Cut some of the leading evangelical writers of the last decades and they bleed Socinus—without even knowing his name. For example, Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, the most widely read text of its kind in English-speaking conservative evangelical circles, rejects eternal generation of . . . Continue reading →
Evangelical Escapades
H. Richard Niebuhr On Evangelical Theology In the 21st Century?
A God without wrath brought men without sinto a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross. H. Richard Niebuhr, The Kingdom of God in America (New York: Harper & Row, 1959 [1937]) 193. (HT: Dustin Burge) Resources . . . Continue reading →
The State Of Evangelical Theology 2020: The Crisis Deepens
For a few years now Ligonier, in conjunction with Lifeway, has been conducting surveys of Americans (and others) to track the state of American Christianity. They want to know, as they write, what “Americans believe about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible.” . . . Continue reading →
Charges Possible After Saturday Fracas In Moscow, ID; Charges Against Kirkers Remain
A 59-year-old man punched a 55-year-old man multiple times in the face after the younger man threw coffee at the older man Saturday afternoon during a protest across the street from the Moscow Police Department, according to Moscow police Capt. Will Krasselt . . . Continue reading →
Why I Will Not Follow Mark Galli Across The Tiber
The phrase “swimming the Tiber” is a metaphor for converting from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism. I have not been able to determine its origins but the online Dictionary of Christianese traces the expression to 1963, which, if true, would mean that it . . . Continue reading →
QAnon, Evangelical Gnosticsm, Manichaeism, And The Kingdom Of The Cults
In the early 2nd century one of the gravest threats faced by the early Christians was a movement that we know as Gnosticism. It thrived by radically revising Christianity. According to the Gnostics, the material world is evil, the Creator God of the . . . Continue reading →
Another Famous Evangelical Apostatizes: What Does It Mean?
Jon Steingard is lead singer of the CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) band, Hawk Nelson. My CCM days are mostly behind me so I confess that I am not familiar with his music but I do recognize that he is a significant figure . . . Continue reading →
The Church Needs Prophets, Priests, And Kings (But Not Personality Types And Tests)
Through a good part of redemptive history, certainly since the inauguration of the Old Covenant (c. 16th century BC) there were three offices in the church: prophet (Deut 18:15–22), priest (Deut 18:1–14; 33:8–11), and king (1 Sam 8:19–22). The Old Testament prophets spoke God’s Word to the Old Testament national church and to the OT church in exile. The priests received the offerings of the people and mediated for them to God, and made the appointed offerings on behalf of the people. The kings succeeded the judges and ruled Israel or Israel and Judah) until the exile. Continue reading →
With Presbycast On Virtual Communion—UPDATED
Regular readers of this space will know that I am a regular (or perhaps, more properly, an irregular) guest of the Presbycast podcast hosted by Brad Isbell (Chortles Weakly) and Wresbyterian. This is a valuable (if sometimes quirky) resource for the confessional . . . Continue reading →
James MacDonald Is Not A Pastor
In internet speak a “404” is the message that comes up when a link is broken. That is what happened when I searched the website of Calvary Chapel South Bay (Gardena, CA) for information about James MacDonald. This is good news because . . . Continue reading →
Therapeutic Moralistic Deism Is Real
Not long ago I had occasion to be a typical, midwestern megachurch. Everything was out of the megachurch playbook down to the praise band and the message, which one could hardly describe as a sermon, at least if sermon means something like . . . Continue reading →
Negotiating With Polyamory: A Snapshot Of Evangelicalism In 2020
H. Richard Niebuhr (1894–1962) is the slightly less famous younger brother of Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). The latter was a favorite of two presidents, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. The former is most famous for his 1951 book, Christ and Culture, though his early work, The Social Sources of Denominationalism (1929) and The Kingdom of God in America (1937) remainfluential. In the latter he perfectly characterized liberal Christianity as that in which “A God without wrath brought men without sinto a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” In Christ and Culture he offered a taxonomy of Christian approaches Continue reading →
Video Available Now: American Gospel: Christ Crucified
The second installment in the American Gospel film series is available now. Brandon writes: The gospel message of “Christ crucified” has always been offensive. In our culture it is common for preachers to soften the offense of the cross, and the attributes . . . Continue reading →
He Is Not A Pastor Any More
Investigative journalist Julie Roys has alerted us all to news published in the Palm Beach Post that Tullian Tchividjian has planted a new congregation in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. This is news because Tchvidjian’s ministerial credentials were revoked by his PCA presbytery on . . . Continue reading →
Time To Kiss New Calvinism Goodbye
Yet another evangelical personality has announced that not only are he and his wife separating—this after he wrote a widely-read book on dating and courtship—but he has grave doubts about the truth of Christianity and he is intent on starting a podcast . . . Continue reading →
Growing Beyond Bi-Polar Spirituality Or Why You Should Be In A Confessional P&R Church
The Reformed faith, the Reformed confession, is more than five points on salvation (Dort). It is more than a set of doctrines. It is also a piety, a way of relating to God, and a set of churchly practices that grow out . . . Continue reading →
Charles Finney Does Not Live Here
Did you stop and get to know those people in the churches? Did you ask them about their burdens? Is it possible there were things much bigger that you were overlooking because of a superficial need for an emotional buzz during worship? . . . Continue reading →
What Passion City Gets Right And Wrong About The Sabbath
The last time we saw Atlanta Pastor Louie Giglio it was January 2013 and he was embroiled in controversy because he had been invited by President Obama to participate in his second inauguration. It had been discovered that Giglio held the biblical . . . Continue reading →
Trueman: What “Big Eva” Is And Why It Matters To Reformed Churches
…Big Eva is not a large German who works in border control for the Bundesrepublik but my term for the network of large evangelical organizations and conferences that seeks to shape the thinking and strategy of the American evangelical churches…. What Big . . . Continue reading →
Rachael Denhollander To SGM On The Spiritual Dangers Of Tribalism
Not only has there been no loving but firm pressure to submit to accountability and openness, the very dynamic I warned about in the Christianity Today article has been repeated. My gospel presentation and offer of forgiveness to my abuser was heralded . . . Continue reading →