Giving Time, Talents, and Treasures
Giving to the church is about more than money.
Whatever possessions we “own” are given by God for us to steward for others’ good and His glory. Whatever possessions God has entrusted to us, how can we use them to serve others? Can we regularly loan a car to a carless newly married couple? Can we let a missionary family stay in our home... Continue Reading
Preaching for Doctrinal Discernment
If Christ’s sheep are to discern truth from error, shepherds from wolves, good food from poison, then you must teach them.
I want to challenge the notion that our pursuit of clarity in preaching for the average hearer, absent rhetorical flourishes that emphasize our being well-learned, equates to emptying our teaching of doctrinal terminology and intellectual rigor. Rather, I want to argue that it is pastorally imperative that we encourage our hearers to think hard and... Continue Reading
Speaking Through Silence
God can use our silence as a way of loving others, and we don’t need to pressure ourselves to say something profound and biblical every time someone shares a burden with us.
Can you think of a time when you felt compelled to say something and immediately regretted it? Even though we had good intentions of saying something biblical or trying to give hope, our words were more hurtful than helpful. Often, our timing is off. I’ve heard similar stories from people who have lost a family... Continue Reading
Broad Minds and Big Hearts
A Case For Christian Liberal-Arts Education
Why emphasize the liberal arts and humanities alongside Scripture? Because a liberal-arts education, received under the lordship of Christ, uniquely prepares students to live as broad-minded, big-hearted Christians in the home, the church, and the world. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17) At Bethlehem College & Seminary,... Continue Reading
2019 Reformed Congregational Fellowship Pastors’ Conference, April 9-11
The Reformed Congregational Fellowship Pastors’ Conference will be at the Wonderland Conference Center, Sharon, Massachusetts on April 9-11, 2019.
The Bride, the Elect, a Royal Priesthood, the Body, a Chosen Race, Saints, the Circumcision, the Children of God, the Household of God, a Holy Nation, a Holy Temple, a Dwelling Place for God by the Spirit. These are just some of the extraordinary titles and descriptions for the entity we commonly call the Church.... Continue Reading
South African Court Sets Aside Dutch Reformed Church Policy Prohibiting So-Called Same-Sex Marriages
The Dutch Reformed Church (NGK) of South Africa has a policy prohibiting members in same-sex marriages and persons in same-sex relationships.
ChristianView Network condemns the outrageous judgment of judge Joseph Raulinga of the North Gauteng High Court setting aside the Dutch Reformed Church (NGK) policy prohibiting so-called ‘same-sex marriages’ and persons in same-sex relationships. The policy of prohibiting same-sex sexual relations has always been and always will be the policy of every genuine Christian church –... Continue Reading
The Best Book of the Bible for New Believers
John is great, but I think we would do well if we skip back two Gospels.
I know, I know. The whole Bible is about Jesus. Read from a redemptive-historical perspective, you can find Jesus in the books of James and Jude and Jeremiah. He is the point of every page. And yet, the Gospels are just different. They are different because they give you the words, actions, and deeds of Jesus... Continue Reading
Making Bricks For Evangelical Pharaohs
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Exodus 20:2
There’s a relentless push for progress that we are being swept up in, and in an era of what I call “Big Eva” – the large evangelical ministry juggernaut replete with conferences after conference, ministry tool after ministry tool, leadership summit after leadership summit, technique after technique, there seems very little commitment to true rest. Apex... Continue Reading
Why Social Justice Is Killing Synagogues and Churches
Data suggests that the more a religious movement is concerned with progressive causes, the more likely it is to rapidly lose members.
Why is there a decline in religion? For one thing, young Americans have different habits. Rather than join institutions, millennials, argued Wade Clark Roof, author of the book Spiritual Marketplace, are indulging in a kind of “grazing,” finding their spiritual fixes in various different places rather than any one organized church. As sociologists Robert Putnam and David... Continue Reading
The Rhetoric of An Affirming Non-Ministry
The recent development in a denomination the size of the UMC is remarkable.
Called for the purpose of considering a Commission on a Way Forward report, which evaluates the church’s official stance on human sexuality (and, by implication, its qualifications for ministry), the General Conference voted to uphold its current standards. Not only does this move maintain the denomination’s stand upon God’s Word, declaring that “the practice of homosexuality is... Continue Reading
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