These are sandy times in our (PCUSA) denominational life. We have collectively drifted off course and we are clearly in a hazard. Some people feel trapped and others feel stuck. My golf ball landed in a trap and my uncle Chuck cheerfully said, “Remember, sand is your friend.” It’s one of those lines spoken by... Continue Reading

In Genesis, God speaks creation into existence from His own good will, unforced by any external, competing power. He makes everything distinct, after its kind, and calls it “good.” Evil has no part in His creating activity. There is no biblical doctrine of mystical spirituality that integrates good and evil and eliminates all distinctions—whether cultural,... Continue Reading

And most disturbing of all, like the circumcision case, the argument seems to be promoting the harmful nature of what has been a mainstream religious practice. Take note again of the judge’s ruling: prayer would cause the graduating senior to suffer “irreparable harm.” Does it matter that San Francisco may ban circumcisions? Or that a... Continue Reading

Tim Keller, though not a young earth creationist, acknowledges that denial of Paul’s teachings about Adam strikes at “the core of Paul’s teaching.” Furthermore, a literal Fall is necessary for biblical credibility, for “if it [the Bible] does not correctly explain the origin of a problem, why should one trust its solutions?” The June 2011... Continue Reading

On the other hand, we also need to reexamine whether sending men off is good for the church at all. I think this is a sacred cow for many but one worth slaughtering if need be. In this day and age, the seminary classroom can be localized in such a way that men can serve... Continue Reading

I guess it’s trying to put responsibility on the initiative of the believers that feel the need and say use your own ingenuity and initiative about some of these things and don’t expect some program, we’re a church of two hundred people, we just can’t do everything. And it was a little bit of a... Continue Reading

Okay, that’s an old seminary leadership course joke, not the title of a heinously boring sermon. I’ve been thinking about this lately, an observable phenomenon that helps us understand the ability of churches (or any conglomeration of hominids) to incorporate individuals, and bring them in to the circle of love. I am talking about churches,... Continue Reading

The catholicity of the Church demands that we not sacrifice our heritage for a passing trend, that we continually strive to make our tradition ever-vibrant through a deep knowledge of the past. It demands sacrificing our fickle desires on the altar of our Fathers’ wisdom (Editor’s Note: This is a response to the article “What... Continue Reading

Church shopping. I hate the phrase. It sounds so….consumeristic! But at one point or another in our lives, most of us do it. Even pastors do it before they are pastors. If they have a break from pastoral ministry and move, or retire, they do it again. So guess what we’ve been doing this year... Continue Reading

In the midst of dating confusion and fairy-tale delusions, some churches are pointing to a better way Sunday morning, when official Washington is worshipping at the church of Fox News Sunday or Meet the Press, nearly 1,000 Christians—average age, 28—head to Capitol Hill Baptist Church (CHBC) in Washington, D.C. They are a transient group, drawn... Continue Reading