Among several measures taken at the church, one of the most obvious is the Chattanooga police officer standing in front of the McCallie Avenue building during services. Hired in the wake of the 2015 Chattanooga terrorist attack against local military facilities, the armed officer replaced an unarmed security guard.   Recent attacks across the country... Continue Reading

For the Reformers to worship God, whether privately or publicly, was to bow down before His majestic glory, and in spirit and in truth to bring Him, in and through Jesus Christ and in accord with Scripture, the honor and praise that belong to Him alone. Calvin said that the Christian faith turns on two... Continue Reading

When a man becomes an elder, that does not automatically confer some extra measure of spiritual strength, wisdom, or love for neighbor. It does not grant supernatural ability to overcome weakness of personality and temperament. Elders remain sinners.   I’m organizing some thoughts on being an introverted elder and am starting with one basic point.... Continue Reading

Certainly, there is absolutely no reason why we would ever assume that an infant could examine his or her own heart with any sort of conscious maturity. This is not to say that an infant cannot be regenerate by the sovereign working of the Holy Spirit. David, Jeremiah and John the Baptist are all examples of those... Continue Reading

Remember that the Spirit is powerful. His ministry does not depend on your skill. And more importantly, because of the work and ministry of the Lord Jesus, even our most feeble efforts are pleasing to the Lord. The Westminster Larger Catechism reminds us that all our service is pleasing to God, no matter our daily... Continue Reading

So what do we do with such flawed men? Can we admire them? And if we do, must our admiration always contain an asterisk? Must we have a disclaimer on hand when we tell of the impact they’ve had on us or as we tell of their accomplishments? I continue to wrestle with this in... Continue Reading

“For all their defining importance in Christian history, confessions of faith have met with mixed reactions from Christians. While many believers have used confessions enthusiastically, others have claimed that confessions replace a vital relationship with God with a desiccated list of doctrine, replacing the Spirit with the letter, leaving only a husk of dead, dull... Continue Reading

“By 1525, the Reformation movement in Zurich had gained significant traction. On April 14, 1525, the Mass was officially abolished and Protestant worship services were begun in and around Zurich. Zwingli chose to implement only what was taught in Scripture. Anything that had no explicit Scriptural support was rejected.”   Other than Martin Luther, Heinrich... Continue Reading

“If the gospel is to make its God-ordained inexorable progress throughout the world as it is proclaimed publicly through preaching and privately through the witness of the saints, then it must go hand in hand with the ‘give-yourselves-and-God-no-rest’ kind of praying of which Christ speaks in these verses.”   It should go without saying that... Continue Reading

“If someone suggested a Christian population in 200 as ten thousand, or as ten million, then they would assuredly be wrong. But a range anywhere from (say) 150,000 to 350,000 would be quite plausible.”   I have been involved in a project on the early church, around the year 200 AD. My first basic question... Continue Reading