Change definitions. If you train our slaves to change the definitions of words, they can sign any confession or document, or agree with any orthodox doctrine. They know what they mean; just make sure no one else does. Have them please everyone a little bit. After all, when it comes to doctrine in evangelicalism, monsters don’t... Continue Reading

False teachers characteristically downplay sin. Instead of naming the people’s “brokenness” as sin, they simply say, “nothing to see here, move along.” The false teachers tell sinners whom God will judge that they are not really that bad and that there’s no need to fear God’s judgement. They divorce God’s love and grace from His... Continue Reading

Moralists can be categorized as both liberal and conservative. In each case, a specific set of moral concerns frames the moral expectation. As a generalization, it is often true that liberals focus on a set of moral expectations related to social ethics while conservatives tend to focus on personal ethics. The essence of moralism is... Continue Reading

And “Why?” Outward actions are inevitably motivated by an inward condition. Asking “why?” or “I’d love to hear how you came to this decision” gives the other person the benefit of assuming they have done some thinking. “Why?” affirms that every person has a “why”—whether they know it or not. And the answer to “why?”... Continue Reading

Can you imagine how some moderate, pious, ‘nice’ Christians of today would react to that spectacle in the Temple? Can you envision the proponents of the Nice Doctrine, with their wagging fingers and their passive aggressive sighs? I’m sure they’d send Jesus a patronizing email, perhaps leave a disapproving comment under the news article about... Continue Reading

We must ask ourselves which is more important,   fidelity to historic Christian teaching or temporary cultural and political popularity? It’s time to clear up the confusion and grasp fully what values and theology our evangelical identity means. Out of curiosity, I wanted to learn how other evangelical women in my community characterize “evangelical.”  ... Continue Reading

We must not forgive everyone regardless of their response to our offer: Forgiving someone before they repent is un-godlike, avoids dealing with serious issues, and while it might offer some temporary and superficial relief, does not produce long-term satisfaction to the conscience nor reconciliation.   I’ve lost count of the number of times some tragedy has... Continue Reading

“It is the task of this article to approach the question of Reformed theology from the perspective of what is called in philosophy the via negativa. This method of approaching truth defines things in terms of what they are not; hence, it is called the “way of negation.” For example, when we speak of the... Continue Reading

“The avocado reminds me of the truths I know about sanctification. I am, once and for all, chosen (dare I say picked?) and declared righteous by Jesus’ atoning death. As such, I am seen as holy by God. This is definitive sanctification (2 Tim. 2:1; Eph. 5:25ff; 1 Thess. 4:7; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; Titus 2:14;... Continue Reading

“Moses must have felt like the biggest hypocrite. He was one who was guilty of unlawful killing, and yet he still lived. How could he communicate this decree? Perhaps this is why Moses was the most meek man on the planet. He was always aware that each breath was one more undeserved blessing from God.”  ... Continue Reading