While Article I of the Chicago Statement rejects that the church, tradition, or otherwise holds equal or greater authority than Scripture, it’s helpful to note that neither does it affirm a view of “solo Scriptura” e.g. no authority but the Bible. Even as the authoritative source of doctrine and practice, Scripture has ordained secondary means... Continue Reading

Pastoral leadership from the pulpit is critical. Most often, we find books on leadership and books on preaching, but rarely do we find volumes that argue for the interconnectedness of the two. Currie, Pace, and Shaddix make the connection admirably. Pace and Shaddix address this interconnectedness more succinctly and practically, while Currie’s work is more robust... Continue Reading

To flippantly defile the holy name as a vulgar utterance manifests a wicked, hardened heart, with complete irreverence for the Almighty. It is an abomination. But the scope of this sin reaches far beyond just foul and debased language. Any time we invoke God’s name rashly, thoughtlessly, or irreverently, we take it in vain. This includes... Continue Reading

Today many of us know the work of the Synod as the Canons of Dort under the acrostic “TULIP.” Total depravity; Unconditional election; Limited atonement; Irresistible grace; and Perseverance of the saints. If you have not read the Canons, they are worth working through.    The Canons of Dort were approved at the Synod of... Continue Reading

Hospitality must be carefully measured out, lest the family or nation dissolve under the burden of too many guests, and those welcomed become dependent in a way that corrupts their characters. Why is the conclusion that we may (and perhaps must, given judgments of prudence) limit immigration so hard to voice in polite company? Why,... Continue Reading

Can any other creature on the face of the planet be grateful? When I express gratitude to God, I acknowledge my personal dependency upon him, I also act as a person myself, and I am inclined to acknowledge his image as found in those around me. Gratitude is both profoundly theological and personally transformative. It... Continue Reading

This is not a month to be “proud” but rather a month to mourn. Mourn the moral rot pervading our country. It has harmed not only the nation as a whole, but especially those who in their self-delusion celebrate what is injurious to themselves, and to their relationship with others and God.   Not only... Continue Reading

PC offers a different view of the Lord’s Supper than that which is found in the Westminster Standards and other confessional documents. A question that reveals the theology that supports PC is precisely this: what benefit does an infant derive from taking in the Supper? If you say that Christ is communicated with all His benefits... Continue Reading

“In Romans 13, Paul is arguing that the state or civil government is a biblically sanctioned institution. He is not saying how Christians are to live before or submit to that institution except that we are to not revolt against it in private revolution but are, instead, to support it and submit to it as legitimate sphere of... Continue Reading

The creeds emerged from the gospel’s encounter with a broader cultural context, through missionary expansion. The development of doctrine, as Alister McGrath notes, was “partly on account of the need to interact with a language and a conceptual framework not designed with the specific needs of Christian theology in mind.” Doctrine and creeds arise from... Continue Reading