Review: Empowered Witness: Politics, Culture, And The Spiritual Mission Of The Church By Alan D. Strange (Part 2)

We pick up again with Alan Strange’s treatment of Hodge in Empowered Witness. There are some questions raised by this work that bear consideration in a review. A reader who is not already in sympathy with the essential argument or who perhaps . . . Continue reading →

Vos: Christ Is On Every Page

The genuine believer takes the whole of Scripture as a living organism produced by the Holy Spirit to present Christ to him. On every page of Scripture, he finds traits and traces of the Mediator. Geerhardus Vos | Reformed Dogmatics, ed. Richard . . . Continue reading →

Rejoice! The Lord Has Come

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled . . . Continue reading →

Warp And Weft

A loom binds together both warp and weft. The Spirit hovers, the Word becomes flesh. A figure forms as fine strands intersect. The virgin’s womb frames the image made fresh. A tapestry hangs for all to inspect. The shepherds gaze at the . . . Continue reading →

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 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 services . . . Continue reading →

Things Not To Say About Jesus At Christmas (Or Any Other Time)—Part 1

Like the celebrants of Festivus, Reformed folk have historically had a lot of problems with both the ecclesiastical calendar, including advent, and Christmas. It is not because we do not heartily affirm the incarnation of our Lord—we do!—but because neither the Scriptures . . . 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 →