Thanks to Wes White for keeping us abreast of the Classic Reformed Theology available via Google Books. If the name Bernard DeMoor or the Leiden Synopsismeans anything to you then you’ll understand. Wes Bredenhof: Ways to Help Your Children Leave the Church. . . . Continue reading →
Church Life
The Improbability of a Megachurch
One of the dominant stories in American Christianity in the last 25 years has been the rise of the “megachurch.” According to a recent study published in the 9 June USA Today there are 1,300 “megachurches” in the USA. For the purposes . . . Continue reading →
If It Happens: How to Handle Church Violence
It’s an ugly thing to have to consider but this might be a useful handout from CT.
Sage Advice to Pastoral Candidates
From PCA pastor David Strain. Related HB posts: Candid Comments for Candidates (pt 1) Candid Comments for Candidates (pt 2)
Godfrey: Church or Club?
Bob Godfrey has an provocative essay on the Tabletalk site. Recommended reading.
The Problem of Friendly Fire
some of the most acute and chronic relational hurts Christians experience is within the believing community. Continue reading →
The Last Thing We Need
The last thing we need is a church that keeps us sealed up in our own compartment with others of similar experiences in life. We need to be integrated into the body of Christ. Younger believers don’t need another speaker to come . . . Continue reading →
Stop Elder Abuse
While we were back in Nebraska Mrs Heidelblog and I had occasion to drive past a billboard warning about the dangers of elder abuse. You know you’re Reformed when the first thing such a warning brings to mind is life in the . . . Continue reading →
Setting Priorities For The Congregation
August is the time of year when the heat of summer is accompanied by a blessedly slower pace, unless one is a college football player, in which two-a-day practices begin. Nebraska football is a month away! It’s vacation season for many (e.g., . . . Continue reading →
The First Benefit Of A Smaller Congregation
When there are fewer people in a place, it’s much harder to hide. The first Sunday Abby and I attended the church (we’re members now), we sat in the back. Our intent was to bolt as soon as the benediction was pronounced . . . Continue reading →
Is Efficiency A Virtue In The Church?
My Papa (Grandpa) was a great handyman. It seemed as if he could fix just about anything. He always brought his tools when he visited and we often had work for him to do. I remember the first time he said to . . . Continue reading →
All Welcome. No Exceptions.
Yesterday we were motoring through Poway, a leafy suburb of San Diego, and we drove past a large Episcopal church with a large, temporary banner proclaiming, “All Welcome. No Exceptions.” That message was striking as it was brief. It struck me as . . . Continue reading →
Strangers And Aliens (22b): Serving The Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1–5)
The Kingdom of God is a reversal of the order of this world. In this world, the first are first and the last are last. It is cut-throat and Darwinian, red in tooth and claw, but in the Kingdom of God the last are first and the first are last. This is the difference between grace and works. Works gives what is earned but grace gives to those who cannot, who would not, what they did not earn. So, as a consequence, ministry in the kingdom is on a different order, a different paradigm. Jesus is the model of ministry in the kingdom. The Son of Man was the suffering servant who as abused, stricken, and finally murdered for us, in our place, as our substitute. He did not suffer for himself. He did not obey for himself. His obedient suffering was for us, in our place, and all that he did is credited to us who believe and even our believing is a gift from God. Continue reading →
Of Church Names, Christ, And Culture
The Foundry, Resonate, Relevant, The Bridge, and Passion City are just a few of the contemporary church names noted by Dennis Baker and mocked by Url Scaramenga in 2010. A search for “contemporary church names” brings up a wealth of resources offering . . . Continue reading →
A Perfect Church? Not In This Life
In a recent book, church growth guru George Barna seems to suggest the end or irrelevance of the local congregation.1 He speaks for a significant number of people who find their congregation unsatisfying or who cannot find a church at all. It . . . Continue reading →
What Pastors Should Tell Their Wives
A few years ago I wrote an article on what pastors should not tell their wives. In it I argued that there is much that it said behind closed doors, in elder meetings (e.g.,consistory or session meetings), that should not be repeated . . . Continue reading →
New In Print: Faithful And Fruitful: Essays For Elders And Deacons
There are three major aspects to being Reformed: theology (doctrine), piety (our reverent approach to God), and practice (how we live out our Christian life in the visible church, at work, and at home). Of these three aspects, theology, whether biblical theology . . . Continue reading →
I’ve Had It With Organized Religion
Had I a nickel for every time someone has said “I’ve had it with the church” or “I’ve had it with organized religion” as they walked away from the visible church, I could retire the national debt. Walking away from the visible . . . Continue reading →
A Beginner’s Guide To Addressing Spiritual Abuse In The Church
Recently I had an interesting exchange on social media regarding the extent of spiritual abuse by leaders in confessional Presbyterian and Reformed Churches. The charge is that spiritual abuse is a widespread problem in the confessional Presbyterian and Reformed world. I am . . . Continue reading →
It Happens In The Church
I grew up in the church. Some of my favorite memories come from the time I spent there — Sunday school, AWANA, VBS, youth group, and fellowship meals. For hours we would play hide-and-seek, run up and down hallways, and occasionally sneak . . . Continue reading →