates the difficulty of... Continue Reading