Seven pillars—submission, political totality, communal identity, the drive for supremacy, the concept of jihad, absolute divine oneness, and the absence of assurance—do not describe any single Muslim you will ever meet. They describe a framework within which many different individuals, with many different temperaments and levels of devotion, are living out their lives.   On... Continue Reading

Our Protestant forefathers in the British North American colonies—later, the United States, as we will soon celebrate—established the Christian Sabbath as one of the pillars of their new societies. They brought the Sabbath with them from England and Scotland. While the day’s observance varied widely—particularly in the South where Sabbath-keeping was never as rigorous as... Continue Reading

The Bible is written by Jesus, to Jesus, about Jesus.…We should, therefore, read confidently expecting to find Jesus as we read.   You are what you eat, said St Augustine. Well, he said ‘you become what you consume’ in the context of teaching on the Lord’s Supper. Nevertheless, the point is important. Consumption of the... Continue Reading

To accept or welcome one another comes at a cost, it responds warmly to the penitent, and is constantly looking to move up and make room to welcome others in the family.  It is always inviting and including.   You’ll have spotted that the word welcome doesn’t necessarily appear in the verses as we read Romans... Continue Reading

Most pastors of most churches have to be all-round generalists. Of course, preaching is a significant part of the job. But so are all manner of other things.   [Editor’s Note: “football” in this article refers to soccer.] I came across the following insightful, typically Keane-esque quote yesterday that I think has a lot to... Continue Reading

We who serve our sovereign Savior in the PCA shall be eternally grateful for our brothers and sisters who serve him in the OPC. Together we belong to the one body of Christ, are filled with the one Spirit of God, and rest in the grace of our one God and Father.   Today, the Presbyterian Church... Continue Reading

“Willy Rice’s election proves that there is an appetite in the SBC for real conservative reform and renewal,” William Wolfe told RNS in an interview. “We believe his victory is a major vindication of the issues we have addressed and fought for over the last few years in the SBC.”   ORLANDO, Fla. (RNS)—Willy Rice,... Continue Reading

Obedience always bears fruit, in our own hearts if nowhere else. How many precious moments of sacrifice have been logged away in God’s sight by a faithful husband or a faithful wife who chose to bless a difficult spouse?   For married Christians, sex is a strange combination of function and fun, discipline and desire,... Continue Reading

For reasons of polity and perception, limiting representation before the higher courts to officers is unnecessary, potentially unwise, and may create a hinderance to a just process. But no matter the breadth of the pool of potential representatives, it still remains to be seen whether accused persons routinely have access to that representation.   Chapter... Continue Reading

As bioethics journalist Katelyn Walls Shelton observes, the technology at stake here is not limited to its impact on one child but extends to the heritable traits those children themselves pass on, with “the potential for these edits (or mistakes) to be passed on generationally. They’re not just editing one embryo’s genes; they’re editing the... Continue Reading

I am not asking the committee to settle every debate. Church history shows debates will always continue. But I do ask they present the live debates honestly, acknowledging the strength of the contextual adjustment reading, and draw clearer distinctions in the ordo amoris section. Our presbyteries can exercise discernment in good faith subscription, but only... Continue Reading

There is a proneness in corrupted nature to despise the riches of the goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering of God, not knowing that the goodness of God leads them to repentance, and thereon after their hardness and impenitent heart treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath, as our apostle speaks (Rom. 2:4–5). Considering... Continue Reading

James urges us to be quick to hear and slow to speak. Akin to slowness of speech is knowing when to stay silent. Sometimes the wisest person in the room is also the quietest. They don’t feel the need to spout their opinion or justify themselves constantly. Instead, they sit back, listen, and speak only... Continue Reading

Just as there were undiscerning Christians last century who refused to acknowledge the diabolical evil of the Nazis, so too we have many today who have not the slightest understanding of political Islam and their designs on the West. They think we should just welcome them in with open arms, regardless of their clearly stated... Continue Reading

Early believers gathered in homes to pray, teach, and break bread. When authorities later demanded registration or closure of such meetings, Christians appealed to divine law over human commands that contradicted it. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29, KJV)   Daniel Grand,... Continue Reading

If anxiety is an unwelcome guest, should we seek only to expel it, or is there something to be learned even in its presence? The gospel speaks to our fears and our sorrows, not by offering a quick fix or a mere change of perspective, but by grounding us in the eternal realities of God’s... Continue Reading

We find that Creation and the Flood are intimately linked in the plan of God. In response to man’s sin, God undoes his miraculous creation—miraculously—and then returns it to its original state, despite the presence of sin. He shows his mercy more spectacularly than he did by creating humans to begin with. And he can... Continue Reading

Jesus was grieved, stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed, chastised, and wounded—all to bear us up under our greatest burden: the soul-crushing weight of guilt and the penalty of the never-ending death our sin deserves (Isa. 53:4–5). On the cross, Jesus bore the heaviest burden, the sharpest thorn, and the most excruciating relational loss there is... Continue Reading

The tongue, so tiny, is immensely powerful. It is indeed mightier than generals and their armies. It can fuel our lives so that they become fiery furnaces, or it can cool our lives with the soothing wind of the Spirit. It can be forged by hell or it can be a tool of heaven. Offered... Continue Reading

It is frankly repulsive to see Ridgway claiming that he and his wife were “grieving the loss of their unborn child.” They did not lose him. They deliberately decided to have him killed at twenty-one weeks—when he could feel pain, suck his thumb, hear voices, and stretch—while recognizing that he was, in fact, an “unborn... Continue Reading

At its May 2026 presbytery meeting, since Willett could not appear before presbytery and did not submit a plea in writing, a plea of not guilty was recorded on his behalf, counsel was appointed, and June 9 was set as the date of his trial. The presbytery conducted the trial on Tuesday, found Willett guilty,... Continue Reading

Many new PCAers are Evangelicals, coming to Calvinist churches in the heyday of the racial reconciliationist moment of the early 21st century. And there are bad actors in the internet. But therein lies the problem. Not every conversation can be, or should be, about race and antisemitism. And those controversies should not govern questions of... Continue Reading

The first thing to learn from this parable relating to feeling small and insignificant is, that you are neither small nor insignificant, because you are using what you have been given to honor the Lord. God sees it, and He sees you as important, valuable, significant. Therefore, in prison, the Apostle Paul was a success... Continue Reading

Marriage should not be treated as a purely individual decision detached from family, church, and counsel. A young man and woman may be the ones getting married, but they are not the only ones affected. Families are joined. Households are shaped. Future children are impacted. Congregations are often involved.   It may surprise some people... Continue Reading

Faithful marriage is the best anti-poverty program, the best educational program, the best anti-crime program, and the best defense against loneliness and social anomie. Conversely, the sexual revolution has exacerbated these and other evils. There are the abortions, the diseases, the exploitation, the cruelty, the dehumanization, and more.   Sexual sin destroys justice. This is... Continue Reading

Remember that 2 Corinthians 10:5 encourages us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” When doubts arise, we’re to challenge them with the truth of God’s Word. 1 John 1:9 reassures us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”... Continue Reading

What we behold shapes us. Our allegiance must therefore be pure and undivided. The call to holiness is ultimately the call to imitate God. Jesus commands, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Peter echoes this command: “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15–16). We are to... Continue Reading

When we look backward, we often do so wondering whether or not God has been faithful. When we feel that sense of loss, we begin to question whether or not He has actually faithfully provided. Or sustained. Or guarded. Or strengthened. But what if we changed our lenses?     The type of lens makes... Continue Reading

In spite of all appearances during that year of waiting in the shadows, God was not finished with Luther, and Luther was not finished with the Reformation. To quote a popular line, things were not falling apart—they were merely falling into place.      I love studying the Reformation at this season of the year.... Continue Reading

History is not random. The rise and fall of nations, the suffering and triumph of God’s people, even the opposition of God’s enemies—all of it is being woven into a tapestry that will display His glory.   If you ask a group of Christians, “What is the church for?” you’ll probably hear a variety of... Continue Reading