Laboring to No Purpose
I was speaking with some ministerial colleagues recently about a conference one had just attended. The conference had been great, but to his surprise, after one of the sessions, a friend next to him put his head in his hands…
Blog
Read MoreLaboring to No Purpose
The Intricacies of Interracial Marriage (Part 2)
In light of current discussions regarding racial reconciliation, we thought that it might be a benefit to our readers to run a series of videos from a longtime contributor, Rob Ventura, and his wife, Vanessa, concerning a variety of subjects…
Does Abstinence Teaching Really Promote Purity?
Way back in my early twenties, I used to volunteer at CareNet Pregnancy Center. They trained some of us to give abstinence presentations to high school youth. There were many true and helpful points in these presentations and I felt…
Dialoging with the Doc
For me this summer is to be one of engaging Martin Luther. Next Friday I am to be the token Schwaermer at a conference on the Word of God for Lutheran Church Missouri Synod pastors and theologians. In August I…
Military Cases of Conscience
There is almost nothing worse than contending with someone who is so lenient that it seems as though he or she has no personal convictions about anything in life except the conviction about not having strong convictions–unless you are contending with someone…
Aiming to Preach with Aims
We need to hear Christ in order to believe in him for salvation (Rom. 10:14). Ordinarily we hear his voice through his ordained ambassadors as they preach the gospel in demonstration of the Spirit’s power (Rom. 10:15; 2 Cor. 5:19-6:2;…
Union and Communion (5)
One of the great benefits of reading the Puritans is that they open our eyes to how wonderfully useful and practical doctrine is. “Theology,” William Ames famously wrote, “is the doctrine of living unto God.” The doctrine of union and…
The Eternal Subordination of the Son Debate: Concluding Reflections (Part 2)
In this final part of my series on the debate concerning the eternal subordination of the Son (ESS), I will identify a few more of the issues that the debate has brought to the surface. The Quest for a Deep…
A Report on PCA General Assembly 2017
During the week of June 12, 2017 the Presbyterian Church in America held its annual General Assembly in Greensboro, NC. The following is my attempt to summarize my thoughts from the week. 1. I continue to be grateful to…
The Cost of Leadership
In the business world, there’s regular talk of building the right team and how to woo the right people in order to steer the ship when current commitments seem to be hindering production. With the right relationships and the right…