A Church Growth Discipline
By God’s grace, the church I shepherd has experienced phenomenal growth over the last 15 years. I am often asked what has brought the growth? I am hesitant to answer that question because only God really knows why He has…
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Revoice, Evangelical Culture, and the Return of an Old Friend
With moving job and house in the last two months, I was only vaguely aware of the Revoice Conference until a few weeks ago. Then suddenly my phone started to light up as friends forwarded me tweets and blog posts…
John Calvin’s Aversion to Being Remembered
Of all the sixteenth-century Reformers John Calvin (1506-1564) was the most reluctant to discuss details of his life in works destined for public consumption. As he told Cardinal Jacopo Sadoleto, “I am not eager to speak about myself.” He had,…
Smells Like Teen Spirit
I recently wasted four of five minutes of my life watching a clip of a segment of a sermon by a well known mega-church preacher. Over the past five years, this individual has reinvented his preaching style. Once a more…
The Trinity Psalter Hymnal (2018)
Congratulations to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) and United Reformed Churches (URCNA) and Great Commission Publications on the new Trinity Psalter Hymnal (2018). I have only had my copy for a couple of weeks or so, but I want to offer a few quick…
No, The PCA Is Not Liberal
I am often asked whether the PCA is liberal or on its way to becoming liberal. I have not been shy about voicing concerns about certain trends in the PCA that, if left uncorrected could lead eventually to a…
It Pleased God…to Create
The words “it pleased God…to create,” in Westminster Confession of Faith 4.1, refer to divine willing, to the decree of God. Creation is due to the will of God. It is not necessary to the divine essence, however. The Triune…
Robert Gagnon on Revoice
Dr. Robert Gagnon, author of what is probably the most thorough study available on what the Bible teaches about homosexuality, has written a helpful piece responding to the upcoming Revoice conference being held at Memorial Presbyterian Church (PCA) in St.…
Only for a Time
I was interested to see that the cessationism/continuitionism issue is surfacing again–due to Matt Chandler’s recent sermon, “A Supernatural Community and a Personal Word.” Matt’s introductory argument is as follows: Many Christians do not experience the extraordinary gifts of the…
From the Ears to the Brain to the Heart
Shortly before college I read Mortimer Adler’s little classic How to Read a Book. That may sound like an odd title. After all, how could somebody read the book unless they already knew how to read? And if they did…