All of this would be of little encouragement if our good and gracious God were not also sovereign. He can and does turn our mistakes as parents into blessings for our children. Each night I can lay my head on my pillow and close my eyes knowing that God is working all things together for his glory and my good. I can be sure that he delights to save and sanctify people. Nothing and no one can thwart him. Whatever pressure point I am facing this particular day it must, after all, salute the absolute sovereignty of my glorious King. Resting in God’s sovereignty is a tremendous comfort to a sighing parent.

If some of the students at Covenant College want to bow the knee and pray during the National Anthem, I have no problem with this.  My problem is that they should be doing it for another reason. America has legalized both abortion and homosexual marriage.  These are sins defined in terms of God’s law and... Continue Reading

Now it’s because the university is clearly trying to block Adam Carolla and Dennis Prager from filming any scenes on campus for their upcoming movie about political correctness. In other words, as the Hollywood Reporter reports: “A funny thing happened to some right-leaning filmmakers trying to make their case that conservatives aren’t welcome on college... Continue Reading

Perhaps the irony of Christmas is that, in its current form, it has become one of the focal points of the culture of distraction, which Pascal so ably critiqued. It is all about consumption, which is just another form of distraction and diversion. It gives us a baby Jesus, helpless and conveniently trapped in a manger, a Christ who is just one more manageable commodity. Ironically, the real message of Christmas is the exact opposite: not to distract us from death but to point us toward death, and then its destruction in Christ. Were death not a reality, Christmas would not be necessary.

As a pastor, I’ve seen too many marriages flounder (or fall apart) over the years. The church usually is good about rallying around a couple for sympathy, counsel, and comfort in the midst of marital trials. What we may not be as good at is helping each other before the problems become acute. We need a place for marital triage in the church, but we also need regular check-ups.

If you are under the influence of a Baptist minister, then you will be taught from the Bible that the baptism of infants is unbiblical. If you are under the influence of a Presbyterian minister, then you will be persuaded by examining the Bible that covenant baptism is biblical. If you change views, most likely you have changed teachers or changed the books that you read. In real life, your appointed or preferred interpreter of the Bible becomes the final authority — and not the Bible itself.

The natural reaction of the despairing person is to dismiss any surfacing consciousness of despair as a mere episode of some sort to be escaped and forgotten as quickly as it arose. Kierkegaard, however, insists such episodes are symptomatic of our actual “sickness unto death” that can only be cured through faith.   A piercing... Continue Reading

There’s no doubt that active social media is not for everyone. If it causes you non-stop angst and frustration, you should consider dropping it. If you just use a “professional” account mostly to share cute puppy photos, you’re probably not doing it right. And we all undoubtedly can use a social media “fast” from time to time. (Low traffic seasons like Christmas are an ideal time for a fast of a week, or a month, from the online world.)

To preserve their integrity, scientists should avoid politics and embrace the skeptical rigor that their profession requires. They need to start welcoming conservatives and others who will spot their biases and violate their taboos. Making these changes won’t be easy, but the first step is simple: stop pretending that the threats to science are coming... Continue Reading

But in American religious life, the meaning of “evangelical” exceeds its etymology. Since 1989, most scholars have accepted that the word refers to anyone who holds four beliefs: a high regard for the Bible, an emphasis on Jesus’s crucifixion, the need for people to be converted, and a connection between faith and public life. There... Continue Reading