God has removed good gifts from my life over the past few months. These were gifts that had become disordered affections in my heart, idols that I loved and cherished more than God. Any of God’s good gifts can become idols to us: friendships, ministries, jobs, children, even our hopes and dreams.   Where I... Continue Reading

The following Wednesday it was again Bible study time. Nearly 150 people showed up. This session was led by Rev. Dr. Norvel Goff. He acknowledged the previous week’s murders by saying, “Last week dark powers came over Mother Emanuel. But that’s alright,” he said. “God in his infinite wisdom, said ‘That’s alright. I’ve got the... Continue Reading

The gospel is fanciful unless your eyes have been opened to it by the Spirit of God and your heart has been touched by his transforming grace in Christ. But, when that happens, you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the story is true. It is absolutely true. You, then, willingly build your... Continue Reading

God as creator is a significant theological truth. Our Creator is not our peer, but he is Lord of the universe. Since we also are part of his creation, we must recognize our obligation to him. He has given us time, treasure and talents to be used joyfully as we serve him. Yet our joy... Continue Reading

To be sure, she is not a Christian.  She needs Jesus as her saviour.  But I suspect the reduction of non-Christian women to whores or lesbians says more about the psychology of the writer than it does about my mother.  And maybe other mothers too?   Over at his blog, Douglas Wilson has an interesting... Continue Reading

“Some churches, in an attempt to establish continuity with the past, root everything about their worship and action in the community’s memories. This emphasis on tradition is vital, but as Jaroslav Pelikan warned, there is always the danger that instead of embracing tradition as the living faith of the dead, the Church traps itself in traditionalism... Continue Reading

“There is really only one point to the doctrines of grace, namely, that God saves sinners by His grace and for His glory. These two realities—God’s grace and glory—are inseparably bound together. Whatever most magnifies God’s grace most magnifies His glory. And that which most exalts God’s grace is the truth expressed in the doctrines... Continue Reading

“Weakness means we don’t have what it takes. It means we are not sovereign, omniscient, or invincible. We are not in control, we don’t know everything, and we can be stopped. Weakness means that we desperately need God.”   What Should We Be Like? We were all huddled around a circle of tables. Thursday noon... Continue Reading

So, some of us complementarians are wondering if complementarianism is morphing into patriarchy. If so, then a lot of us will need to come up with a different way to identify ourselves. If being a complementarian means believing there are genuine problems with a woman offering a man directions then we will need a new... Continue Reading

How do these sins affect other believers? So called hidden sins lead to a deterioration of character reducing the ring of truth and the reality of what we do and say. …God does not bless the life in which there is hidden sin.” Second, the presence of sin, when it is discovered tarnishes the reputation... Continue Reading