Posts by Todd Pruitt

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Last week Donny Friedrichsen offered a thoughtful and friendly response to my post entitled “I am not a complementarian.” As Donny writes in his post, he and I are friends. I point that out because neither of us are being cynical when we refer to each other as “friend.” It...
There is a crisis at North Point Community Church . North Point is the super duper mega church in Atlanta founded and led by Andy Stanley. Stanley has enormous influence through North Point, his books, and conferences. For many, Andy is the go-to guy when it comes to effective communication and...
I need a new way to describe myself. Since hearing it for the first time I always liked the word complementarian to describe myself in reference to how the Bible frames the differences and similarities between males and females. To the best of my knowledge the words complementarian and...
The following open letter was written by the Children's Ministry Director at the church I serve. She is a wife and mother in an interracial family. She is understandably grieved by the damaging and counterproductive "guiding principles" of the Black Lives Matter organization. I found...
"It is very shameful, and not only shameful, but very foolish, to take from things below and guess at things above, and from a fluctuating nature at the things that are unchanging..." Gregory of Nazianzus I have truly tried to be as charitable as possible to Drs. Ware and Grudem during...
The following article by Stefan Linblad* is a response to Dr. Bruce Ware's answers to those who have criticized his doctrine of the Trinity. It is an important contribution to the current debate. The Glove Doesn't Fit by Stefan Lindblad A few days ago, Bruce Ware offered a substantial reply...
The following are passages from Bruce Ware’s book Father Son and Holy Spirit: Relationships Roles and Relevance . “God the Father receives the ultimate and supreme glory, for the Father sent the Son to accomplish redemption in his humiliation, and the Father exalted the Son to his place...
Dr. James Dolezal is, in my mind, quickly becoming one of the handful of indespinsible voices in the current debate over the doctrine of God. The following are a series of lectures from Dr. Dolezal on such doctrines as Divine simplicity, the unity of the Trinity, impassibility, immutibility, etc. I...
Last week I attended the 44th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). It was my third since transferring my ordination to the PCA three years ago. It was held in Mobile, Alabama which was lovely apart from the gulf coast humidity. I had the privilege of serving on the...
John Stevens has posted an article expressing dismay over the current debate concerning the doctrine of the Trinity. I do not know John Stevens. I’m sure he’s a fine fellow. But there is more wrong with his post than I possibly have time to critique. My response then will be fairly...
* Update - Jonathan has since posted a few gracious clarifications. In case you have not seen it Jonathan Leeman of Nine Marks Minstries recently Tweeted the following: I can't help but wonder if unspoken assumptions about the goodness of authority/submission are animating recent arguments over...
Since 1 Corinthians 11:3 is a text to which those who uphold the Eternal Subordination of the Son point I offer the following small sampling of how others have interpreted the apostle’s words. Understand that it is the minority position to interpret 1 Corinthians 11:3 as suggesting that there...
Michel R. Barnes and Lewis Ayres have weighed in on the current debate over the eternal generation and eternal subordination of the Son. Drs. Barnes and Ayres are considered by many to be among the most significant Patristic scholars in the world today. Their verdict is quite clear and it does not...
Michel R. Barnes and Lewis Ayres have weighed in on the current debate over the eternal generation and eternal subordination of the Son. Drs. Barnes and Ayres are considered by many to be among the most significant Patristic scholars in the world today. Their verdict is quite clear and it does not...
The following article is from Dr. Mark Jones. I am grateful for his labor and sobriety over this matter. Most debates I read of today have a parallel with another debate that has taken place over the course of church history. For example, the seventeenth-century Arminian theologian, Simon...
A few thoughts to accompany the ridiculous mayhem surrounding the death of Harambe the gorilla. Human life is of far greater value than animal life. Humans are not simply another genus in the animal kingdom. Humans, while certainly created beings like th e animals, nevertheless are possessed of an...
Well, well, well. Carl and Aimee really thought they had me. It was an all-out ambush. And while I did take a few arrows I nevertheless was left unpersuaded by their argument. If you are wondering what I am referring to then take a listen to the latest Mortification of Spin podcast . In short, our...
My mind boggles over both the swiftness and comprehensiveness of the new sexual revolution. It is a revolution that has as one of its goals the complete overthrow of Scripture’s teaching on the nature of humanity and the sexual boundaries which are vital to human health and flourishing. Today...
I am thankful for Jared Wilson’s latest post over at his blog on TGC . Wilson takes on the issue of celebrity pastors. The post is worth reading. I must however admit to feeling a bit of incredulity when I first read Wilson’s post. Even more so was my surprise (dismay? disbelief?...
I am thankful for Jared Wilson’s latest post over at his blog on TGC . Wilson takes on the issue of celebrity pastors. The post is worth reading. I must however admit to feeling a bit of incredulity when I first read Wilson’s post. Even more so was my surprise (dismay? disbelief?...
Tom Chantry is NOT happy with the MOS team. His latest blog entry uses words like “ignorant,” and “galling” which seems to confirm his own assessment that he sounds “irritable.” Indeed. Chantry’s bad mood was provoked by the most recent episode of...
I am currently preaching a series of messages on the first three chapters of Genesis. The sermons are framed around key questions concerning worldview: Why is there something rather than nothing? What is God? What does it mean to be human? Etc. Throughout the preparation I have found certain books...
I have been asked by some good brothers and sisters about the purpose behind the recent appearance of a new feature on the podcast, Desperate Theologizing. I understand that some of our listeners may feel a little uneasy about some of the entries. And I do understand. Sometimes certain brands of...
As you may know, Target has decided to be on the cutting edge of the new sexual revolution by opening up their restrooms and changing rooms to men, women, trangender, ring-tailed lemurs, etc. In other words you may choose the restroom / changing room based upon your gender identity at any given...
I was deeply saddened to learn the news of Darrin Patrick of Journey Church in St. Louis. Let us not act as though talking about this man's fall is somehow inappropriate. It is no private matter. Far from it. Indeed we must talk about this not to slander Darrin but to warn each other lest we...
David Murray, one of my favorite bloggers, has launched a new series of posts which I believe will serve us well if we allow it. By "us" I mean Reformed and Reformed-ish pastors. Murray writes: [For] me the dam has burst. And it’s not just the past week. I’ve had increasing...
I continue to receive a great deal of feedback on my post in which I urge the organizers of T4G to not include CJ Mahaney. Some of the feedback (both positive and negative) has been quite helpful. As you can imagine I have heard from those who are convinced that Mahaney is the worst sort of human...
I have received a lot of feedback from my previous post on Together for the Gospel . And, as you can imagine, the feedback has ranged from “thank you” to “how dare you.” That is fine. I don’t mind the pushback (so long as it’s civil). I wrote something for public...
In 2006 I was delighted to attend the very first Together for the Gospel conference held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, KY. Who remembers that large banquet room stuffed to the brim with over 2,000 men? I still think about Ligon Duncan’s excellent address on preaching the Old...
Steven Furtick, pastor of the Southern Baptist Mega-Church Elevation Church is no stranger to controversy. His image features prominently in his church beginning with coloring pages provided to the children. The members of Elevation Church are told to “follow the visionary.” Furtick is...
Pastor Stanley, Last week I posted a response to your now infamous sermon where you said some rather shocking things about people who attend small churches. You offered an apology on Twitter acknowledging that you found your words offensive. That was appreciated. Believe me when I say that I have...
By now many of you have seen the clip of Andy Stanley criticizing small churches and the people who choose to attend them. Specifically Pastor Stanley said: When I hear adults say, ‘I don’t like a big church. I like about 200. I wanna be able to know everybody.’ I say you are so...
I have been weighing for some time the possible benefits and dangers of writing something about the current debate over race relations generally and within the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) specifically. The ice of this discussion is notably thin so there is little or no room for error...
In the beautiful Shenandoah Valley we are expected to be covered in 24 to 30 inches of snow. So after securing the necessary provisions – adequate coffee, pipe tobacco, and more coffee – there is the question of what to read. So, I’ve pulled a few titles off the top of the stack:...
Not long ago my MOS compadres received criticism (some of it rather harsh) for their critique of statements made by John Piper about the roles of women in society. There is no need to rehash that particular debate now. However, it is important to remind that we here at MOS share with John Piper and...
Earlier this week I offered a few observations about the decision of Wheaton College Professor Larycia Hawkins to wear a hijab during Advent to demonstrate her "solidarity" with Muslims. Christianity Today is now reporting that Wheaton has suspended the tenured professor while an inquiry...
If you have not read Carl's piece over at First Things concerning Stephonknee Wolscht, the Canadian man (forgive my binary bigotry) and father of seven who now lives as a six year old girl, h ere is just a bit: In this age when every micro-identity and pseudo-victim needs some bit of...
A political science professor at Wheaton College is proudly donning a hijab during the Christmas season to demonstrate her “solidarity with Muslims.” One expects to see such nonsense at secular universities. But at the “Christian Harvard”? Say it ain’t so! Anyway,...
Should pastors who commit adultery ever be restored to the position of overseer in the church? The following are a few resources to help you think through the issue biblically: The Stain That Stays by John Armstrong - An outstanding and sobering assessment of the issue. Up for Debate - I recently...
Not long ago a well-known member of the “reformedish” world explained to me that his gifts were too significant to be squandered accepting invitations to speak at anything other than large churches and prominent conferences. My heart sank. This was a man I admired; whose work had been...
The Southern Baptist Convetion has too many godly men and faithful pastors to ignore Steven Furtick's continued cavorting with false teachers. I was raised Southern Baptist. I love the SBC. And it breaks my heart to see this tickler of men's ears continue to spread confusion at best and...
I have been preaching through the Book of Acts for over a year. This Sunday, Lord willing, I will be preaching from the second half of chapter 20. Following three years of ministry in Ephesus Paul circles back to Miletus so he can speak to the Ephesian elders one final time. Paul's words are...
Recently I witnessed a man take his ordination vows before the Presbytery to which I belong. I never get tired of those moments. It is a solemn occasion; one accompanied by no small measure of sobriety. The vows are, after all, promises the candidate for ordination makes before God and his brothers...
If you'd like, between 5:00 and 6:00 EST you can listen in on a live stream interview I am doing with Chris Arnzen at Iron Sharpens Iron . I'm told it will deal with issues related to my departure from broad evangelicalism to embrace confessional Presbyterianism. We may talk about puppies...
I don’t know how you men do it! You pastor churches, write books, travel extensively, speak at all the conferences, blog, pursue advanced degrees, teach, etc. Oh, and you are husbands and fathers and neighbors. Honestly, I shrink at the very thought of it all. Granted, and I say this with...
In a couple months I will be posting the obligatory “best reads of the year” list. But as a guy who loves books and reading I thought I’d post a list of the books that have figured particularly large in my life. These are not merely books I love (that list would be too long)...
Rod Dreher, one of today's foremost cultural commentators shone what could only have been an unwelcome light on Moscow and Doug Wilson's Christ Church. Dreher graciously allowed Wilson to repsond . But as Dreher notes, the troubling questions remain. About the Sitler debacle Dreher...
I came running to the PCA. After years in broader evangelicalism, service in a confessional church and denomination was and remains a breath of fresh air. With its commitment to the Westminster Standards and passion to advance the gospel around the world I count it a blessing to be part of the PCA...
All good churches, all good movements, and all sound doctrines eventually attract a few outliers now and then. Calvinism, the pro-life movement, and even the OPC all have their loony hangers-on. This is also the case with complementarianism. Before I go any further let me establish my bona fides...
All good churches, all good movements, and all sound doctrines eventually attract a few outliers now and then. Calvinism, the pro-life movement, and even the OPC all have their loony hangers-on. This is also the case with complementarianism. Before I go any further let me establish my bona fides...