As I lifted my hands, scanned the room, and gave my first benediction, the realization that I really was a pastor now hit me like a ton of bricks. From now on it was my job to “shepherd the flock of God… . . . Continue reading →
Author Archives: Stephen Spinnenweber
Psalm 67: Isn’t It Aaronic? (Part 3)
Why will the nations “be glad and sing for joy”? In Part 2 of our study of Psalm 67, we explored the first of three reasons offered by the psalmist: “For you judge the peoples with equity.” Despite the fallenness of our . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 67: Isn’t It Aaronic? (Part 2)
In Part 1 of our study of Psalm 67, we played the part of a biblical cartographer, mapping and tracing the blessings of God to his people. Channeling the language of the Aaronic benediction, the psalmist asks for God’s grace and blessing . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 67: Isn’t It Aaronic? (Part 1)
Have you ever had a déjà vu moment—one of those “I swear I’ve been here before” experiences? If you read the opening verse of Psalm 67 carefully, you ought to have such a déjà vu moment: “May God be gracious to us . . . Continue reading →
The Federal Vision (Part Two): Justification And The Role Of Faith
One would be hard-pressed to find a doctrine more treasured and jealously defended in Reformed theology than the doctrine of free justification. It was, after all, Martin Luther who said that justification is the article by which the church stands or falls.1 If . . . Continue reading →
The Federal Vision (Part One): Redefining Covenant And Justification
I have heard it before and I will hear it again, “The Federal Vision is dead. Move on.” Though it is true that the Federal Vision (FV) is now well over twenty years old, it has lost none of its steam in . . . Continue reading →
Review: Covenant Foundations: Understanding the Promise-Keeping God of the Bible By Alec Motyer
I am not a betting man, but if I were I would be willing to bet some serious book money that if you start talking theological shop with any Presbyterian or Reformed Christian, you will hear the word covenant within the first . . . Continue reading →
Review: The Doctrine of Repentance By Thomas Watson (Part 2)
Having established what genuine repentance is and is not (chapters 1–4), The Doctrine of Repentance spends chapters 5–8 on the all-important why—“Why are we to repent?” Or “What are the proper motives for repentance?” The first motive that Watson offers in chapter . . . Continue reading →
Review: The Doctrine of Repentance By Thomas Watson (Part 1)
My favorite question and answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC) is hands down number 87: “What is repentance unto life? Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of . . . Continue reading →
Review: The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes By Nancy Pearcy
The content of Nancy Pearcy’s The Toxic War on Masculinity is as thought-provoking as the title of the book itself. The fact that I had to train myself to stop saying, “The War on Toxic Masculinity” proves Pearcy’s point—whether a person agrees . . . Continue reading →
Review: How the Church Fathers Read the Bible by Gerald Bray
If you were to survey your average Reformed churchgoer on the extent of their knowledge of church history, my guess is that their knowledge would extend as far back as the sixteenth century and the Protestant Reformation. They know the story of . . . Continue reading →
Saturday Psalm Series: Meditating On Psalm 8 (Part 2): The Mindfulness Of Our Redeemer
In the previous post, we considered how Psalm 8 highlights the greatness of God’s being in order to highlight the greatness of His grace and how a greater conception of grace inspires greater gratitude in the hearts and minds of God’s people. . . . Continue reading →
Saturday Psalm Series: Meditating On Psalm 8 (Part 1): The Mindfulness of Our Creator & Sustainer
Mindfulness is everywhere. Recently, as I was waiting in the grocery store checkout line, my eyes happened upon a special edition of TIME magazine titled, “Mindfulness: Your Path to Health & Happiness.” On the cover sat a young woman in a yoga . . . Continue reading →
Review: Ryan M. Kelly, Calls to Worship, Invocations, and Benedictions
The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is man’s chief end?” The answer, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” I know, you know the answer already. You have heard it innumerable times. But . . . Continue reading →
Review: R. C. Sproul’s Luther and the Reformation
With his characteristic clarity and story-telling ability, R. C. Sproul’s Luther and the Reformation: How a Monk Discovered the Gospel reveals the lines of connection between the personal crises of Martin Luther’s life and the development of his theological thought. As the . . . Continue reading →
Homosexuality, Concupiscence, and the PCA
Until recently the doctrine of concupiscence received little attention in Reformed circles. Perhaps it was mentioned in passing during a systematics class in seminary, but until the first Revoice conference in 2018 few knew how to pronounce, much less define concupiscence. Since . . . Continue reading →
Actually, We Do Care: A Response To Greg Johnson’s Still Time To Care
It seems like a slam dunk in Johnson’s favor—yet another sad example of heterosexual Christians excusing their unbridled, “polyamorous” lusts for members of the opposite sex and choosing instead to fixate upon the homosexual sins of another. But, something key is missing. Continue reading →