The bibliopalooza continues. People and Place, the final volume of Mike Horton’s very important, four-volume systematic theology is out and available at the Bookstore at WSC for $27.46. One of the great failings of contemporary evangelical theology, piety, and practice is that . . . Continue reading →
Ecclesiology
Christ's Real Absence
Shane introduces the final volume in Mike Horton’s brilliant introductory series in systematic theology.
Jesus Didn't Die for Campus Ministry
Provocative language that can’t be blamed on cold-hearted Reformed confessionalists since Russell Moore is a Baptist with impeccable evangelical credentials. He says in part, The reason many college students identify primarily with a campus ministry rather than with a church is not . . . Continue reading →
What Are "Deacons"?
Jon explains.
Audio: Guy Waters on Church Membership
One aspect of Reformed theology, piety, and practice that distnguishes confessional Protestantism from broad evangelicalism is a high view of the visible, institutional church. Calvin spent most of book 4 of the Institutes on the visible church. The Belgic Confession spends two . . . Continue reading →
Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus Est
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus est is an ancient Christian slogan that means, in English, “outside of the church there is no salvation.” So says the summary of the teaching of the ancient Latin church father Cyprian.1 A version of that view is . . . Continue reading →
Abounding Grace Radio: How To Choose A Church (2)
Here’s part 1. One of the more difficult things Christians do is to decide where to worship. They use a lot of criteria. Some of them are valid criteria but many of them are not. Frequently people choose congregations on the basis . . . Continue reading →
From Experiment To Model To Network
It begins as an experiment; then, if it’s successful, it becomes a model. To preserve its success and the ongoing creativity and innovative potential of the leader/model, the church tends to isolate itself from the wider assemblies of the church (presbytery, general . . . Continue reading →
Should I Be Re-Baptized?
In recent days this question has come up a few times but it occurs regularly. It occurs in the context of a new members class at church when someone entering a Reformed congregation, coming from outside the Reformed church approaches the pastor . . . Continue reading →
Beyond Bishops And Isolation
Americans are an independent lot. The original colonists left the old world for the new. Their revolutionary successors in the 18th century formalized that independence with a war and constitutional documents. The American desire for independence helped to propel us west beyond . . . Continue reading →
How To Choose A Church
Most of us at some point shall have to choose a church. Are they all the same? No. How on earth does one? On what basis? In my experience people use a variety of criteria, not all of them good. Families choose congregations . . . Continue reading →
How To Choose A Church (2)
Families move. That means new schools, a new neighborhood, and a new church. How to choose a new congregation? People use a variety of criteria but are they good, biblical, true criteria? Here’s part two of the discussion with Chris Gordon, co-pastor at Escondido . . . Continue reading →
What Is The Church’s Big Mac?
The end of the semester is followed by the holidays so I just saw this post (HT: Aquila Report) discussing the declining fortunes of McDonalds restaurantsamong Millennials and comparing them to the church. The author notes “More people are wanting a customized, . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg 83: Christ Gave The Keys To The Church
This imagery is a challenge to our late-modern assumptions. We might assume that, of course, God must be happy to have us, that the kingdom of God must be inclusive. Such an assumption, however pervasive it has become in the modern age, is foreign to Scripture. In Scriptural teaching we are by nature rebels, at odds with God and excluded from his kingdom. Apart from Christ our righteous substitute and our king, we have no status before God except as condemned before the king. Therefore we very much need the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven to be opened for us. Continue reading →
Heidelberg 104: Authority And Submission (3)
Nevertheless, despite all our natural resistance to authority and despite our suspicion of the church the fact is that our Lord Jesus, whom we profess to love and whose Word we profess to believe, instituted the very visible church against which we so easily rebel. Continue reading →
Coaches For Pastors: An Index Of The Identity Of American Culture And Evangelicalism
With the stench of decades of sweat fixed permanently in the air, its tile floor, and its fan-shaped basketball hoops mounted to the brick wall—the only protection against which being a thin, worn wrestling mat—the Community Center was the epitome of an . . . Continue reading →
May A Christian College Administer Communion?
Andy Smith writes to ask about the administration of communion outside of the visible, institutional church. Specifically he writes to ask whether a Christian college or university may administer communion in chapel or in some other setting but the question is whether . . . Continue reading →
Turretin: Hypocrites And Reprobates Belong To The Church Only Outwardly
1. The question concerning the parts of the church. Do reprobates also belong to it? II. First it is inquired whether besides those called elect, reprobates and infidels also (whether secret or open) are to be considered as true members of the . . . Continue reading →
Church Membership Is Biblical
“I am a member of the church universal. I do not need to be a member of an organized church.” “Our church does not believe in church membership.” “Church membership is unbiblical. It is a man-made tradition.” These are but a few . . . Continue reading →
The Church: The Christ-Confessing Covenant Community
When one talks about the church what is at stake is the way in which the Christian life is organized. I believe that the Bible teaches us that believers should be united to the visible community of the redeemed meeting for worship, instruction, and fellowship in an organized, disciplined, way. If I am wrong, then millions of dollars and millions of hours and lives are being sadly misspent. Continue reading →