Category Reformation21

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The Joy of Justification

Theologians have often considered justification by faith alone to be “the heart of the Gospel” for the simple reason that justification is a legal declaration of pardon and righteousness–a once-for-all judicial act of God toward believers. Justification is judicial not…

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Lost and Found

Lost and Found: How Jesus Helped Us Discover our True Selves Edited by Collin Hansen The Gospel Coalition, 2019 160 pages, paper, $12.99 I have always been troubled by those long, weight-loss infomercials that one sees on late night television.…

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Lost and Found

Lost and Found: How Jesus Helped Us Discover our True Selves Edited by Collin Hansen The Gospel Coalition, 2019 160 pages, paper, $12.99 I have always been troubled by those long, weight-loss infomercials that one sees on late night television.…

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A Censorious Spirit

Sinclair Ferguson once lamented the fact that whenever he overheard others discussing some public theologian or individual at a conference, the statements were almost always prefaced with a negative comment such as, “Well, you know, the problem with him is…”…

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When It Happens Among Us…

Great sadness and shock have struck the denomination of which I am a minister–the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. That shock pales in comparison with the tragedy faced by the members of Chabad Poway who suffered grievous loss at the hands of…

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Ministering to Felt Needs

There was this nice, new family who was visiting your church for the past month or so. But you haven’t seen them now for a couple weeks, and so you ask someone who was more connected with them: “What happened…

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When Our Children Sin

Do you remember when you first learned you would have a child? You likely prayed over your little one day after day. Even though you’d never met him or her in person, you loved your child more than anything. You…

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The House of Omri

The Mesha Stele is an ancient slab of basalt stone from the 9th century BC. It was named for Mesha, the king of Moab (2 Kings 3:4). This stele is actually an ancient document which records the struggles of the…

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A Better Endgame

Last week, Avengers: Endgame, the final blockbuster Marvel movie, was released, smashing box-office records. The movie is the culmination of an ambitious story arc encompassing 22 movies that Marvel Studios began planning 14 years ago. Endgame brings that plan to…

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Dogmatic Art

As I’ve been reading through G.K. Chesterton’s book Heretics, I was interested to happen upon his treatment of dogmatism and the arts. Reflecting on his consideration of the life and work of Rudyard Kipling, Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells, Chesterton…