Reformation21

Following the tumultuous years of the mid-Seventeenth Century, two titans of English Puritanism left an especially enduring imprint upon church history. For centuries, many Protestant ministers have dedicated feet—yes, feet —of shelf-space to the published works of both John Owen (1616-83) and...

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 multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion” (1:...

Over the past 10 years, I’ve been examined by 4 different presbyteries. These have been profoundly edifying experiences that have deepened my love for the brethren and biblical polity. While each presbytery’s exam had its own flavor, a unique blend mixed from past controversies within and...

“What, are you some kind of religious nut?” A stranger in a coffee shop had been sighing repeatedly, and I could tell that she clearly wanted to talk. She asked me if I was religious nut right after I told her that I would pray for her. Had this conversation occurred a few weeks before, I would...

A Tragic Reality in the Church – A Fallen Pastor: The Church of Jesus Christ is not perfect. While the invisible Church is perfect and flawless, awaiting its arrival in the New Heaven and the New Earth, the visible church on earth is marked by many weaknesses and imperfections. For example,...

A Personal God and a Good World: The Coherence of the Christian Moral Vision by Ronnie P. Campell Jr. and David Baggett B&H Academic, 2024 256 pages, paper, $34.99 I recently discovered a linguistic quirk of the Spanish language that has fascinating repercussions for the way we should think of...

Many have strong opinions on the amount of time a pastor should take to prepare his weekly sermon, with many affirming that roughly 20 hrs is not just normal but advisable. We’ve probably seen pastors piling up their commentaries on the book they’re preaching on (with an almost obligatory social...

When I was a Southern Baptist pastor, all I heard about was discipleship. It was their "thing," almost to a fault. When I moved into the Reformed world, I never heard anything about discipleship. Perhaps my experience is an anomaly but gauging from some conversations I’ve had with a variety of...

William Boekestein, Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling (Jenison, MI: Reformed Free Publishing, 2024) 154pp. US$16.95 Reviewed by Guy Waters God commands us to “labor and do all [our] work” “six days” a week (Exod 20:9). That command alone tells us how important our work...

The weight of loneliness hit me really hard a few weeks ago. I couldn’t explain why. I live on the same property as my family and see them daily. Our small, flourishing church plant provides plenty of weekly fellowship and ministry opportunities. I work at a doctor’s office where I have growing...