Always reforming, applied to the church, doesn’t mean ever broadening, keeping every innovation, or eventually enshrining every little long-allowed deviation into law—it must also include un-changing and tightening up some things. Pope Precedent the Last is not a presbyterian. Nor is he . . . Continue reading →
Christian Life
On The Monday After Easter: What Now?
It is the Monday after Easter Sunday, the most important day in the church calendar. For many, it is a time of great busyness as the typical practice is set aside in favor of flowers, choirs, and more. Big family brunches, lunches, . . . Continue reading →
Reformed Christians and Lent
Reformed Christians have at their disposal great resources to recover a richer and deeper piety of self-denial. In his exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, the English Reformed writer William Perkins devoted fifteen pages to discussing Matthew 5:16, “when you fast,” . . . Continue reading →
With Presbygirls On Abuse In The Church
Dr Clark joined the Presbygirls podcast (part of the Presbycast media empire) with Sarah Morris, Sean Morris, and Josh Squires this week to discuss how the church should and should not address abuse. Here is the video version: RESOURCES Subscribe To The . . . Continue reading →
The CRC Is Right About Kinism (Part Two)
We began discussing the heresy of Kinism and its confusion between nature and grace in Part One of this article. The Kinists claim that people naturally congregate in ethnic/racial people groups, and they seek to use their analysis of nature to leverage . . . Continue reading →
The CRC Is Right About Kinism (Part One)
The Covid crisis and lockdowns did a lot of damage physically, spiritually, and emotionally. One effect of the lockdowns is that it has given credibility to some who opposed the lockdowns. Christians who would have never countenanced the errors of theonomy, Christian Reconstructionism, or postmillennialism are . . . Continue reading →
Who Is Causing Little Ones To Stumble?
According to numerous polls, many children of believers in Europe and North America are leaving the church once they reach young adulthood. Older Christians do not need polls to tell them this. It is evident in the pews. When we think about . . . Continue reading →
Walking Two Miles With Roman Oppressors: Christ’s Pilgrim Ethic (2)
You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to . . . Continue reading →
Do Not Follow Your Heart
A second complication has to do with the desires of the heart. Our desires are not like computer chips that emerge from a sterilized environment. They arise from a cauldron of mixed motives and longings. Our desires (or the “affections” as the . . . Continue reading →
Walking Two Miles With Roman Oppressors: Christ’s Pilgrim Ethic (1)
You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to . . . Continue reading →
The Shocking Reality Of Ordinary Christian Life
We tend toward being very pragmatic. We want to walk out of Bible study with a to-do list and may assume that the cosmic struggle represented in Revelation doesn’t lend itself to practical application. But that simply isn’t so. Revelation presents a . . . Continue reading →
Should You Attend An Ecumenical Service? (Part 2)
An old friend wrote recently to ask whether it is appropriate for a confessional Presbyterian and Reformed (P&R) pastor or congregation to participate in an ecumenical service. In Part One of this series, we discussed our terms. Now we continue the question: should . . . Continue reading →
Grace and Peace to Aliens and Strangers
If there is one religion which has defined our time—that is, postmodern, pluralist, post-Christian America—it is the religion of prosperity and success, progress and self-fulfillment. Continue reading →
How To Be Gracious To Singles
Single people in the church are often the recipients of unsolicited “words of encouragement”—words which, if not rooted in the truths of Scripture, can inflict pain and cultivate despair. These well-intended platitudes miss the mark of edifying talk. For those who haven’t . . . Continue reading →
Top 5 HB Posts For The Week Of February 27-March 5, 2023
Top 5 HB Posts For The Week Of February 27-March 5, 2023 Continue reading →
Hebrews 11, The Faith, And The Substance Of The One Covenant Of Grace (Part 2)
What then about Hebrews 11:1? Substance (ὑπόστασις) is attributed to faith (πίστις)—by the way, “faithfulness” does not work here at all as a translation of faith. Steve Baugh is exactly correct when he writes, “My understanding of Hebrews 11 proceeds from the . . . Continue reading →
Are Our Revivals Like Pentecost? (Part 2)
Is Pentecost Repeatable? The short answer is yes and no (see Part One for context with Asbury Revival). Luke records a “second Pentecost” among the Gentiles in Acts 10:34–38. In Caesarea, Peter had a vision (Acts 10:9–16) showing him that the Old . . . Continue reading →
Are Our Revivals Like Pentecost? (Part 1)
The revival that broke out in the chapel of Asbury University on February 8, 2023 is spreading. Campus Reform, a publication devoted to reporting on the state of civil liberties on American college campuses, reports that there are “seven student-led revivals across . . . Continue reading →
Did Machen Believe In Ordaining Women?
To anyone familiar with J. Gresham Machen’s biography the words, “Machen and women” will bring two facts to mind: that Machen never married and that he had a particularly intimate relationship with his mother. Much of what we know about Machen comes . . . Continue reading →
Asbury Is Ending Another Revival
From 1987–93, I was co-pastor and then solo pastor of a small congregation in Kansas City, MO. We were surrounded by Baptist, Pentecostal, and Roman Catholic congregations. I was there during the so-called Kansas City Prophets movement. The excitement of revival and . . . Continue reading →