Idea: Let’s Try Every Way But Christ’s Way

This essay was my response to an 2007 article by Nancy Morganthaler on the failure of the church growth movement (HT: Justin Taylor). It is necessarily somewhat autobiographical. My criticisms of the church growth movement are partly theoretical and partly practical, to borrow an . . . Continue reading →

Review: Ryan M. Kelly, Calls to Worship, Invocations, and Benedictions

The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is man’s chief end?” The answer, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” I know, you know the answer already. You have heard it innumerable times. But . . . Continue reading →

The Sturdy Legs Of Worship

Why will unscriptural, man-centered, culturally conditioned, over-contextualized worship undermine confessional orthodoxy? Because worship by its very form (which ought to be according to spirit—uppercase and lowercase— and truth) communicates certain things about the nature of God and man, thus theology proper and . . . Continue reading →

Principal Place: A Pragmatic Plea For Psalmody

The Modern church has earned a dubious distinction: we live in the most psalm-less period in the history of the church. A Quick History Of Psalmlessness We know that the Jews sang psalms. We know that our Lord sang psalms with his . . . Continue reading →

The Antecedent To Worship

We all agree there should be truth in worship. But shouldn’t worship also be in truth? There’s a big difference between having truth in worship and worshipping in truth. Having truth in worship means you got some Bible in there. But worshiping . . . Continue reading →

Psalmody And The Sexual Revolution: Or Yet Another Reason Why We Should Only Sing God’s Word

It was only a matter of time. There is a story on CNN about the the 2019 publication of a LGBTQ hymnal, Songs For The Holy Other: Hymns Affirming the LGBTQIA2S+ Community. This collection is published by the Hymn Society, which is . . . Continue reading →

D. G. Hart To Speak At NW Atlanta Reformed Conference May 21, 2022

D. G. Hart, Distinguished Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College is the featured speaker at the second annual Northwest Atlanta Reformed Conference Saturday, May 21, 2022 (9:00–Noon) to be held at Christ Orthodox Presbyterian Church (495 Terrell Mill Rd., Marietta, GA). The . . . Continue reading →

What Was Jesus’ “Playlist”?

Last summer, my daughter walked into the Apple Store in our local mall, and came out the proud owner of a new iPhone 12 Pro. In those first hours of set-up, one of her first priorities – as any teen will tell . . . Continue reading →

An Unusually Thoughtful Podcast: Presbycast On When Church Became Theatre

The Presbycast is one of my favorite podcasts and Harrison Perkins, a regular contributor to the Heidelblog, is one of my favorite writers and, in this episode, like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, the two come together: They are discussing Jeanne Halgren Kilde’s . . . Continue reading →