I have been a Presbyterian pastor for twenty-five years, the last three of which I was privileged to serve as an aged-care chaplain. I ministered in three Presbyterian nursing homes with a community of 220 residents, some 400 staff, and hundreds of . . . Continue reading →
Confessional Presbyterianism
After Calvin: Recommended Reading
There is a popular view of church history that tells a story in which there was a pure, believing church during the apostolic age and then, for all intents and purposes, there was not a church (except for the Waldensians who alone . . . Continue reading →
The Simplicity of Biblical Polity
A “senior pastor” is one elder among many (as Peter, Paul, and the unnamed elders were at the Jerusalem Council, Acts 15:23) and has no extraordinary authority.* Unfortunately, some—usually large—presbyterian churches become de facto staff-led rather than elder-led. The senior pastor becomes . . . Continue reading →
We Are Not Professionals But Ought To Be True Confessionals
I recently wrote a book review about a volume by an author whose works usually prompt me to significant disagreement, but, in this case, whether because of a change of his mind or coincidence of the material, I found that I generally . . . Continue reading →
Charles Stover Discovers The Reformed Confession
It was my first staff meeting serving as a youth intern in my hometown church. My pastor, who had graciously allowed me to test my gifts in the pulpit before I went off to Bible college, wanted to know where I stood . . . Continue reading →
Godfrey On The Lure Of Influence
Now I am not opposed to the idea of trying to be an influence. The Christian community should not isolate itself from discussion with anyone or from common action with non-Christians where the faith is not compromised. Christians should hope, pray, and . . . Continue reading →
Machen’s Warrior Children, Ed Stetzer, And Beth Moore
John Frame first published his essay “Machen’s Warrior Children” in 2003, in a Festscrhfit (a volume of congratulatory essays usually in honor of a 65th birthday or a retirement) for Alister McGrath. The essay was ostensibly a historical analysis of what happened . . . Continue reading →
Pies, Docs, Kuyps, And Confessionalists
The first time I heard the expression, “Pies, Docs, and Kuyps” was during a seminary lecture by Derke Bergsma. He was relating what had already become a fairly standard sociological taxonomy in the Reformed world. There are three kinds of Reformed folk: . . . Continue reading →
Audio: How Not To Be A Heretic
You and I are not the first ones to read the Bible. Christians as individuals and the church as a corporation has been hearing, meditating upon, and reading God’s Word for its entire history. One of the principal fruits of that corporate . . . Continue reading →
Creeds Are Unavoidable
Christianity is a creedal religion. You cannot separate Christianity from its ancient creeds. In fact, every true Christian adheres to the ancient creeds of the church, whether he knows it or not. We all have creeds. Whether formal or informal—whether written or . . . Continue reading →
Good News From Charleston, SC
Jon Payne, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA), sends word of good news about this church planting work in Charleston. Not all the church news that comes over the transom is good news but this report is encouraging. Jon writes: Christ Church . . . Continue reading →
Paul’s “Faithful Saying” And The Gospel Of Salvation
First of all, then, let us observe that this “faithful saying” takes us back into the counsels of eternity and reveals to us the ground, in the decree of God, for the gift of His Son to the world, and the end . . . Continue reading →
Happy Birthday To The Shorter Catechism!
Thanks to Wayne Sparkman for his consistently excellent daily posts. From his keyboard comes a reminder that today is an anniversary of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. On this day in 1647, the House of Commons ordered the printing of the Westminster Shorter . . . Continue reading →
Carnell’s Ironic Critique Of Machen
The mentality of fundamentalism sometimes crops up where one would least expect it; and there is no better illustration of this than the inimitable New Testament scholar, J. Gresham Machen. Machen was an outspoken critic of the fundamentalist movement. He argued with . . . Continue reading →
On Churchless Evangelicals (pt 1)
An HB Classic
I was once a churchless evangelical. As a young Christian I attended a medium-sized (300 member) SBC (Southern Baptist) congregation for a few years without joining. It wasn’t really a problem. Of course they would like to have seen me baptized (as . . . Continue reading →
Confessional Presbyterian Volume 6 Available Now
The Confessional Presbyterian is six years old this year. Volume 6 is as outstanding and useful as the previous 5 volumes. You may subscribe before Jan 1, 2011 for $18.00 (($25 Institutional/Foreign). The USA rate will rise to the normal retail price . . . Continue reading →
2011 Westminster Seminary Conference: Christianity and Liberalism Revisited
Few figures have been as important to Reformed Christianity in North America as J. Gresham Machen. He faced many of the same challenges that we face now and he did so in a way that advanced the faith, he did so winsomely, . . . Continue reading →
A Confessional Alternative to the PCA's Strategic Plan From the NW Georgia Presbytery (Updated)
UPDATE 27 MAY 2010 David W. Hall, pastor of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA), Powder Springs, GA offers some “Answers to Questions” about the overture. The overture is now online (PDF). ORIGINAL POST 24 MAY 2010 On April 30, 2010 the Rev Dr . . . Continue reading →
Is the Strategic Plan Presbyterian?
“There are some attributes of a thing that can be altered without compromising its basic character. You could remove the stone cladding of Buckingham Palace to reveal the red brick underneath and it would still be Buckingham Palace. Yet if you painted the White . . . Continue reading →
Machen on Creeds and Doctrinal Advance
Thanks to Dan and GR for posting this gem from Machen.