The faithful service of the ruling elder is most valuable. Paul says, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (1 Tim 5:17). One of the most important things Paul . . . Continue reading →
I have explained at great length here why those who deny our covenant theology, our hermeneutics, and our doctrine of the sacraments are not Reformed. All the Reformed confessions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries teach paedobaptism and denounce the rejection of . . . 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 →
In response to an article in USA Today on multi-site churches, in which Redeemer Presbyterian (NYC) was featured, Tim Keller offered a brief clarification of Redeemer’s version of the multi-site model.1 As part of that explanation he articulated a premise that strikes . . . Continue reading →
Previously began a discussion about parachurch ministries in relation to the church. The point was to raise a concern about how, frequently, parachurch ministries implicitly, if (perhaps) unintentionally, try to usurp the visible, institutional church’s primary role in God’s plan to save . . . Continue reading →
“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 →
A HB reader writes to ask about to think about and vote in a congregational election for elders when one does not know the nominees. This is a difficult question for a couple of reasons. First, we have little to no evidence . . . Continue reading →
As I ran errands yesterday I listened to a recent Presbycast episode from which I learned that there are NAPARC congregations in which laity (non-ordained members of the congregation) regularly attend elders meetings and participate in the decision making process. In Presbyterian . . . Continue reading →
Holidays are a time for great sentiment, which the Oxford American Dictionary defines, in this usage, as an “exaggerated and self-indulgent feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia.” Who does not watch the annual Christmas movies? They are part of the late-modern communal . . . Continue reading →
Sean writes (in response to another post) raising the question implicitly of cynicism about the visible, institutional church. My response is below. I understand disappointment with the discipline process. I’m disappointed when a consistory places people under discipline and those who’ve been . . . Continue reading →
As a follow on to the recent post about what confidential information pastors should (or shouldn’t) share with their wives, it seems worth spending a moment thinking about the idea office. In this sense it refers to functions and particularly to duties. . . . Continue reading →
Almost from the moment I came into contact with the PCA, in 1984, people were talking about whether the PCA should split. So it’s not entirely surprising that informal talk of splitting the PCA should still exist. Nevertheless, it was a little . . . Continue reading →
(HT: Aquila Report) The Northwest Georgia Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) voted without objection on September 15, 2012 to adopt a “Declaration on the Special Creation of Adam and Eve for Presbytery.” Of the 14 particular churches, 8 sessions . . . Continue reading →
I’ve been thinking more lately about the scandal of fencing the table. I should have thought to do this earlier. Researching an answer to another question I ran across some interesting Dutch Reformed (in this case, Christian Reformed) sources on this question. . . . Continue reading →
At Feeding on Christ (HT: Nick Batzig)
