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 →
This is now the third essay to address the problem of falling pastors. In the first two attempts I focused on the importance of pastoral wisdom as they seek to serve and protect the sheep.1 In the second I pointed to the . . . Continue reading →
The other day in class, I was to lecture on the Marrow Controversy (c. 1700–1733) but as I listened to what the students were discussing (while I was getting the tech set up) and as I scanned their faces, I could see . . . Continue reading →
We live in an age of much uncertainty. Confusion and division are the hallmarks of our time. What stands out among the masses is a figure who arises with any amount of charisma, who is given a platform, and is able, with . . . Continue reading →
The laboring mother gave one last push and the baby emerged into the capable, experienced hands of the midwife. Infant mortality was high and the midwife knew it. She had seen too many babies that looked like this one die before they . . . Continue reading →
We live in an age of rapid change and instant gratification. “Outreach” magazine publishes an annual list of the fastest growing churches in America. Christian publishers seek authors with “platforms.” The church now pays more attention to social media influencers and leadership . . . Continue reading →
Perhaps nothing so scandalizes the contemporary (i.e., modern) church as the attempt by the visible church to obey the teaching of Jesus and the teaching of the Apostles concerning the Lord’s Table. I say this for three reasons: 1) recently I have . . . Continue reading →
Kevin DeYoung offers several practical reasons why church membership matters.1 At least one of the comments on his article called for biblical proof for the idea of church membership. I offer these biblical considerations.2 There is a widespread notion that a truly . . . Continue reading →
We often speak of “my church.” That is a colloquial way of saying, “the congregation of which I am a member.” We sometimes act, however, as if the church actually belongs to us. One doubts that many would be willing to admit . . . Continue reading →
What does it mean to be a member of a local church? Those who take church membership seriously recognize it comes with a lot of responsibilities. The faithful church member attends worship regularly and engages meaningfully in the divine service. They pray . . . Continue reading →
One of the themes I have pursued here is the churchlessness of the evangelical movement.1 I have challenged those evangelicals who say they believe the Reformed faith to stop being Nicodemites.2 When other folk see for themselves what is happening and they . . . Continue reading →
In our Bible study for the Eugene Reformed work, we have been faithfully crawling through Romans—the slow pace is my fault I am afraid. Romans is just such a rich book of the Scriptures that I cannot resist looking at every little . . . Continue reading →
An increasing number of pastors in the PCA are either resigning or being fired due to their narcissistic abuses undermining their ministry, which is truly disheartening. However, the more significant issue lies in the job advertisements for pastors, which often attract narcissistic . . . Continue reading →