Presbyterian Polity and the American Revolution
By describing the American Revolution as a “Presbyterian rebellion,” the king [George III) was closer to the truth than anyone giving credit to Thomas Paine or John Locke.
Critiques of political rulers based on Presbyterianism was nowhere more pronounced in the case of English and Scottish exiles who brought the ideals of Geneva home to their respective realms. Among the first advocates of Presbyterianism, such as Knox in Scotland and Thomas Cartwright in England, this new church government not only questioned the rule... Continue Reading
Jubilee Celebration of American Independence, July 4, 1826
“The Great American Experiment” had proven itself and the nation had a promising future.
As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, recall the 50th Jubilee of July 4, 1826—when Americans gathered in Washington to mark the Founders’ “Great American Experiment” as a proven success. That same day, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died within hours of each other, their passing on the Declaration’s golden anniversary seen by many as... Continue Reading
Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Generosity?
It is not good to waste the resources that God has given you by using them foolishly.
Let us give generously and seek to help our brothers and sisters in need but let us also make sure that our generosity isn’t actually harming those we’re intending to help with it. Read: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 Christ commands us to be generous and charitable, particularly toward our brothers and sisters in Christ (Rom.... Continue Reading
She Kept Saying, “Quality of Life”
Best quality of life is radically different for the Christian and the non-Christian—God is in one and not the other.
For you and me as Christians, the best quality of life will have as its foundation our faith in Jesus Christ as our substitute, dying for our sins on the cross, and Him as our righteousness, our only way of acceptance before God. Recently, my wife and I were on an international flight. Sitting... Continue Reading
Asbury Theological Seminary Cut by United Methodist Church over Same-Sex Marriage Issue
The decision was attributed to Asbury’s objections to the new version of the denomination’s social principles that no longer solely affirm heterosexual marriage.
The denomination’s social principles were revised during its quadrennial 2024 General Conference, when delegates voted to remove from the UMC’s rule book a statement added in 1972 that called homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.” (RNS)—Asbury Theological Seminary, a 103-year-old Kentucky evangelical seminary, is no longer approved as a school for United Methodist candidates for... Continue Reading
Who Was the Real Muhammad, and How Ought Christians Talk About Him?
Considering the Muhammad of tradition, the Muhammad of legend, and the Muhammad of history.
Muslims are present in our cities and neighborhoods in growing numbers, and the opportunity for gospel witness is real. Even the sensitive subject of Muhammad is not off-limits—it simply requires wisdom. Muslims today are questioning their faith at an unprecedented rate, in part because information once accessible only to specialists is now available to anyone... Continue Reading
When Civilization Forgets Genesis
The Moral Chaos of Rejecting the Creation Order
The answer to civilizational confusion is not retreat. It is faithful obedience.…Live like reality is real. Because it is. Live under Christ’s authority in ordinary ways. Be faithful in a world that is forgetting what faithfulness even looks like. Christians must remember that the hard soil is still God’s field. There are ideas so... Continue Reading
Don’t Let the Algorithm Win
Rejoicing in the reign of God.
In an age when rage-baiting, shrieking, and childish whining passes for public discourse, we must remain composed and stable. Not because we are aloof, but because we are controlled by the deep and pervasive conviction that God has installed His King on Zion (Psalm 2:6). There is no doubt that saints ought to rejoice.... Continue Reading
From President Jefferson’s Letter to the Chowan Baptists, June 1806
A letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Chowan Baptist Association in North Carolina on religious liberty.
“The happiness which our country enjoys in the pursuits of peace and industry ought to endear that cause to all its citizens, and to kindle their hearts with gratitude to the Being under whose providence these blessings are held. We owe to him especial thanks for the right we enjoy to worship him, every one... Continue Reading
Three Lies Fear Whispers in the Storm
The phrase "do not fear" is the most repeated command in Scripture.
When the storms of life expose misplaced faith and fear arises, encouragement can be found when, with each passing storm, we marvel a bit more at the power and authority of Christ. I love God’s word because it shows me the failures of God’s people. It does not give examples of those who had... Continue Reading
Matthew’s Unique Approach to Forgiveness
Matthew holds together cross and resurrection, suffering and joy, in a complex singularity.
Even though forgiveness of sin is not explicit throughout Matthew’s Gospel…we can see that it is indeed pervasively implicit through the use of many other metaphors, concepts, and actions. Jesus’s constant healings, cleansings, and blessings should be understood as manifestations of this same rescuing and forgiving. Forgiveness of Sins Through Death and Resurrection Several... Continue Reading
What About Bob?
There are real people all around you that you should love, and bear with, and encourage.
Don’t let the devil consume your mind with loving people in theory, and don’t let him drive you to despise the people that you actually know. Let’s be a people that love one another, not in word only, but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). I’ve heard it said before that the reason... Continue Reading
The Accessibility of Scripture
The availability of Scripture—taken for granted today—has not always been the norm.
Scripture must become a part of the Christian. The Word becomes an implanted spiritual organ that grows on nourishment from its reading combined with access provided through corporate worship where it is read, prayed, sung, preached, and blesses offerings. Paragraphs 1 to 7 of the Westminster Confession of Faith have shown that Scripture is... Continue Reading
You Sow, God Grows, Together We Harvest
A meditation on the forgotten parable of Mark 4.
The seed gets planted by human hands. The growth belongs entirely to God. And when the moment of harvest finally comes, sower and grower stand together in the same field, gathering in the harvest with joy. There is a parable tucked into the fourth chapter of Mark’s gospel that almost never gets preached. It... Continue Reading
Will You Choose to Trust God with Your Life Today?
We can’t find peace without believing in the sovereignty of a loving God.
Because Jesus willingly entered this world of evil and suffering and didn’t spare Himself, but took on the worst of it for my sake and yours, He has earned my trust for what I can’t understand. I and countless others have found Him to be trustworthy! In her book Choosing Gratitude, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth... Continue Reading
The Letters of Revelation: Smyrna, Faithful Under Pressure
Saints on earth will always feel the pressure of evil until the King returns.
When the world overcomes your earthly life, as you remain faithful to Christ, know that you are the true overcomer, because you’re joined to the One who conquered death by rising from the dead for your eternal life. It is His good pleasure to crown your undeserving but richly rewarded head with His life. ... Continue Reading
The Science of Unbelief: The Noetic Effects of Sin
Why fallen minds cannot think neutrally.
Sin does not eliminate the mind’s remarkable capacities. It distorts their orientation. Fallen humanity remains capable of discovering truths about the world while remaining resistant to the God who created the world. Intellectual brilliance and spiritual blindness can exist side by side because the deepest issue is not cognitive ability but spiritual allegiance. The lesson... Continue Reading
What Is Wrong With Man?
Every political philosophy begins with an answer to that question. Scripture's answer changes everything.
If Scripture is right, no political system can solve mankind’s deepest problem The Reformers understood that sin had not merely damaged humanity but had corrupted every faculty of our being. We still bear God’s image and remain capable of astonishing courage, creativity, generosity, and sacrifice. But we are also fallen. As New York’s mayor... Continue Reading
How Britain Enabled the Abuse of Thousands of Its Own Children
Religious worldview matters.
In this morally upside-down world, racism and Islamophobia are worse crimes than the sexual exploitation of children. The gangs that have been operating in Britain have deep ideological and cultural roots shaped by Islam, including Sharia law. While most Muslims are law abiding and many imams have condemned these gangs, the scale of abuse is... Continue Reading
The Letters of Revelation: Ephesus, Faithful but Fading
Congregations may maintain sound doctrine, faithful preaching, and active ministries, yet slowly lose the affection that once animated their worship and service.
Christ’s warning to Ephesus is severe: “If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5). The lampstand represents the church’s role as a bearer of divine light in a dark world. Removal of the lampstand signifies the loss of the church’s witness and spiritual vitality.... Continue Reading
The Death of the Patriarch: The Lines of Abraham (Gen. 25:1–18)
Abraham’s journey ended in a cave in Hebron, but his faith rested in a heavenly city that will never be shaken.
The death of Abraham teaches us a vital lesson about the kingdom of God: God’s plans are always bigger than any single individual. Abraham was a giant of the faith, but he was ultimately just a steward of a promise that existed before him and would continue long after him. When Abraham died, the promise... Continue Reading
States Are Quietly Redefining the Family
Across America, “updates” to family law are undermining the best interests and safety of children.
Surrogacy operates in a legal grey area in most states, without laws banning or explicitly allowing the practice. Those states that do have laws are highly permissive. While background checks, or at the very least a mental health screening, are often required for surrogate mothers, Virginia is the only state to require any sort of... Continue Reading
The King Has Spoken: I Am With You Always
Do not fear. The One who holds all authority in heaven and earth does not merely send you — He goes with you. He is not directing the mission from a distance. He is present, active, and involved with His people wherever they go and whatever the cost.
Jesus Christ is the Savior King who came to redeem us to God through His death and resurrection so that we might join His mission to gather His people from among the nations. Though we may face resistance, hardship, and even persecution, we are assured of God’s presence, His power, and His ultimate triumph. Matthew... Continue Reading
God’s Faithfulness to His Covenant Promises
We can rest in these promises and covenants, for he has given us abundant proof that he is dependable, showing that our Lord is indeed true and faithful and good.
God will not be looking for loopholes to escape a covenant promise. He will not change his mind when he has given his word. In fact, it is who God is that keeps his people safe in him. There are too many times that our behavior does not deserve faithfulness, yet God does not change... Continue Reading
God’s Blessing to Abram Was Intended to Be for the World (Genesis 12:3)
God loves to save all kinds of people, all through Jesus, the descendant of Abram.
Jesus was a Jew, a physical descendant of Abram. Yet he came to earth not only for the Jewish people. Jesus died for the sins of all who believe, whether Jewish or not. He rose again, for the price was paid. Notably, many Jewish people who did not trust in Jesus would not be blessed... Continue Reading
PCA 2026 General Assembly Report
A report of the Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly that met in Louisville, KY, June 23-26, 2006.
It is clear the efforts of the Old School wing of the PCA to clean house, sharpen our theology, and clarify our constitution are bearing fruit. Progressives and feminists in the PCA are showing an increasing discomfort and sending up overtures attempting to restore their lost latitude. Their efforts are not succeeding. PCA Moderator... Continue Reading
Sartre’s Society is Alive and Well
The French philosopher rejected fixed human nature and birthed an identity crisis for the books.
Sartre’s greatest impact on America was during the postwar years, especially during the 1960s, but his ideas influenced a number of radical cultural movements that followed. For example, his moral and cultural relativism helped open the door to the sexual revolution. Not coincidentally, Sartre was himself a serial womanizer. His attack on the idea of fixed... Continue Reading
Episcopal Church Withdrawal?
In ten years The Episcopal Church will sink to below a million members for the first time in a hundred years.
The Episcopal Church in America was never very large, like Methodism or Baptists, but it was, as The Post noted, prestigious beyond its numbers and occupied a unique niche in American Christianity. For that reason, although its decline will continue, it may outlast other Mainline Protestant denominations. The Episcopal Church is selling or leasing... Continue Reading
You Need a New Heart, That’s What Jesus Does for Us
The doctrine of the New Birth from Exodus 4:18–31.
Like Pharaoh, we deserve God to harden our hearts and hand us over to our sin. But God in his grace – his undeserved favour – cuts away and frees the hearts of his people from their rebellion, and gives them new hearts. Superficiality is the enemy of humanity. Prizing beautiful bodies over beautiful... Continue Reading
On Shame and Mental Health
Having the courage to struggle.
To be a human is to depend on other people. There is no escaping this fact. You are born dependent. You will die dependent. This is not a failure on your part. This is not a flaw. This is a glorious design by God! Do not feel ashamed for depending on your family and friends... Continue Reading