Our Ambivalence Toward ‘Medical Progress’
Yes, lives are saved and improved through medical research. But if you are look carefully, you may see that many more lives have been sacrificed for the same reason. As you are no doubt aware, the pioneer of in vitro fertilization has just been awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. Robert G. Edwards... Continue Reading
“TEC is Doomed. Fulfilling 20/20 Vision Impossible” according to Episcopal leader in Dallas
The Episcopal Church now claims to have 2.3 million baptized members, an average Sunday attendance of 680,000 in some 7,000 parishes. The average age of an Episcopalian is in the mid Sixties with the average congregation size at slightly less than 70. The Dean of the flagship cathedral of St. Matthew’s, Dallas, the Very Rev.... Continue Reading
Gospel Tweets – “God has hardwired me for 140 characters”
Twitter challenges me to communicate the gospel in concise ways–in short sentences. About 8 months ago the media guys at Coral Ridge dragged me kicking and screaming into twitter world. I had no interest whatsoever in adding one more thing to my life. But since that time, I’ve come to love it. I’ve even been... Continue Reading
The PCA’s New Dilemma about Deacons (II)
I want to counter and challenge some of the unbiblical thinking in the PCA surrounding the nature and notion of office in general, and concerning the office of deacon in particular… When Presbyterians Don’t Understand Being Presbyterian One might think that after being in existence for over three decades the PCA might have some inkling... Continue Reading
Marks of the true Church – Is Love Number 4?
No one ever wrote a children’s song that said, “They will know we are Christians by our every-second-Sunday-of-the-month Lord’s Supper, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.” I suppose every body of believers that hangs their shingle out has to decide pretty soon exactly who they are. There may be a fair amount of wiggle room for... Continue Reading
Well-Known Pastor Mark Driscoll: “Pastors, Don’t Sacrifice Your Family for Church Planting”
There is a crisis in the church planting community. Many pastors have a horrible marriage and families are falling apart, said Mark Driscoll of Seattle megachurch Mars Hill on Thursday. Not one to mince his words, Driscoll spoke explicitly of how the wives of church planters are at least as likely to betray the marriage... Continue Reading
Did we succeed in worship this Sunday?
Did we succeed in worship this Sunday? At first this may seem like a very silly question. But those who planned and led worship will probably be asking themselves this question on Monday morning. Did we succeed? It is not always easy to answer this question! The strange thing is, landscapers know when they succeed... Continue Reading
Vacancy at the Christian Mind: Only Arty Middle Class Intellectuals Need Apply
Why do we only ever have Christian conferences on things such as the performing arts, or politics, or literature, or movies? Why never on toilet cleaning, factory floor sweeping, or production line manufacturing? I confess that I am reeling from the fact that, at an age when I was still reading books with titles like... Continue Reading
The Inspiration of the Declaration of Independence
Samuel Adams could say “The people seem to recognize this resolution as though it were a decree promulgated from heaven.” This address was delivered on July 5, 1926 rather than on July 4 because July 4 was a Sunday. The nation had a tradition of not holding public celebrations on Sunday—it still was seen as... Continue Reading
Why American Public Schools Need Religion Courses
It is time to address our national epidemic of religious illiteracy Who knows more about religion – the arch-atheist Christopher Hitchens or Islam bashed Rev. Franklin Graham? Most likely the unbeliever, according to a U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey released today by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. In this, the first major study... Continue Reading