Donnan died in 617AD and monasteries of that time had circular or sub-circular walls which separate the world of God on the inside from the world outside. “We found remains of a sub-circular enclosure and remains of seventh century activity, which would fit in with Donnan’s time.

A rape is a criminal and evil violation of a woman’s body...She certainly doesn’t need the added, huge burden of complicity in a brutal attack on an unborn child. The child is innocent. So many women who have had abortions, even under such grievous circumstances, have regretted them later.

EPC leaders say the vision of the program is to see each of its 11 presbyteries build partnerships of five to eight churches that will launch church-planting teams that can in turn establish enough churches to form presbyteries in Muslim nations.

We cannot blame our job descriptions or busyness. We cannot point the finger at the unexpected things that show up on the schedule of every pastor. We cannot blame the demands of family. We have to humbly confess our preaching is mediocre, not rising to the standard to which we have been called. The problem is us.

Think that’s scary? I recently talked to an active member in one of North Carolina’s most active, stalwart, healthy Baptist churches. An internal study there showed that 73 percent of the church budget was contributed by members who are 70 years old and up.  And funerals are conducted on a regular basis.   People who... Continue Reading

“For Nellie, the horror was that a single human life had been intentionally taken. That was the point at which government transgressed its proper authority. That was the evil that had to be stopped.”

I’m not a great fan of shaking hands across the pews at the beginning of a service or acting out motions for children’s songs. My personal version of liturgical dance is limited to standing up and sitting down. I’m glad, however, when a service pushes me out of my introvert’s worship comfort zone.

I’m concerned that so many people seem willing to let others carry the supposed burden of vaccination so that they don’t have to. To me, that’s a failure of the commandment to love our neighbors: our infant neighbors, our elderly neighbors, and our immune-compromised neighbors. That’s a disease of the soul for which the only treatment is love—best shown in the God who became man to bear our infirmities in his own body.

"Clearly the congregation needs to be able to get to know its pastor, but setting a specific time limit is like a fixed-term presidency: It could impact the way the pastor behaves just to massage his popularity numbers when the key vote comes down in three or four years' time." Carl Trueman, professor, Westminster Theological Seminary

The media circus moved quickly from discussion of Akin’s remarks to a wider discussion about the legitimacy of abortion in a tough case. And some “pro-life” politicians took the bait, not only condemning Akin’s unfortunate remarks but also declaring their support for abortion in this particular case.  Let me be clear: Allowing abortion in the... Continue Reading