When You Fail to Distinguish Second and Third Use of the Law
A Response to Tullian Tchividjian
What is surprising about Tullian’s article is the absolute silence about the third use. I know he must believe in the third use, but his sharp distinction between law and gospel does not allow for much room to discuss it. And I think this is perhaps the reason he misunderstood Jen’s article. If one thinks... Continue Reading
The Next Christian Sex-Abuse Scandal
As sex-abuse allegations multiply, Billy Graham’s grandson is on a mission to persuade Protestant churches to come clean.
For years, Protestants have assumed they were immune to the abuses perpetrated by celibate Catholic priests. But Tchividjian believes that Protestant churches, groups, and schools have been worse than Catholics in their response. Mission fields, he says, are “magnets” for would-be molesters; ministries and schools do not understand the dynamics of abuse; and “good ol’... Continue Reading
Common Problems In Modern Preaching
These lists are offered in the hopes that these problems might be noted and avoided by preachers in the future!
Modern preaching has its own problems, and while there are some commonalities, there are differences between the problems you are likely to see in reformed and non-reformed preaching. Here then are my observations on the common problems in both camps, I should stress this is just my opinion and is not intended to be exhaustive,... Continue Reading
Following the Emerging (Jazzy Blue) Heard
How we think about the church matters. Ultimately, the church is God’s idea, not ours.
How many times have people gone into a local church and complained that the pastor preaching does not sound like their favorite conservative Bible teacher on the radio? A lot of “traditionalist” folks can look to their favorite Christian celebrity in the media and get frustrated that their local church does not look like so-in-so’s... Continue Reading
Anti-Catholic or Pro-Gospel?
There is a vast gulf between justification as the Bible teaches it and justification as Rome teaches it.
As I read the canons of the Council of Trent I see a systematic explanation and thorough denial of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. I see that Rome understands what I believe and declares it anathema. Of course it is her right to do this, but let’s not miss some important... Continue Reading
Can We Trade Sexual Morality for Church Growth?
From time to time we hear some telling us that evangelical Christianity must retool our sexual ethic if we're ever going to reach the next generation.
You can’t grow a Christian church by being sub-Christian. That’s why there are no booming Arian or Unitarian or Episcopal Church (USA) church-planting movements. But even if it “worked” to negotiate away sexual morality for church growth, we wouldn’t do it. We can only reach Millennials, and anyone else, by reaching them with the gospel,... Continue Reading
Can We Think Our Way To God?
We do not think or feel or way to God; instead, we are introduced to God by the Holy Spirit.
If you are a Christian, you neither thought nor felt your way to God. God, by the Holy Spirit, revealed himself to you. At his initiative, you saw both your sin and the forgiveness available through the cross of Christ. But that revealing work of the Spirit is not finished. Paul prays for Christians that God would... Continue Reading
Three Cheers for a Bit of Back and Forth
Trying to distinguish between "success" and "fruitfulness” in ministry
Whatever the case, for me at least, faithfulness is the key. It is where I must remain focused. And an indispensable component of that faithfulness is to labor and pray for what God surely desires: a great harvest of souls for God’s glory and the gladness of His church. I am not quite as... Continue Reading
Rick Perry’s Strange Baptism
Baptism is not for personal experience as much as it is a sign of the Covenant
Mr. Perry, by his testimony, has been a Christian for many years, so his recent baptism is not an indication that he has just come to faith. Nor is his baptism an admission that his previous one was improper. Nor did it constitute a step toward joining a church (while the baptism was not a church... Continue Reading
Why Elder Subscription Is a Good Idea
Should your elders subscribe to a confessional document more comprehensive than the statement of faith you use for church membership?
“At first glance, there is something attractive about only requiring pastors to subscribe to one’s confessional standards. Even the staunchest Presbyterian and Reformed folks can likely think of gifted, devout, theologically minded, pastorally sensitive brothers who–though a bit squishy on all five points of Calvinism and not really convinced of infant baptism–have proven to be... Continue Reading
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