The Role of Community in Purity
It's not enough for us to live lives of purity alone. We are called to be life rafts for one another, offering the conversation, prayer, and accountability that our brothers and sisters need.
In a world where impurity is not just tolerated but celebrated, we are called to be different. We are called to be a people marked by purity, both individually and collectively. Let us strive to live out this calling with intentionality and commitment, supporting one another in our pursuit of holiness. As we do, we... Continue Reading
WCF 32: Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
How we live now determines what happens when we die.
There are no other options besides heaven and hell. Purgatory is a baseless medieval invention. It is true that following death the wicked and the righteous will enter what is called the intermediate state, an in-between stage. The righteous will eagerly anticipate the redemption of our bodies; the wicked, like fallen angels, will enter a... Continue Reading
The Loss of Intellectual Curiosity—and Why It’s Dividing the Church
What would happen if the evangelical church expressed more intellectual curiosity with one another? I think we would discover four things.
If we don’t understand a person’s view, we should ask for clarity. And when we get that clarity, we should take them at their word. In sum, we should just follow the golden rule when we disagree with others: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matt 7:12).... Continue Reading
Theological Traps that Hinder Evangelism
Are we presently struggling in the quagmire of one or more of the following four traps?
Our sinful flesh, even with a thorough grasp of sound doctrine, can cause us to fail to evangelize. We might maintain a strong stance against hyper-Calvinism and be committed doctrinally to urgency about making disciples and still find ourselves apathetic and passive in evangelism. A trap is something you fall into because you don’t... Continue Reading
Is the PCA a 2.5-Office Church?
Two specific areas in which the PCA – while holding to two offices, not three – in practice, encourages what has been called, half-seriously, a 2.5-office system.
Bringing together, then, the “permanency of the gifts which qualify for the office,” and the church’s judgment “that Christ is calling this man to the exercise of the office,” Murray considers it inconsistent for the elder to be installed for a specified period (despite the PCA’s “perpetual” ordination, this does not preclude churches from specifying... Continue Reading
When Trouble Comes Near
God does not want us to live in denial of trouble—not of ours nor of those near us. Nor does he want us to keep our distance when it happens.
It’s a wisdom that says, I know that trouble will come. As it came to Job, as it came to Jesus, it will come to me. But God has said, ‘I will be with you. I will never forsake you. And I will redeem all things. This is not the end.’ “All things work together for... Continue Reading
Bringing Minds and Lives Captive to Christ
Francis Schaeffer and the Christian intellectual task.
Schaeffer stands as a positive example for the Church today as someone who understood what was truly behind the culture war raging around him. It was not a war that just began in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade; it had started in the Garden. He was no scholar’s scholar, but he was a man... Continue Reading
The Role of a Pastoral Apologist: Doctrine and Discernment
Doctrinal accuracy and discernment nurtures the flock and protects them from false teachings and guides them in truth.
It’s crucial for the pastor to maintain doctrinal purity while also exercising discernment against misleading teachings. Both are fundamental to nurturing and protecting the flock. The introduction to this series explored the role of the pastoral apologist. We explored Paul’s charge to Timothy, highlighting the responsibilities and the profound calling of pastors to serve... Continue Reading
Tech and Trust
Don’t believe your lying eyes.
Even more, in an age like ours, God’s people should be a notable exception or, as historian Tom Holland put it, “weird” in the sense that we are committed to the truth even if everyone else abandons it. President Biden’s announcement to not seek re-election punctuated one of the most eventful and historic months... Continue Reading
Six Words of Advice for Young Seminarians
Maximizing the Seminary Experience
Students contribute to the family of God as gifted brothers and sisters. Within the local body, seminary students may participate in a scaffolding of opportunities for leading, teaching, and serving in all sorts of capacities…local church participation coheres seminary coursework with the Great Commission. For many pastors, time spent in formal seminary training is... Continue Reading
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