We have no right to short-circuit the work of God, who through the Spirit is in the business of transforming us into the image of his Son, by assuring people falsely that God does not regard this or that behavior as an egregious violation of the divine will. I do not fault Dr. Gushee for... Continue Reading

Jesus expands our understanding of murder. He puts anger and murder in the same category: a failure to rule over your emotions and passions. In Matthew 5:21-24, Jesus uses strong language to warn those who neglect this commandment with the “fire of hell.” I wonder if we take that warning seriously enough to help our... Continue Reading

“According to Merritt’s account, in Gushee’s case it is also driven by a significant degree of personal experience and emotion, especially an understandable degree of sympathy with and concern for a sister struggling with same sex attraction.  Further, it must arguably involve the acceptance of sexual preference as a — perhaps even the — definitive... Continue Reading

“In urban communities, there are also many indigenous fathers and stepfathers who have been there for their kids from the first day, and there are many hardworking men who own small businesses and love to work. Despite the reputation of murder, crime, and extreme selfishness, there are many men in urban communities who maintain a... Continue Reading

“I want to introduce you to the American jeremiad. That’s the term scholars have given to what one has called “a mainstream and deeply American way of thinking about the nation’s past, present, and future.”[1] The term comes from the prophet Jeremiah, who catalogued Israel’s fall from fidelity and warned of the horrible judgments to... Continue Reading

Rome sees the Reformation as a fracture of the true church, not a healing of it. For the aforementioned reasons, Rome would need to adjust its perspective on the Reformation towards being one of the best things to happen to Christ’s church. In doing so, it would need to renounce much of the doctrine affirmed in... Continue Reading

The easiest way to be conformed to the world is by letting everything it whispers wash over us without any thought or care. If we never think about the importance of having a biblical worldview, we will inevitably begin to reflect the world and culture around us. If we want to live unthoughtfully, we will... Continue Reading

If you are struggling with doubt, then you are a believer whom it bothers. This is a sign that God is working on you! If your doubt about God doesn’t bother you, your heart is most likely hardened and you may not even be a believer. But it could also be that you are not... Continue Reading

For Paul, the idea that a Christian would still want to live in sin is paradoxical.  Our very justification has given sin a death blow.  There is a real sense in which as a Christian, I am no longer enslaved to sin.  God has through the blood of Jesus redeemed me and has given me... Continue Reading

As we remember the rediscovery of the gospel truths and our Reformed heritage this Reformation Day, let us also remember and give thanks that our understanding of the Christian life as taught in the Scriptures is not reducible to merely five points of soteriology. The doctrines which are taught in the Scriptures, as summarized in... Continue Reading