As a follow up to Dr. Brian Lee’s recent post on Pastoral Openings in the URCNA, I was asked to share my personal reflections as an American on moving to and ministering in Canada.1 When I began my seminary studies, I had . . . Continue reading →
No Guts, No Glory Continue reading →
Unless Pope Francis has been praying to Martin Luther for five weeks before his release from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, an extension for his reform movement is unlikely to raise cheers from the faithful. To be sure, if he wants to host more . . . Continue reading →
Who/what did Machen oppose (and who/what opposed Machen) besides theological liberalism of the Fosdick and Auburn Affirmation ilk? Moderate evangelicals who put unity, peace, and growth before doctrinal fidelity Boards and agencies that valued efficiency, worldly ideologies, and influence above faithfulness Ecumenists . . . Continue reading →
The year was 1972, the month was July, and I was living the summer school’s-out vacation dream in the small town of Senath, Missouri that I’ve often compared to Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. How was it like Mayberry? Well, I could walk two . . . Continue reading →
On February 21 of this year, near the end of the annual American observance of Black History Month, a congregation in the Presbyterian Church in America, held a special dinner. The church website said, “This is a dinner with our special speaker, . . . Continue reading →
The OPC raised me well. Even in my earliest memories, my church felt like home. But when I returned as a young adult from serving two years on a mission field, I began to feel deeply the tension of being single and . . . Continue reading →
The cave of Adullam would not be David’s last place of residence. His life would not always be on the run with “everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul.” (1 Samuel . . . Continue reading →
We’re talking about practice; not a game, not a game, not a game. We’re talking about practice. Continue reading →
We’re still talking about practice; not a game, not a game, not a game. We’re talking about practice. Continue reading →
We’re talking about practice; not a game, not a game, not a game. We’re talking about practice. Continue reading →
It seems like far too many people treat relationships of all sorts as being disposable. As soon as they hit a rough patch of any sort they decide to pull up stakes, move on, and find a new relationship. This is especially . . . Continue reading →
Earlier R. Scott Clark wrote A Case for Confessional Membership.1 There he argued that Reformed churches should seek to raise their standards for church membership. One of the supporting arguments he listed in a footnote was the pastoral advice on church membership . . . Continue reading →
When one talks about the church what is at stake is the way in which the Christian life is organized. I believe that the Bible teaches us that believers should be united to the visible community of the redeemed meeting for worship, . . . Continue reading →
I can understand why evangelicals and others who do not have a covenantal theology would exile their children during public worship, but I do not understand why so many ostensibly Reformed congregations have adopted the practice of dismissing their covenant children from . . . Continue reading →
This discrepancy points to the prevailing interests of our Protestant churches in the twentieth century. At that time, much more attention was given to Christianity’s relationship with social issues than with doctrinal matters, and Philemon seems to touch more on social issues—specifically, . . . Continue reading →
Since the 1970’s, the church governance of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) has recognized different categories of adherence and authority for what is said, believed, and confessed. An important study committee report in 1975 clarified that Scripture is the highest authority, followed . . . Continue reading →
Not many dates are worthy of remembrance over a century-and-a-half later. The beginning or end of a war or the death of a nation’s leader might be on people’s radar for a few decades, maybe a century, but eventually the slow decay . . . Continue reading →
Rev. Michael Brown talks about his exciting ministry in Milan and the highs and lows of preaching the Gospel in a Roman Catholic-saturated environment. Continue reading →
In January of 2023, Classis Grand Rapids East of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) reported that they were committing $5,000 to a group within the CRC called Better Together, A Third Way. This group seeks to help churches build unity even when . . . Continue reading →