Don’t be confused or distracted: Parker is trying to chill religious speech. Challenge her politically on the basis of Christian ethics and she will come after your Christian minister. She wants her morality publicly applauded and we call her morality a false morality: immoral. She accuses us of making morality political by making her immorality... Continue Reading

It is only possible by one who knows the love and grace of Christ in such a way that it overflows to those around them. It is consistently present and abundantly evident. As I have inquired of those who I find to be such a refreshment to my own soul, they almost always testify that... Continue Reading

It is not the world’s system as we tend to envision it. It is not the danger of power or ambition or the love of money or lust or greed. Jesus is warning against the danger is self-reliance. We must not place our confidence in our ability to exceed the “righteousness of the scribes and... Continue Reading

So why are women so timid to do the same thing when we are in a group together? Why do we feel the need to rely on the author of a devotional book to do that for us? Why is it that topical series on things like motherhood or releasing your inner Esther or breaking free... Continue Reading

It’s true that the Last Judgment is a terrifying reality for those outside of Jesus Christ. But for those united to Jesus by faith, it is the day when we will be judged, not according to our sins, but according to Christ’s righteousness. Rather than expecting shame, we can and should expect joy. Whenever God’s... Continue Reading

Over the years, I have made no secret of the fact that many of the theologians I most enjoy reading and by whom I have been most influenced have been those with whom I have fundamental disagreements.  I love Luther’s existential power and his grasp of justification by grace through faith.  I cannot agree with... Continue Reading

When many of us hear the language of headship, we immediately think of our worst experiences at the hands of authority figures: a bad-tempered boss, an aggressive coach, an abusive father, a despotic minister, an egomaniacal politician, and so on. However, we’ve got to put these images out of our minds, and think only of... Continue Reading

To sum, I am not persuaded that we can have Calvinistic soteriology (or even a Calvinistic “big God”) without a Calvinistic church. To abstract theology from ecclesiology is a foreign concept in the minds of the Reformers. Therefore, as Geerhardus Vos said in another context, “To our taste the old wine is better.”   John... Continue Reading

“Moralistic, bitter saints like the elder son must repent of their righteousness. That is, they must turn from their belief that they such good people that they don’t need God. Autonomous people, on the other hand, must repent of their autonomy. That is, they must turn from their belief that they will be more happy,... Continue Reading

The preaching of sermons in the pulpits of churches is of no concern to any government bureaucrat at all. This country settled, a long time ago, with a First Amendment that the government would not supervise, license, or bully religious institutions. That right wasn’t handed out by the government, as a kind of temporary restraining... Continue Reading