Category: Christianity
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Trusting God in the Face of Death
Two heavyweight proponents of gospel, grace, and godliness – Michael Horton and Tim Keller – discuss suffering, forgiveness, Justification through Faith, Evangelicalism (and Fundamentalism), along with a number of other topics in this thoughtful conversation between old friends. (According to Horton, this conversation was his last with Tim Keller, before Keller’s death in Spring of…
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A Topical Outline of the Westminster Confession
Ligon Duncan, one of my former professors at Reformed Theological Seminary, now president of RTS, has developed A Topical Outline of the Westminster Confession of Faith. I have found this to be a helpful tool for surveying the doctrines of the Christian Faith. 1. Holy Scripture1.1 The necessity of Scripture1.2 The contents of Scripture (positively…
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The Hallmark of Authentic Evanglicalism
“The hallmark of authentic evangelicalism is not that we maintain the traditions of the evangelical elders. It is rather that we are prepared to re-examine even the most long-standing evangelical traditions in the light of Scripture, in order to allow Scripture, if necessary, to judge and reform our traditions. Evangelical traditions are not infallible; they…
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Creeds & Confessions of the Christian Faith
The wisdom of Solomon instructs us, in Proverbs 22.28: Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set. The thinking behind this applies not only to property boundaries, but also to principles and and doctrines of Faith. We forfeit a wealth of wisdom if we ignore the insights of those who have gone before us.…
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PCA Consensus Revisited
Preface The denomination in which I serve, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), is approaching the 50th anniversary of its founding. Through these years God has blessed this expression of His Church, and it has been a privilege for me to have been part of it. The sailing has not always been smooth. There have…
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The Secret to Restoring the Glories of Our Past
J. Gresham Machen, in the Introductory chapter of his 1923 classic Christianity and Liberalism, wrote: “The condition of mankind is such that one may well ask what it is that made the men of past generations so great and the men of the present generation so small. In the midst of all the material achievements…
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To Those “Born Again” in the USA
My good friend, Fred Liggin, recently posted a contextualized paraphrase of John 8.30-37 on his blog, Long Way Here, and on his Facebook page. “As He was saying these things, many believed in Him. So Jesus said to the Christians living in the USA who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you…
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Balance of True Christianity
Edward Payson (D.D. 1783-1827), a 19th Century Congregationalist minister, was a popular long-time pastor in Portland, Maine, where he was dubbed with the moniker “Praying Payson of Portland”. Portland’s Payson Park is named to commemorate his tremendous influence and legacy. Among many insights preserved in his writing, Payson mused over the meaning of true Christianity: True…
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Anniversary of a Great Christian Divide
On May 21, 1922 – 100 years ago today – a minister noted for exceptional eloquence ascended the steps into the pulpit to deliver his message. His name was Harry Emerson Fosdick. Though Fosdick was a Baptist, he had for several years served as pastor of the historic First Presbyterian Church in New York City.…
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The Ways & Means of Following Jesus
Eugene Peterson, in his book, The Jesus Way, wrote: Following Jesus necessarily means getting his ways and means into our everyday lives. It is not enough simply to recognize and approve his ways and get started in the right direction. Jesus’ ways are meant to be embraced and assimilated into our habits. This takes place only…
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10 Commandments of Progressive Christianity
J. Gresham Machen, in his classic book, Christianity & Liberalism, writes: In the sphere of religion, in particular, the present time is a time of conflict; the great redemptive religion which has always been known as Christianity is battling against a totally diverse type of religious belief, which is only the more destructive of the…
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Believing & Belonging
I found these words from John Stonestreet to be on target, well grounded, and a great truth around which we would do well to periodically re-orient our priorities and calendars: The central practice of the Christian life, at least biblically speaking, is gathering together as Christ’s body for corporate worship, for hearing the Word, and…
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Race & the Church RVA: Why Do We All Look the Same?
The second gathering of Race and the Church in Richmond, Virginia took place on Saturday morning March 12. The theme was: Why Do We All Look the Same? A Cultural & Theological Analysis of Underlying Church Dynamics; featuring speaker Dr. Alexander Jun. Alexander Jun is a professor at Azusa Pacific University, a TED Talk speaker,…
