Is such language to be no longer permitted when discussing serious matters with meaningful consequences? As all adults should know, the ability freely to engage in sometimes difficult discussions with one another—especially peers—is part-and-parcel for a society in which civil and religious liberties exist and thrive.   The recent decision of the PCA’s Rio Grande... Continue Reading

Steve McQueen reportedly left life with a bible given to him by Billy Graham. According to his wife, he read it daily. Why? Because he had a new heart, new affections, new loves. He knew the Savior and had been adopted by God.   Steve McQueen made The Great Escape. But he was sprung by... Continue Reading

The truth is, “It is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). The way Sasse has stewarded this physical trial reminds Christians that we have all been entrusted with a brief window in which to live. Though our death may not be as public as his, our faith certainly can be. Landry observed that... Continue Reading

Witherspoon observed that Divine Providence can at times be obvious but that it can also be subtle and almost hidden. Then, people must pause and ponder to discern God’s work. Sometimes this work comes through favorable circumstances and other times through challenges, but God is accomplishing His aims. Serious minds he concludes benefit greatly from... Continue Reading

God preserved the name David tried to bury. Every Memorial Day, I think about that. Uriah has now been remembered for nearly three thousand years, not because kings honored him properly. His own king had him killed. But God refused to let him disappear. And Uriah was not even an Israelite by birth. He was... Continue Reading

Over the years, I have become less interested in dramatic displays and more anchored in the ordinary promises of God’s Word. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. The point is not finding the right incantation against suffering. The point is taking Him at His word.   A friend recently asked... Continue Reading

As a wise pastor once observed, our children will remember all sorts of things about us, but the way in which we die is what they will most remember about our faith.   In a recent episode of “60 Minutes,” interviewer Scott Pelley said to his guest, “You don’t have much time. Why are you... Continue Reading

During one of his trips, Brainerd preached in an Indian village. Among the Indians who had gathered was a young, 20-year-old Native American, the daughter of a notable chief. Her family had been horribly mistreated by white settlers. Yet upon hearing Brainerd preach, the Spirit began to move, and she came to faith in Christ.... Continue Reading

Ryle promoted evangelical faith, which is experiential, personal, and emotionally engaged, set against Christian formalism, legalism, and barren orthodoxy. His parish church, in the Suffolk village of Helmingham, is dominated by impressive seventeenth-century memorial statues, all portrayed in formal pose, kneeling or lying down, with a fixed gaze. “They never show any feeling”, Ryle quipped.... Continue Reading

Sasse encourages me to remember and praise God for all of his people, great and small, known and unknown, who have received their final diagnosis as their final challenge—their final opportunity on this side of the grave to testify to their love for the Lord and the peace they have in him.   Ben Sasse... Continue Reading