Posts by Zachary Groff

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Lessons from History: What is an Evangelical Presbyterian to Do?

Zachary Groff
Jul 22, 2024
The Presbyterian church in which I was converted over 20 years ago began in the United Presbyterian Church in North America (UPCNA) in the early 1950s, became a UPCUSA congregation when the UPCNA merged with the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) in 1958, then stayed in the...

The Sabbath at the Supreme Court

Zachary Groff
Jun 30, 2023
Over the past several months, I’ve been tracking the progress of what I call “Uncle Gerry’s Case.” Gerald Groff [1] is an Evangelical Christian of the conservative Mennonite variety hailing from beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania who has become a champion of religious liberty, the Christian...

Screaming in the Face of Death

Zachary Groff
May 11, 2022
It is difficult to tell if the countenance is grinning, scowling, or yawning open with insatiable hunger, but it seems that Death’s face is closer than usual as it stares out from the inky shadows at the edges of life. Death feels more present than usual right now. International headlines continue...

The Troubler of Israel

Zachary Groff
Nov 6, 2021
I always looked up to my dad. From the day of my birth until his death seven years ago, I quite literally looked up to him. He was a big guy at 6’ 2”, and I never attained his stature. Yet there is a more profound reason that I continue to look up to my dad even after his death: he stood up to...

A Resolution for the Church

Zachary Groff
Jan 25, 2021
Of the making of commitments there seems to be no end. Having formed any number of New Year’s Resolutions, we find ourselves bombarded by new pressures from within and without—and after nearly a month, perhaps we have already decided to call it quits. But what if we take a moment to step back from...

The Radical Society

Zachary Groff
Jul 31, 2020
Radicalism is on the rise. As noted by Senior Academic Fellow Jonathan Pugh of Newcastle University, the phrase “radical politics” [1] in our day describes activism that targets and subverts the root (Latin: radix ) of reigning public distributions of power, wealth, and social standing. The radical...

The Chapel & Transluminate: Looking Back, Moving Forward

Zachary Groff
Mar 11, 2020
Note: This piece follows up on Friday’s reformation21 post, A Trans Memorial in an Evangelical Chapel . In the wake of last week’s news about the Transluminate short-play festival having been held (two years in a row) on premises owned and maintained by Memorial Presbyterian Church (PCA) in St...

Trans Memorial in an Evangelical Chapel?

Zachary Groff
Mar 6, 2020
In the middle of an otherwise peaceful Thursday afternoon, my phone and Facebook newsfeed lit up simultaneously with something that I thought was impossible at this point: yet more surprising PCA-related news out of St. Louis, Missouri. Memorial Presbyterian Church (PCA), the host church of the...

The Rhetoric of An Affirming Non-Ministry

Zachary Groff
Mar 4, 2019
Last week in St. Louis, representatives of the United Methodist Church from around the world gathered together for a special session of their General Conference. The delegates to the meeting collectively represented over 12 million church members, worldwide. Called for the purpose of considering a...

What a Privilege!

Zachary Groff
Oct 8, 2018
During family worship one night, my son was growing increasingly distracted—to which children his age are inclined. I gently reached over and grasped my son’s shoulders, and said, “Remember son, we are people who are privileged by God to be nurtured to worship Him.” If you...

Confessional Millennials?

Zachary Groff
Aug 23, 2017
Confessionalists value unity; Millennials celebrate individualism. Confessionalists cherish tradition; Millennials love innovation. Confessionalists are guardians; Millennials are liberators. The combination of these words seems like an oxymoron. But does it make sense to completely separate the...

The Gift of Sleep: Capturing the Biblical Vision of Rest

Zachary Groff
Sep 8, 2016
Caffeine. Late-night TV. Smartphones. Sugar. After-hours work e-mails. What do they have in common? With stunning success, we use these things – and more besides – to regularly rob ourselves of a good night’s sleep. But the problem is deeper than entertainment, technology, or any...