The PCA’s First Love
We need a moderation that is not a lukewarm Christianity or a Presbyterianism which compromises the Scripture or the Standards, but the moderation of Reformed pastors who understand the sovereignty of the Lord and the triumph of truth over falsehood.
The PCA would profit by constantly remembering the focus of its vision. What has been its call as a church and as a denomination? What has been my call as a pastor and elder during the time God, in His providence and mercy, has granted me to use and fight in this life? These questions... Continue Reading
Singing That Makes Disciples
O that we would recover a robust culture of disciple-making singing once again in our homes and churches.
We have unfortunately been so influenced in our churches today by the singing of pop music, which is breathy and unsupported—the very opposite of lustily and with good courage. Christians today have been taught by pop culture that if you really mean it, you’ll close your eyes, scrunch your face, sway a little, and sing... Continue Reading
God Is Dead. Long Live the Gods.
What the early church can teach us about living in a pagan world.
Christians such as Polycarp, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus of Lyons weren’t part of the cultural elite but, following the apostles’ footsteps, worked from below and slowly and steadily guided the church through a pagan world. They didn’t sit in the prominent seats of the senate nor hobnob among the intellectuals populating the philosophical schools. Instead,... Continue Reading
WCF Chapter 25: Of the Church
There is no perfect church. But we also must strive for perfection living out all that Scripture teaches about the church.
Churches must teach and embrace the true gospel. More than anything we must know God’s grace for lost sinners. But not in a simplistic way, mindlessly repeated. We must leave the elementary, simplistic “doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity” in our gospel teaching (Heb. 6:1). Second, churches must properly administer the ordinances or... Continue Reading
A Personal Appeal to the SBC Messengers on the Law Amendment
The issue of female pastors has been a canary in the coalmine for many denominations—it’s the first domino to fall.
Southern Baptists appreciate the Baptist Faith & Message because we believe that it is an accurate summary of the Bible’s teachings. Thus, when state conventions openly defy the Baptist Faith & Message, they are defying our God’s Word. The authority and sufficiency of the Bible are functionally abandoned when the faithful are absent or fail... Continue Reading
As for Those Rich in Books in this Present Age
Want to know of a good opportunity to be generous with that particular kind of wealth?
I read of the opportunity to send 30,000 good books for a groundbreaking African theological library. Central Africa Baptist University has been gifted a shipping container that can hold 30,000 books. These books will help establish the Paul Kasonga Theological Library, a vital resource for a continent awash in the prosperity gospel. We can send our gently-used... Continue Reading
Covenant Presbytery Apologizes, Bringing Closure to Jonesboro 7 Ordeal
In a beautiful, gospel-centered conclusion to the "Jonesboro 7" saga, Covenant Presbytery adopted an apology and acknowledges "mistakes were made" in their case.
What Covenant Presbytery has wisely done is encourage parties to reconcile. This is always the goal anyhow: to agree in the Lord, to dwell in unity and peace. The resolution adopted by Covenant Presbytery exhorts everyone to do so while acknowledging that “mistakes were made,” which provides an opportunity for repentance and reconciliation. The decision... Continue Reading
The Church’s Independence Clarified
The church’s independence is negative, not positive. That independence means freedom from undue command or interference by others, not power over them.
The church’s independence is inferred from the nature of its early operations, its instructions from Christ and the apostles, and from its unique nature as God’s chosen people on Earth. At no point did Christ or his disciples ever say anything to the effect of ‘and when you select elders to rule your churches, remember... Continue Reading
Courage in the PCA
I am of good cheer as I contemplate the future of the PCA, trusting in our victorious savior to lead us, even as I consider the inevitable tribulation that will come upon the PCA.
While Curtis Chang is not accurate when he claims that it was “the right-wing faction within the PCA” that was responsible for the political polarization panel being cancelled, it is likely that he is right when he says this “only encourages more of the same.” One can only say: by God’s grace, yes, may it... Continue Reading
Please Don’t Call Her Pastor
There is so much good ministry that women can and should be doing in our churches; we don’t help them at all by giving them an unbiblical and unnecessary job title.
When God’s good design for men and women is so under attack in our day, why would anyone who embraces that design deliberately add to the confusion by using such a loaded term for female ministry personnel? Our church is complementarian, which means that we value and embrace the God-given differences between men and... Continue Reading
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