The Synod 2017 discussions around the topic of justice revealed the underlying differences within today’s CRC. Rev. Andrew Beunk from Classis British Columbia Northwest noticed this and perceptively spoke of it during the discussion on the Belhar Confession: “I think that we are experiencing at the synod a tension that I want to name …... Continue Reading

On the national level, commissioners from churches make decisions at General Assembly (GA) that set the course of future decades in the work of ministry. GA is not a minor irritant or an opportunity for simply catching up with old friends; it’s a vital component in preserving the health and faithfulness of the ecclesial body... Continue Reading

If this sounds harsh, it is because we are in a dire moment. People are being exiled from their homes and communities while Christians attend conferences on church planting. We are centering the wrong people in these conversations, and we have misapplied scripture egregiously. As Cole Brown says, Jeremiah 29:4-7 was written originally to people... Continue Reading

Every week, Elbert McGowan preaches to a congregation that’s one-third African American. They sing songs found in both Presbyterian and African-American hymnals. The congregation does more hand-raising and clapping than a typical Presbyterian crowd, while the theology is solidly Reformed.   Elbert McGowan grew up five minutes from Trinity Presbyterian Church on the north side of Jackson, Mississippi.... Continue Reading

As a Vermont pastor, I ask my country for freedom to not only preach the gospel–but also for freedom for those I preach to–to hold their religious beliefs while also holding public office. If you return to our roots of religious freedom as a state and as a nation, the religious tests will stop. And... Continue Reading

Members had already voted Tuesday to condemn gambling and Planned Parenthood, and they adopted a statement on the importance of public officials who display “consistent moral character.” That resolution also commended “those leaders who choose not to meet privately with members of the opposite sex who are not their spouse,” a group which includes Vice President... Continue Reading

A well-chosen illustration can illumine the passage and strengthen the sermon. That is why generations of seminary students have been taught that good sermons include explaining, illustrating, and applying the text. Of the three, illustrating the text is the least important, but it is important nonetheless.   Have you ever heard a sermon illustration that... Continue Reading

“We do well not to jump to conclusions too hastily, but we’d be foolish not to use this study as an occasion to think about our theological principles and of the best practices and examples out there. That said, it is rather shocking not to see Deuteronomy 6:4–5, Exodus 3:14, or Exodus 34:6–7 located in the top 10 verses,... Continue Reading

Sunday evening services. It is amazing how quickly these services have disappeared. Except for Sunday evening services that are an alternative to and replica of the Sunday morning services, there are fewer and fewer churches meeting on Sunday evening.   This article will get me in trouble. It began with a simple and informal poll on... Continue Reading

According to the data, the two most “churched” areas in the United States are Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Salt Lake City, Utah, which are both 59 percent churched. The areas of Augusta-Aiken, Georgia, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ranked as the third and fourth most churched cities, being 57 percent churched.   As trends show that church... Continue Reading