Should I Pray for Jerusalem?
Psalm 122 calls people to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” and to seek her good (6, 9). Is the Psalm calling us to be politically pro-Israel, as some people interpret it today? Or is it teaching something more basic to…
Tag Biblical Exposition
A Response to Ryan Denton’s Expository Preaching: The New Golden Calf
This article is a response to Rev. Ryan Denton: “Expository Preaching, The New Golden Calf” posted on Reformation 21’s website on May 12, 2025. This cannot be an exhaustive treatment of the topic but will simply engage with Rev. Denton’s article.…
Ezra and Nehemiah: An excerpt from Dale Ralph Davis’s New Commentary
A (Brief) Theology of the Sabbath By Dale Ralph Davis From ‘Is Reformation Really Possible? Or: The Ongoing Perils of the Church (Nehemiah 13:4-31) in Ezra & Nehemiah: The Quest for Restoration, Focus on the Bible (Fearn: Christian Focus, 2025), pp…
A Chastened, New Testament Cultural Mandate
What is the relationship between the creation/cultural mandate in Genesis and God’s intended role for his redeemed people in the new covenant? In Genesis 1, God creates humanity in his image and gives them a task to “be fruitful and…
Hospitality: The Forgotten Qualification
When considering the qualifications for elders, “able to teach” is often recognized as the one qualification uniquely required for the office (1 Tim. 3:2, Tit. 1:9). Certainly, the unique role of elders centers on “the ministry of the word” (Acts…
What Does Your Pulpit (Or Lack of One) Communicate to the Congregation?
‘After the hymn, the minister will ascend the stairs into the pulpit for the Scripture reading, pastoral prayer, and sermon.’ What role does the physical pulpit have in a local church? For most of my life, I attended churches where…
Is Hyper-Cessationism a Fair Term? Part Two
I am encouraged by the amount of interest my article on hyper-cessationism has received. It has reinforced my suspicion that the Reformed world is hungry for warmer expressions of orthodoxy, and that our spark has been waiting for us all…
The Single’s Gift
Your training program is now in place. You have identified places in your life that need special focus in pursuing godliness and purity. At least one coach motivates you to keep at it. You even have an accountability partner, running…
In Defense of Patriarchy
Last week I noticed that Ryan Gosling was nominated for an Oscar for playing Ken alongside Margot Robbie’s Barbie in last summer’s hit by the same name. Robbie, incidentally, was not so nominated. I won’t watch the film, but I…
Another Commentary on Romans?
Expository Outlines & Observations on Romans: Hints and Helps for Preachers and Teachers. Ross-shire: Mentor, 2023 Rob Ventura If you walked into any pastor’s study and started looking through his library, you would find that his section on Paul’s letter…