All week I have been meditating on Hebrews 2:1-4 in preparation for Sunday's sermon. It is the first of the warning passages in Hebrews and serves as a reminder that one day we will face our holy Judge who will take account of our lives. The idea of God as judge, indeed the whole notion of...

The following audio was recorded at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in the Philadelphia area. Guilt, Grace and Gratitude: An Introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism Carl R TruemanCornerstone OPC Sunday SchoolDecember 2007 1. Introduction * Audio HERE / PDF HERE 2. Guilt Audio HERE / PDF HERE 3...

I posted on Biblearc.com a while back. Seeing Justin Taylor's post on it today prompted me to give another opportunity to check out this very helpful approach to studying the Bible. Tom Steller recently wrote about the wonderful tool that's been developed, Biblearc.com : It is a crucial tool in our...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfxCnZ4Dp3c&hl=en&fs=1&]

“In Reformed churches, the tradition has been to put the Pulpit in the center because of the centrality of preaching and the Word as a means of grace. The Pulpit is not just a utility stand for the preacher to use to hold his notes, but a weighty visual anchor to point to the significance of the...

Andy Naselli posted the following: Dan Burrell , a former pastor, offers what he calls “some things that I’m guessing your pastor wishes you knew about him” ( part 1 / part 2 ). He lists ten main points: 1. Bible college and seminary weren’t enough. 2. Good sermon preparation takes time. 3. His...

I love Steve Nichols' books. He seems incapable of making the history of the church and theology boring. I highly recommend that you add his books to your reading list. I was pleased to have lunch with Steve and Carl Trueman from Westminster last week. God willing COS will be blessed to host these...

David Powlison has written an article that addresses the question, "Is anger morally neutral?" The anger of people toward genuine wrongs is usually mixed. Anger is a just and justified response to true evils, an expression of the image of God. The fact that we see a wrong as wrong is a good thing;...

Genesis in Space and Time by Francis Schaeffer. Publisher Review: Genesis is a book of orgins--the orgin of the universe, the origin of life and the origin of man. It places man in his cosmic setting, shows his particular uniquness, explains his wonder and his flaw, and begins to trace the flow of...

Check it out HERE . Live streaming available.

I am often asked about those texts of Scripture that tell of God "willing" a wicked thing (Acts 4:27-28) or "sending" a wicked spirit (1 Sam 16:14) or using wicked men to accomplish His purpose (Acts 2:23). These are deep mysteries and reveal the distance between our minds and the mind of God. Oh,...

Gene Veith has an interesting post on the idea of theistic evolution - the idea that God used the means of evolution to bring about the world that is. I have expressed the opinion that the theory of man having descended from lower life forms is not consistent with the biblical record. I still hold...

The Spring 2009 issue of The Westminster Theological Journal includes some excellent articles on the issues of biblical inerrancy and interpretation. Of particular interest is the interaction between Bruce Waltke and Pete Enns. Dr. Waltke critiques Dr. Enns' book Inspiration and Incarnation . Enns...

Kevin DeYoung's new book "Just Do Something" is getting some outstanding reviews. With all the novel approaches in the church to "finding God's will" a truly good book on the subject is needful. Dan Phillips over at Pyromaniacs has posted a review: DeYoung sounds a Biblical wake-up-grow-up-and-get-...

Phil Johnson over at Pyromaniacs has made many a compelling argument against the trend in some evangelical circles toward scatological language and graphic discussion of sex from the pulpit. I have posted on this trend in the past. Johnson writes: Today I'll be in the studio with John MacArthur,...

You can listen to or download Sunday's sermon "Do What You Did at First" by clicking HERE . It was Vision Day at COS. What a great day we had! We were blessed by a report from our Thailand team, the commissioning of our summer mission teams, and a moving testimony from one who has recently come to...

I spotted THIS over at Riddleblog . Enjoy!

I remember a meeting several years ago with the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches. He told me that the old WCC slogan, "Doctrine Divides, Service Unites," had proven unworkable. "Actually," he said, "it's the other way around. Even when we reach agreement on the meaning of the...

* Thanks to Riddleblog for the picture.

Carl Trueman and David Garner recently interviewed Greg Beale. In the Fall of 2010 Dr. Beale will be coming to Westminster to teach New Testament. In the interview Dr. Beale comments on his theological heritage, his writings, postmodernism, the direction of biblical studies at WTS, and current...

American Christians love their fads and celebrities. The ascendency of Jon and Kate Gosselin are a perfect example. Evangelicals are largely responsible for the Gosselin's popularity. Admirably, the Gosselins refused "selective reduction" when they discovered that Kate was pregnant with sextuplets...

If you have read or are planning to read Humility by C.J. Mahaney (recommended) then you may also want to check out a study guide written by Michael Haykin that would make a great addition to your application of the book. Download the study guide free by clicking HERE .

You can listen to or download Sunday's sermon "Pentecost: Babel Undone" by clicking HERE .

“Having absorbed the world’s values, Christianity in our society is now dying. Subtly but surely worldliness and self-indulgence are eating away the heart of the church. The gospel we proclaim is so convoluted that it offers believing in Christ as nothing more than a means to contentment and...