Could it be that the way we speak about motherhood betrays a pharisaical tendency to self-aggrandize the ordinary, good, and faithful work that mothers do, while minimizing the ordinary, good, and faithful work of everyone else? And this mindset doesn’t only minimize . . . Continue reading →
Women in the Church
Video: The Second Blast Of The Trumpet Against Women’s Ordination
In this critical episode, Rev. Chris Gordon and Rev. Dr. Dan Borvan engage in a robust, biblical discussion on the Ordination of Women in the Church. They explore the common argument that rejecting the ordination of women suggests they are of less . . . Continue reading →
Women Are More Than Baby Machines
But I did feel the swell of hormones that flooded my system for the next three months, bringing me to lows I didn’t know existed, sweeping me through endless forests of my own fatigued emotions. I felt the fraying of my mind . . . Continue reading →
In Defense Of Female Seminarians
In the public sphere, for example in online publications and on social media, one sees two extremes regarding women in the church generally: let us call the first the “make me a sammich” crowd. Continue reading →
The Custom Of God’s Churches: Head Coverings And Cultural Appropriateness (Part 4)
This series has explored 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 to think through a perennial question about head coverings. Does the apostle’s teaching in this passage mandate that women everywhere and always must cover their heads in public worship—specifically that they must wear an additional . . . Continue reading →
The Custom Of God’s Churches: Head Coverings And Cultural Appropriateness (Part 3)
This series explores Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 in the hope of providing some clarity on the perennial question of whether women are required to wear head coverings in public worship. The issue basically circles around whether Paul’s instructions about head . . . Continue reading →
The Custom Of God’s Churches: Head Coverings And Cultural Appropriateness (Part 2)
Sometimes passages take on a life of their own in church life or in church history, confronting us with perennial discussions about specific and difficult questions. Such is the case with 1 Corinthians 11:2–16, where Paul discussed the need for modesty and . . . Continue reading →
The Custom Of God’s Churches: Head Coverings And Cultural Appropriateness (Part 1)
The evangelical impulse to submit our practices to Scripture is a noble instinct. So is the attempt to search the Scriptures diligently to understand what it says and how to apply it. Continue reading →
Heidelcast For Feb 4, 2024: Sin, Salvation, & Service: The Threefold Truth Of Romans (52)
In this episode Dr Clark looks at Romans 16:5–27, where he considers Paul’s co-workers, his exhortation, and his doxology. Continue reading →
Heidelcast For Jan 28, 2024: Sin, Salvation, & Service: The Threefold Truth Of Romans (51)
In this episode Dr Clark looks at Romans 16:1–4, where he considers Paul’s words about Phoebe and the important role of both Aquila and Priscilla in his ministry. Continue reading →
Serious Wisdom From Steve Baugh
How does a modern wife submit while retaining her God-given integrity as a fellow heir of life and fellow citizen with the saints? I think Paul answers that in 5:15: She submits with wisdom and careful reflection on biblical truths that bear . . . Continue reading →
On The Complementarian Responsibility Toward Women
After thirteen years of ministry alongside college-age and career-age single folks, I have witnessed, counseled, and comforted perhaps more than my share of dear people who have suffered from the tragedy of sexual and physical abuse. In a culture that seems to . . . Continue reading →
On The Importance Of Reputation
As he is wont to do, Doug Wilson wrote and published to the general public a strongly-worded opinion piece regarding a matter of current controversy. I responded to him here, and Phil Johnson added several helpful points here. As an aside, I . . . Continue reading →
She Is Not A Pastor
In this space I have written several essays attempting to help Christians think biblically, in light of the Reformed confession of the faith, about the institution of the church and about the office of pastor. Easy Cases, Hard Cases Some of the . . . Continue reading →
Who is Permitted to Read the Word Publicly to the Congregation in the PCA?
It is somewhat surprising, though, that we often do not consider this question of the public reading of Scripture in the light of a wider understanding of the biblical nature of authority in the church, as set down in the Preliminary Principles . . . Continue reading →
Sobre el papel de la mujer en la Iglesia
Entre el patriarcalismo y el igualitarismo
La ordenación de las mujeres, y, de forma más general, la participación de éstas en la iglesia, es un tema moderno que continúa produciendo numerosos libros, artículos e incluso apoyando sociedades. Lo peor que podemos hacer en las comunidades reformadas es ignorarlo . . . Continue reading →
Rescuing Complementarianism
Those who study these things (e.g., historians, sociologists) write of three “waves” of feminism. First-wave feminism accounts for the women’s suffrage movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Second-wave feminism is associated with the legalization of birth control (Griswold v . . . 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
Baugh: No Evidence For A Feminist Culture In First-Century Ephesus
Up to this point, no one has established historically that there was, in fact, a feminist culture in first-century Ephesus. It has merely been assumed. Enter Richard and Catherine Kroegers’ I Suffer Not A Woman: Rethinking 1 Timothy 2:11–15 in Light of . . . 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 →