The truth is that everything we need to know about salvation and the Christian life is in God’s Holy Word and the church catholic has been reading that Word together for two millennia. It isn’t all about “control, authority, and power.” It’s about truth, what is and that truth, God’s truth, can be known in... Continue Reading

Good in church is always easier on me (and those in the nearby pews.) It saves me embarrassment, and keeps my hair and makeup intact. But good in church is not what I’m hoping for. I can wrestle my child into quiet and still. I cannot wrestle him into fellowship with the Triune God. For... Continue Reading

Is there just one proper gospel-centered rationale for holiness? Should we, in speaking about sanctification, avoid threats and warnings and coming judgment and focus simply on our acceptance in Christ? How many motivations does the Bible have for godliness? I see at least twenty. In the three chapters of 2 Peter alone. 1.    We pursue holiness... Continue Reading

We have lost the fundamentals of our faith. Many of us were wooed by the Holy Spirit through Jesus’ promise found in Matthew 11. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Yet instead of finding rest, most of us have found long to-do lists,... Continue Reading

Redistribution of money from the vaguely defined rich to the poor has always been a standard feature of egalitarian-based politics. That has been particularly true in America from the mid-1940s to 2014. Until about 1975, though, it was common for political liberals to propose both the problem (income inequality) and the solution (income redistribution) together.... Continue Reading

Not uncommonly, proponents of Plymouth Brethren ecclesiology will utter (sometimes with significant emotion), “The Bible nowhere shows sheep electing their shepherd!” What they mean is that Scripture does not depict congregations selecting elders. This seems like a meaningful and even persuasive statement until one realizes that the Bible never depicts any actual mechanism whatever by... Continue Reading

There is a saying among pastors with a kind of dark humor. It goes like this —”Ministry would be great if it wasn’t for the people.” It’s funny because ministry exists for the sake of the people. It’s dark and sad because ministry exists for the people.   It is no secret I don’t like... Continue Reading

Meanwhile, the church is so concerned not to offend people and so eager to grow that the harder truths about God’s holiness, justice and power are buried under marketing campaigns, felt-needs-oriented messages and general bland banality. Our pulpits no longer thunder. In fact, we prefer not to have pulpits at all, just hipster pastors who... Continue Reading

But that doesn’t necessarily explain why Calvinists are looking to Luther, or Baptists are looking to Calvin, figures outside the center of their own traditions, rather than looking deeper into their own. I suspect at this point Skip Stout would remind us that, in one way, this isn’t surprising at all. Calvin, and those who... Continue Reading

So getting back to the Grammys, we can disagree on what kind of displays merit walking out on. We can disagree on what kind of displays we will endure for the sake of gospel witness. But let’s not tag Natalie Grant with a kind of unenlightened Christianity that makes those who might not have walked... Continue Reading