Pastoral wisdom is applying the whole counsel of God according to the actual needs of a particular people and place.…some concerns recur again and again because some dangers really are more universal. The Apostles knew how to distinguish between what was pressing here, what was pressing there, and what was pressing everywhere.   A recent... Continue Reading

It is my view that Marxism is a republication of the account in the Garden of Eden.  As such, Marxism is not merely a political philosophy, but a religion that flows from the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden. We could call it the doctrine of demons.  It should be taught today, especially... Continue Reading

Every Christian should seek to protect their own name as well as that of others. The Westminster Larger Catechism tells us that keeping the ninth commandment requires us to promote the “good name of our neighbor, as well as our own” (Q. 144). Protecting and safeguarding the name of the PCA and its property is... Continue Reading

When our dwelling place is in God, our humble works take their place in the grand project that is called God’s Kingdom, and the Church of Jesus Christ. Whatever you’re doing, do it for him.   September is a time for work. Maybe you had a great summer, but now it is back to class.... Continue Reading

amilies, churches, and Christian schools have the opportunity to cultivate the kind of convictions that can undergird the religious freedom consensus. We must, if the next generation will stand when courage is called for in the future.    Constitution Day is a good time to celebrate one of the greatest blessings of our freedom, which... Continue Reading

If you belong to Him, you have work to do. The very areas of life where you have allowed sin to grow are places where you must now learn to obey your King and pray His Kingdom victory will come as it already is in heaven.   Across New England, which boasts one of the... Continue Reading

Many of those who argue against the doctrines of grace today are not Arminians and do not claim to be. Their position denies the inability that Calvinists and Arminians alike have always confessed, and on that point it conflicts with what the church insisted upon at Orange in 529, that the beginning of faith requires... Continue Reading

We tend to think that the more stuff we have, the more experiences we get, or the more success we have, the happier we will become. But happiness doesn’t work linearly. We often get to one milestone only to have despair crash down upon us again. We worry about everything and nothing; we envy the... Continue Reading

James Hall was the minister of Bethany Church, a well-traveled missionary, a historian and scientist, but that is not all—he was interested in advancing preparatory, college, and seminary education.   James was born August 22, 1744 in York County, Pennsylvania, the third son of his like-named father and judicious mother, Prudence (Roddy) Hall. His parents... Continue Reading

“Abraham saw Sodom destroyed and lost nothing, but Lot lost everything. Only his life was spared. Abraham brought the world blessing, but Lot brought trouble into the world…” (Warren Wiersbe).   Here the story turns to what we might call certification: through two events God grows Abraham—sanctifies him, as we would say in a New... Continue Reading

History has shown that the church has often been most potent when she has been the least impressive—when she has been faithful, suffering, and humble. And this, far from being a flaw in the Master’s design, has actually been a feature, a wisely chosen means of ensuring that human boasting is removed and glory, honour,... Continue Reading

God defines who we are. He calls us His sons and daughters, and the trials we walked through with Him were the means to reinforcing or awakening that true and complete definition. When we experience those trials, we are stripped of all those things we might have trusted in…and we find our true and lasting... Continue Reading

Plenty of Christians enjoy sports. That means plenty of Christians are exposed to and are likely enticed by the idea of sports gambling. But many are wondering if it’s something they should be participating in.   Sports betting is the new opioid crisis, former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warns. “Our kids, especially our boys,... Continue Reading

While collectivism is sold to the masses in the language of compassion and concern for justice for the downtrodden, it is in truth, as the Belgic Confession notes, a subversion of justice.  Simply put, this means that it punishes those who are innocent and rewards those who are guilty.   One of the issues before... Continue Reading

The church has an incredible opportunity to meet the felt needs of the “spiritual but not religious” who are seeking something bigger than themselves and can’t seem to find it.   Over the past three years, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone say something like “I believe in God, but I’m... Continue Reading

Romans 8 teaches that the Incarnation is the foundation of the Christian’s hope of glory. The eternal Son entered our fallen condition, condemned sin, secured our adoption, sustained us through suffering, and guaranteed our future inheritance. Because God has already given His Son, His saving purpose cannot fail.   Every year Christians celebrate the birth... Continue Reading

Bigger issues about the theology, polity, or direction of the church might require a longer attempt at getting alignment. Not all decisions carry equal weight. The challenge is to figure out how to weigh them.   The Case It’s been three months with no decision. The longest serving elder, Nathan, believes that the church should... Continue Reading

Ultimately, the only genuine guarantor of institutions and property is a successful handoff to successive generations of faithful, competent stewards of them. There’s no substitute for proper generational succession.   The archdiocese of Detroit signed a $1 per year, 200-year lease to rent one of its own churches, after transferring ownership to a non-profit controlled... Continue Reading

There are people trying to perform day after day— Christian leaders trying to preach a wonderful sermon every week, parents trying to produce lovely children, workers putting in long hours at work—all in a desperate attempt to prove themselves. Some weeks they feel like they’ve pulled it off; other weeks it seems so fragile—as though... Continue Reading

For many, building wealth is the pathway to self-actualization. More resources expand your choices, and therefore your freedom. Others see wealth as its own bondage. Your life becomes walled-in by money-management and all the people vying for their place in your decisions. Such contradictions lead us to conclude that the pursuit of freedom is none... Continue Reading