But what if the person is not sinning those common sins but is addicted to adultery?  Or visiting prostitutes?  What does pastoral counsel look like in such circumstances?  Should you just declare to the man who has cheated on his wife for the twentieth time, “It’s all about One Way Love because you are a... Continue Reading

We all know that apart from the Holy Spirit we can do nothing. And we all know that God’s commandments do not have the power, in the abstract, to “produce what they demand.” (In fact, even announcements of God’s saving power in Christ have no effect apart from the Spirit’s application.) But, it should be... Continue Reading

Here is the reality. The Address cannot be read literally as descriptive of the PCA at its founding. The more recent letter reflects the PCA as it was and is. If one goes only by the words of the Address, then the PCA intended to be a thoroughly Reformed denomination holding strictly to the Westminster... Continue Reading

“This, then, is the centerpiece of God’s saving purpose in the universe—the revelation and magnification of His own glory. This is what is at the very center of God’s being—the passionate pursuit of displaying His own glory for His own glory. This is what should be at the center of every human life—the promotion of... Continue Reading

“Certainly we must never preach the commands of Scripture as a means of justification. Woe to us if we do! But I’m curious as to where this is going on within confessionally reformed churches. I’m not asking if there is any bad preaching out there. We know there is. I’m not asking if there is... Continue Reading

“A proper understanding of biblical providence sees God’s presence in our pain. When we lose someone significant, feelings of loneliness and abandonment invade our thoughts and emotions. Even if we’re surrounded with loved ones who care for us, their words of encouragement and attempts to provide closure rarely bring us comfort. What we really need... Continue Reading

“I grew up with an evening service—or an afternoon service, I guess. I spent a good bit of my childhood in the Dutch Reformed tradition which was wholly committed to a second service. Those Christians were very practical, so they worked around farmers’ schedules by having the second service at 3:30 or 4:00 in the... Continue Reading

To begin, a separation of marriage and state would not end the political battle over marriage. The vast legal and regulatory apparatus of the modern state does millions of things every day that require it to make assumptions about who is married. From divorce and child custody courts to health care policy to government employee... Continue Reading

Jesus cannot coexist with contradictory claims to truth made in other faiths. If Jesus had been content with coexistence he might have escaped crucifixion. We should live peaceably with all people (Rom. 12:18), but we ought not reduce this peace to a glib assertion that all paths lead to God. The assertion that all faiths... Continue Reading

We know that the Apostle Paul would not participate in a meal in which the host said, in effect, this meal is no longer purely common, it is a religious meal.” Would he attend the ordination of a homosexual male or of a female of any sexual orientation? Uncomfortable as it makes late moderns (and, according to... Continue Reading