We sit in church week after week and, if we are blessed, twice a week, for corporate worship. One of the most important elements of that holy assembly of the Christ-Confessing covenant people is the preaching of the Word. Yet, were we . . . Continue reading →
Preaching the Word
Video: What’s the Difference Between Covenant Theology And Dispensationalism?
What are some of the differences between Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism? Why are there so many debates over Covenant Theology? Dr. Harrison Perkins joins Pastor Adriel Sanchez to discuss some of the themes in his two recent books, Reformed Covenant Theology: A . . . Continue reading →
Murray On The Sabbath
2025 marks the fiftieth year since the death of John Murray, who was undoubtedly one of the most important Reformed theologians of the twentieth century. Murray contributed to Reformed theology in several significant ways, but one perhaps overlooked area is with respect . . . Continue reading →
Video: Righteous by Design and Created for Communion
In this rich theological conversation, Camden Bucey welcomes Dr. Harrison Perkins—pastor, scholar, and author—to discuss his two latest books: Righteous by Design: Covenantal Merit and Adam’s Original Integrity (Christian Focus) and Created for Communion with God: The Promise of Genesis 1–2 (Lexham . . . Continue reading →
Review: Confession of the Christian Religion By Girolamo Zanchi (trans. Patrick O’Banion)
Girolamo Zanchi (1516–90) is certainly not a household name in Christian circles. He was very well known among seventeenth-century Reformed Christians, however. For just one example, Puritan Thomas Goodwin wrote that Zanchi was “the best of Protestant Writers.”1 So why are many Reformed . . . Continue reading →
Video: Ascension, Mystery, And Benefits (Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 18)
This video is from the evening worship service at New Life Presbyterian Church of La Mesa on May 4, 2025. Continue reading →
Any Text Without A Context Is Pretext For A Prooftext
So said my homiletics (preaching) professor, Derke Bergsma. I do not know if that aphorism was original to Derke (he often quoted R. B. Kuiper to us in class, e.g., “Men, there are three points to every sermon, the text, the text, . . . Continue reading →
Video: Guilt, Grace, Gratitude: A Reformed Look at Hebrews
Join Rev. Chris Gordon (Escondido URC, Westminster Seminary Graduate) and Dr. Steve Baugh (Professor Emeritus, Westminster Seminary California) as they delve into the Book of Hebrews. They discuss the central theme: the call for persevering faith in Christ alone. Dr. Baugh explains . . . Continue reading →
Video: The Compassionate King: Unpacking Matthew’s Gospel
In this episode, Dan Borvan and Chris Gordon return to the mic to reflect on the physical and emotional toll of the devastation, analyze what may have gone wrong, and examine the belief some have that these fires are a manifestation of divine judgment. Continue reading →
The Rise Of Moralism In Seventeenth-Century Anglican Preaching: A Case Study
The twenty-first century is not the first to witness English-speaking theologians in the Reformed tradition expressing dissatisfaction with the Reformation’s doctrine of justification through faith alone on the ground of Christ’s righteousness and sacrifice alone. Continue reading →
Preaching Sola Fide Better
After a conference address that expounded the doctrine of justification by faith and showed its contemporary importance, the following comments were overheard during a coffee break. Continue reading →
Review: Small Preaching: 25 Little Things You Can Do Now To Become A Better Preacher By Jonathan T. Pennington
Christians are lifelong students of Christ. Disciples are pupils in the school of the great Teacher. We are constantly learning more about Christ, his salvation, and what it means to follow him in faith. Similarly, preachers are lifelong students. There is no . . . Continue reading →
Video: Is California Under Judgment? A Discussion on The Wildfires and Man’s Fallenness
In this episode, Dan Borvan and Chris Gordon return to the mic to reflect on the physical and emotional toll of the devastation, analyze what may have gone wrong, and examine the belief some have that these fires are a manifestation of divine judgment. Continue reading →
Review: The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? By Jim Davis and Michael Graham
According to recent Gallup polls, American churches are emptier today than they were twenty-five years ago.1 Church membership is falling in large numbers. In fact, over fifty percent of Americans rarely or never attend worship services—and if they do, it is usually . . . Continue reading →
Review: Preaching As Reminding: Stirring Memory In An Age Of Forgetfulness By Jeffrey D. Arthurs
I wonder how many books about preaching have been published. Two hundred? Five hundred? It is hard to know for sure, but the number is not small. And although there are numerous books about preaching, most of them are quite similar. They . . . Continue reading →
Review: Plans for Holy War: How the Spiritual Soldier Fights, Conquers, and Triumphs By John Arrowsmith
The Reformed and Presbyterian world is currently enjoying a steady stream of recently-translated sixteenth- and seventeenth-century treatises and writings heretofore only available in Latin—texts written by luminaries like Theodore Beza, Caspar Olevianus, William Ames, Robert Rollock, Francis Turretin, and Johann Heidegger, to . . . Continue reading →
Video: The Aim Of Preaching
Rev. Dr. Jon D. Payne and Chris Gordon look to define “preaching”, and how to do it effectively, and discuss the two broad aims of sharing the word of God. They talk about the pressures pastors face from behind the pulpit, the . . . Continue reading →
The Pastor And The Free Offer Of The Gospel Part 2: Personal Evangelism
In this two-part essay, we are considering the articulation between the pastoral ministry and the free offer of the gospel. In part 1, we took a look at the free offer of the gospel and how it impacts preaching. In this second . . . Continue reading →
The Pastor And The Free Offer Of The Gospel Part 1: The Pulpit
There has been much interest in recent years on the subject of the free offer of the gospel and several helpful books have been written on the subject.1 This research has helped further clarify that Calvinism is not the same thing as hyper-Calvinism, . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Distinguishing Law And Gospel Is Basic To Preaching
The basic principle in application is to know whether the passage is a statement of the law or of the gospel. For when the Word is preached, the law and the gospel operate differently. The law exposes the disease of sin, and . . . Continue reading →