“Increasingly, the conservative, evangelical members of the 1.8-million-member mainline Protestant denomination are finding themselves at odds with socially progressive congregations and leadership that seem to have moved in line with the secular world.”   Across Christian denominations, the debate over gay marriage has fundamentally pitted the views of socially progressive – if not radical –... Continue Reading

If we really believe that the gospel is the power of God for salvation we probably would not mess with it. It is not wise to edit perfection; we have not been given proofreading writes by God to add or delete elements from his masterpiece of Christ exalting truth.   Recently I’ve been thinking about... Continue Reading

I’m posting this letter here for two reasons—one is simply because you didn’t respond to my email and you refused to talk to me in person. The second is to spare others the time. I want other churches to know if you go there, your goal is not anybody’s repentance. Your goal is simply to... Continue Reading

“How easy is it to not keep the main thing, the main thing? How easy is it to get so caught up in “doing for the Lord” that we forget to “be with the Lord”? How easy is it to get so caught up doing our 9th annual rummage sale at our church, that we... Continue Reading

A biblical understanding of worship sees every Lord’s Day corporate gathering as an extraordinary event where the people of God come into the presence of the Almighty and through His blessed gift of the means of grace grow spiritually in their understanding of His attributes and the thorough and perfect nature of the sacrifice of... Continue Reading

They are in this sense more like religious believers under compulsion in a society with an established church than like believers denied the freedom to exercise their religion. Liberals are in this respect right to say they’re not trying to kill religious liberty. They’re trying to take it back to something like the form it... Continue Reading

Some years ago, I conducted a study and wrote a book on membership classes in local churches. Many of those churches included teaching church covenants in their membership class, but they talked very little about church discipline. That is, they established expectations but did not always talk about accountability. Since then, I’ve conducted an ongoing... Continue Reading

Let us realize our Great High Priest has done all that is required for us to enjoy God’s eternal blessings. There is nothing left for us to do but to bask in the glory of God. So, as we look at ourselves today and find within a willingness to trust and obey, let us see these as marks... Continue Reading

Another challenge for Dr. Butler is tackling the church’s complex administrative needs. She is hiring ministers to assist in leading the church and managing its $14 million budget. Some 30 programs—from prison ministry to a popular preschool to a lesbian and gay ministry—are being re-evaluated. The one thing that does run on autopilot, said Dr.... Continue Reading

Monday’s decision, issued without comment, was the third time that the high court rejected an appeal by the Bronx Household of Faith, which for years held Sunday services at a local public school. The church last year finished work on its own building near P.S. 15, but said it still needs extra space for events... Continue Reading