Ferguson On Celebrating Christmas

It’s often said that Christmas is actually a pagan holiday based on the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. But that is a bit like saying that Reformation Sunday is a pagan celebration because it coincides with Halloween. Some churches started holding a Reformation . . . Continue reading →

The Recovery Of The Call To Worship

Over the past several years, I have taught seminary courses on the theology and practice of worship in the Reformed tradition. The syllabus requires students to interact with worship services posted online, evaluating the elements, coherence, and execution of the liturgy. The . . . 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 →

What We Can Learn From 1524

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Half a millennium ago, as Europeans entered the year 1524, they were gazing at the heavens in trepidation, fearful of a Grand Conjunction that was set to occur. Johann Stöffler, a professor . . . Continue reading →

A Tale Of Two Kingdoms

Ranging from William Parry’s “Jerusalem” (popularized in the hit film Chariots of Fire) to the Social Gospel to Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is a Place on Earth”, modern history has witnessed a struggle to define the proper expression of the kingdom of God “on . . . Continue reading →

Love Bombing Is Not Love

Abusers are master manipulators.  They know how to manipulate people and situations in such a way that they appear innocent.  In fact, they can even turn the tables on their victims and make it appear as if they’re the ones who’ve been . . . Continue reading →

Tertullian On The Trinity

In the course of time, then, the Father forsooth was born, and the Father suffered,—God Himself, the Lord Almighty, whom in their preaching they declare to be Jesus Christ. We, however, as we indeed always have done (and more especially since we . . . Continue reading →