We may not bludgeon sincere men with cries of “Peace! Peace!” where there is no peace. We may not neglect the reasonable concerns of our brethren by naïvely asserting that everyone is trustworthy and in one accord merely by virtue of their ordination. Continue reading →
Church Life
A Word To The PCA: Fathers, Do Not Exasperate Your Brothers (1)
There is a kind of therapeutic psychology rampant among the elite in Western culture’s ivory towers and it has made its way into our seminaries and churches, beguiling some and maddening others. Continue reading →
Speaking In Foreign Languages In The Church? The Adoption Of Business Language In The Church In Light Of 1 Corinthians 14:27
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a psalm, a lesson, a revelation, a foreign language, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a foreign language, let there be only two . . . Continue reading →
OPC Response To Kentucky Flooding
Volunteers have come from all over the country. They have worked at the church building to remove ceiling tiles, as well as much of the drywall and trim. The doors have been sandbagged to keep potential future floods at bay. The two . . . Continue reading →
Should Pastors Leave The Culture Or Take It Captive?
The Benedict Option versus Redeemer Presbyterian Church (NYC) is a wrestling match this writer would pay to see. Which side has the greater strength either of argument or piety than the other? To leave the mainstream culture because it is hostile to . . . Continue reading →
The Lapsed Now And Then: What The Decian Persecution Teaches Us About Recovering From Covid
The Roman soldier handled Perpetua roughly. There was no question who was in charge. He took her before the Captain to be questioned and then to the Procurator. The procedure was simple. He asked her one question three times: “Are you a . . . Continue reading →
He Is A Pastor, Not A Priest
One of the great temptations that reporters face, especially as they become famous (or notorious), is the temptation to think that they are part of the story or that they are in charge of the story. In other words, it is tempting, . . . Continue reading →
Para Means “Alongside” Not “Is”
Is the Family Research Council a church? What about Cru, the Gideons International, Voice of the Martyrs, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), Liberty Counsel, the American Family Association, Navigators, and World Vision? The Controversy According to a recent story by Daniel Silliman, . . . Continue reading →
A New URCNA Congregation Forming In Norfolk, VA
Here in Norfolk, VA, the Lord is working to build His Church. In the summer of 2021, a group of families began meeting regularly to study the Heidelberg Catechism and the Bible together. Over the next few months, these families met with . . . Continue reading →
What Churches Can Do To Reconcile With Those Who Left
How The Church Can Model The Covenant Of Grace
A few days ago I made an appeal to those who left their congregations over disagreements with church leadership about how the visible church responded to Covid. I asked for understanding and forgiveness. I also argued that, in most cases, those who . . . Continue reading →
How The Church Can Address Mental Illness
Mental illness can be difficult to recognize physically. It tends to lay hidden beneath the surface. Many people are ashamed to admit they struggle with a mental illness, and some may not even know they have one. This can be particularly painful . . . Continue reading →
Two Conference Talks Worth Hearing: Ligon Duncan And Tim Keller On Women And The Diaconate
In 2009, at the PCA General Assembly, Ligon Duncan and Tim Keller each gave talks about the biblical, historical, and practical questions Continue reading
On The Role Of Women In The Church
Between Patriarchalism And Egalitarianism
The issue of women’s ordination, and more generally women’s involvement in the church, is a modern issue which continues to generate numerous books, articles, and even supporting societies. The worst thing we in Reformed communions can do is ignore the issue simply . . . Continue reading →
Did Paul Lie To The Corinthians?
Of Masks And Weaker Brothers Revisited
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. However, not all possess this knowledge. Continue reading →
“Father Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do” (Luke 23:34)
Guilt And Forgiveness “Please forgive me.” These might be three of the most difficult words in the English language to say sincerely. To say these words sincerely is to confess sin, i.e., transgression of the God’s holy moral law. God’s Word says, . . . Continue reading →
Who Stopped Attending To The Due Use Of The Means Of Grace During Covid And Why
During his 21 years as lead pastor of Grace Church in Greenville, North Carolina, Mike Meshaw has seen many people come and go in the transient area that is home to East Carolina University. Before COVID-19 shut things down in March 2020, . . . Continue reading →
An Overlooked Aspect Of The Story: PCA Influence On Acts 29 And Mars Hill
Good News For The Reformed Churches: Small Is In Again
“According to the recently released Faith Communities Today study, half of the congregations in the United States have 65 people or fewer, while two-thirds of congregations have fewer than 100.” Continue reading →
How To Handle A Divisive Person In The Church
As society is presently ripped apart with divisions on every issue, the church is likewise bombarded with divisive people who are using the current cultural divide to mimic the culture and tear apart the body of Christ. Christians have to be acutely . . . Continue reading →
Presbyterial Problems
This has not been a wonderful week in American Presbyterianism. Earlier this week Aimee Byrd published the letter she received from the Southeast Presbytery of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and then she announced that she is leaving her OPC congregation and the . . . Continue reading →