“Faithful ministers often endure ignorantly suspicious criticism for defaulting to the confessions and catechisms in regular pastoral care, but we must remember that they are especially designed and proven rods and staffs that guide the truly longing to lie down in green pastures and beside still waters at the feet of the Good Shepherd.”  ... Continue Reading

“Because the Father is the eternal Father of the eternal Son, the Father always acts in ways that befit who he distinctively is as Father such that, among other things, he eternally possesses and expresses Fatherly authority; the Son as the eternal Son of the eternal Father correspondingly always acts in ways that befit who... Continue Reading

“If we interpret Jesus’ sonship in terms of its human analogy, we cannot stop at mere subordination.  We have to go on to infer, first of all, that the Father exists before the Son and, secondly, that the Father generates or gives being to the Son.  Both of these inferences were drawn by the Arians,... Continue Reading

“The only passage that explicitly speaks of the Son submitting before the incarnation or after the resurrection is 1 Cor. 15:28. Given the context of 15:21 calling Christ the man who brought resurrection, and 1 Cor. 15‘s use of the Second Adam motif, I believe that Christ’s humanity is in view here. Therefore, I consider... Continue Reading

One of the greatest benefits of teaching the catechism was that it gave me simple ways to explain complex truths. The question, “Mommy, who wrote the Bible?” can be difficult to explain to a child. The catechism provided a succinct answer, “Chosen men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.”   This Thursday, I’m looking... Continue Reading

“We need to be taught and instructed, then taught and instructed again. Do you not feel that too? We need definitions and designations about right and wrong—teachings to visit and revisit. We are indeed ‘prone to wander.’ So, God gave the law as a concrete, definitive designation—reflective of his righteous and holy character—about how to... Continue Reading

In God’s eternal repose God simply is.  God enjoys the fellowship of Father, Son, and Spirit in their mutual love and self-giving.  To speak of God’s life in eternity is not to speak of God’s activities (or “functions”) but necessarily to speak of the divine being itself.  Thus there is a crucial consequence for adding... Continue Reading

Therefore, knowing these truths, how should one proclaim this Gospel of free grace? Like the farmer in the Parable of the Sower, Seed, and Soils, disciples should walk about scattering God’s Good News everywhere. Like a City on a Hill we should shine our light that all may see and be attracted to God’s glorious... Continue Reading

But perhaps most encouraging, delegates at General Conference reversed the denomination’s long-established support for abortion. First, they voted 425 to 268 (61 percent to 39 percent) to withdraw from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). The UMC helped found the pro-abortion lobbying group in 1973, and two church agencies—the General Board on Church and... Continue Reading

What I do want to do is ask this question: is this an exercise in creating unnecessary strife, or is it actually serving to sharpen? As someone who approaches the controversy from a pretty ordinary perspective, I hope it can serve to sharpen any Christian who will do the hard work of reading to understand,... Continue Reading