Reformation21

Ed Shaw. Same-Sex Attraction and the Church: The Surprising Plausibility of the Celibate Life . Downer's Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2015. 172 pages. $16.00. For far too long in this country it has seemed possible to enjoy both the Christian life and the American dream. Christians have conflated the...

Ed Shaw. Same-Sex Attraction and the Church: The Surprising Plausibility of the Celibate Life . Downer's Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2015. 172 pages. $16.00. For far too long in this country it has seemed possible to enjoy both the Christian life and the American dream. Christians have conflated the...

Having read a number of assessments of the 44 th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), it occurs to me that one's perspective, as usual, has a shaping effect on one's view. My own perspective arises largely from having had the privilege to serve on the Overtures Committee,...

Last year at the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) 2015 General Assembly, a personal resolution on racial reconciliation was submitted. Drs. Sean Michael Lucas and Ligon Duncan provided the denomination with an opportunity to confess and forsake the sins committed during the Civil Rights era...

By and large I have stayed out of the politics of the General Assembly (GA) for the past 34 years. Because I pastor at an independent Presbyterian church, I have not been motivated to educate myself--in a significant way--about the nuances of the BCO (Book of Church Order). If I'm honest, I have to...

Over the past 150 years or so, there has been a biblical theological development in our understanding of Paul's use of the σαρκ/πνεύμα ( i.e. flesh/Spirit) distinction--specifically in relation to the Person and work of Christ. The most significant passage in this regard is Romans 1:3-4. The "...

First a confession, I rarely read blogs--especially Christian ones. My reason is simple; blogs are no kind of forum for engaging in thoughtful, reflective, analytical and measured theological discourse. No doubt some do it wisely, even brilliantly; most do it carelessly, a-historically and ineptly...

There can be little doubt that in years to come, when historians look back on our generation, the challenge of cultural pressure on the church will loom large. First, the theory of evolution challenged the Christian doctrine of God as Creator. This led to an assault on sexual morality, which has...

Rules, rules, rules The Westminster Assembly had taken upon itself the wonderful but formidable task of examining preachers for ministry in the church. By mid-autumn of 1643 the assembly recognized that it needed to further clarify and solidify its procedures for the examination of ministers. Since...

Rules, rules, rules The Westminster Assembly had taken upon itself the wonderful but formidable task of examining preachers for ministry in the church. By mid-autumn of 1643 the assembly recognized that it needed to further clarify and solidify its procedures for the examination of ministers. Since...