The Last Judgment
Last night, I preached a sermon on Psalm 7–one of the lamentation Psalms of David, which he presumably wrote while hiding from Saul in the caves of Adullam. A good portion of the Psalm is taken up with David crying…
Category Reformation21
Martin Bucer and the Reform of Worship
If Martin Bucer (1477-1548) is not an unsung hero of the Reformation, he is certainly an undersung hero. This particularly is the case when it comes to public worship. Bucer’s fingerprints are all over Calvin’s Form of Church Prayers (1542)…
The Incomparable Conjunction of Love and Wrath
I was recently reading John Murray’s profoundly enriching sermon, “The Father’s Love“–in the newly released volume of his sermon, O Death, Where is Thy Sting?–and was struck afresh with the wonder of the mystery of the commingling of the Father’s…
Love Thy Body
Nancy Pearcey, Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality, Baker, 2018. 336 pages, hardcover, $22.99 The Fall of 2017 saw a rash of sexual misconduct accusations and lawsuits leveled against such high-profile celebrities as Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer,…
Love Thy Body
Nancy Pearcey, Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality, Baker, 2018. 336 pages, hardcover, $22.99 The Fall of 2017 saw a rash of sexual misconduct accusations and lawsuits leveled against such high-profile celebrities as Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer,…
Identity and Inheritance in the Velveteen Rabbit
“The false self is deeply entrenched. You can change your name and address, religion, country, and clothes. But…the false self simply adjusts to the new environment. For example, instead of drinking your friends under the table as a significant sign…
Decerebrated Frogs, the Straight Line and Cultural Accommodation
In 1869, the German physiologist, Friedrich Goltz, published a series of conclusions from tests he performed on frogs. In his book, Beitrage zur Lehre von den Functionen der Nervencentren des Frosches (Contributions to the Theory of the Functions of the Nerve Centers…
Andrew White, Todd Pruitt and John the Baptist
Over at Mortification of Spin, Todd Pruitt has made waves by sounding an alarm over Andrew White, the PCA ruling elder who–as a Democratic candidate for governor in Texas–has stated his commitment to legalized abortion and gay marriage. As reported…
A Prayer for Survivors and East Lansing
Our East Lansing community is grieving, hurting, and reeling in light of the revelations that emerged these past weeks regarding heinous atrocities committed in our community over the past twenty years. That this would happen anywhere is painful; that is…
Essential Tools for Preaching Christ (Part 2)
Sound exegesis is insufficient for sound preaching. This assertion might seem surprising in light of the popular resurgence of consecutive expository preaching. While we should welcome and encourage the shift toward expository preaching due to its emphasis on biblical texts…