The Christian’s Hard Affluence and Easy Hardship
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, imagine you’re the one who’s been left by the side of the road. The change in perspective will work wonders for your sense of contingency—and generosity.
With all our affluence today, rather than worrying over waning faith and despairing over our salvation, we ought to see the tremendous opportunity that affluence affords us to love our neighbors on a scale premodern people could never imagine. Such different outlook could make all the difference in the world—and beyond. From sociologists Christian... Continue Reading
Drag Queens and the Queering of the Church
Normalization of homosexuality leads to greater degrees of debauchery by concerted efforts on the part of activists to attack the image of God in man.
Whether it be drag performances in a church, bookstore, public school, or civic event—the normalization of drag is grievous and the Lord will not be mocked, even as femininity is mocked by these performers. The wrath of God is coming. And woe to those churches who call what is evil, good. It’s Sunday morning... Continue Reading
No One Shared the Gospel with Me
We cannot simply assume that a lost person is a lost cause.
As Christians, one of our primary tasks is to share the good news with those who desperately need it, and who needs it more than those who are lost. In order to do this our attitudes need to be completely re-shaped and conformed to Christ. You wake up in the morning, scratch your back... Continue Reading
The Glory of Christ’s Church
Scripture provides us with a number of descriptions which help us understand the nature and identity of the Church.
As we consider our calling as the Church of the living God, may we begin by recognizing how God sees us in Christ. May we start by realizing what God has declared about the purpose and nature of the Church, not settling for something that falls far short of the divine reality, but instead, setting... Continue Reading
How to Help Relieve Exhaustion and Isolation for Families Living with Disability
The demands of raising a child with a disability can be overwhelming and all-consuming.
No particular background or skillset is needed for respite volunteers. This realization can offset stress and place the emphasis where it belongs: the chance to love people well in the name of Jesus. Did you know families living with disability consistently name respite care as their top unmet need? A recent Joni and Friends... Continue Reading
Gay vs. Queer
Queer theory means that you could be saying anything you want about yourself and are therefore communicating nothing stable or meaningful at all.
The winners and losers may change, but the game is always the same: to dethrone whatever today’s dominant categories might be, whether of heterosexuality, whiteness, or the gender binary. It is categorical stability, not the categories themselves, that is the real enemy. In a recent New York Times opinion column, Pamela Paul makes an... Continue Reading
The Free Offer of the Gospel…Not What You’ve Been Told!
Some Calvinists assert that the genuineness of the gospel offer presupposes God’s desire that all embrace Christ.
Although God does not desire the salvation of the reprobate, we may declare with full confidence and without equivocation: “God came to save sinners, like you and like me. Come now, receive and rest Christ as he is freely offered to you this day and you will be saved!” Q. What is effectual calling? A.... Continue Reading
Read God’s Law for Maximal Application
God’s commandments and law apply to every area of our lives.
The Divines provide us a powerful biblical training that forbids us from adopting a merely privatized faith. Their call on our lives is to emulate their patterns of interpretation and to apply God’s law to every area of life. This is what godliness looks like. When we confess our sins in worship, we confess... Continue Reading
The Tale of Two Fig Trees
Jesus' parables demonstrate how He came to bring judgment upon His enemies and salvation to His people.
The Jews had borne no fruit for their God. The Church would become like a fig tree in summer, ready at any moment to burst forth with the most luxuriant blooms to feed the nations. The Jews of that first century, all who rejected Christ, would be thrown into the fires. The Church, in that... Continue Reading
Conservative Presbyterians Lay Out Why Mainline Cousins Are Losing Members: “Supernatural Battle”
The liberal Presbyterian Church USA has approximately 700,000 fewer members than in 2012.
The Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA)…made headlines in October when its Office of General Assembly announced that it would be adding a “nonbinary/genderqueer” option to its official church statistics in a push to be “inclusive,” according to a press release. The mainline denomination is theologically liberal and ordains women as well as practicing members of the... Continue Reading
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