“In this sense, an individual elder called as the minister may be considered the pastor, or shepherd, of a church. But if he remembers the pastoral authority of Christ and the pastoral responsibilities of the whole session of elders, he will not understand himself to be the sole shepherd of the flock. His role should …
American Zionism and the Creed
David Gelernter really celebrates the Puritans “To understand America and Americanism, you must understand those Puritans. They are a difficult proposition, an intellectual handful. They were religious fanatics. But their intolerance gave birth to toleration; their quest for religious freedom yielded freedom in general; and their devotion to the Bible and the biblical idea of …
Why Historical Theology is Such a Nuisance
Here are few comments from Calvin’s pastor, Martin Bucer. Hold on to your hats. HT: Steven Wedgeworth “We confess and teach that holy baptism, when given and received according to the Lord’s command, is in the case of adults and of young children truly a baptism of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, whereby …
Why Your Arm Fell Off
Last week in the call to worship we considered the self-destructive effects of bitterness. We saw how the bitter person is actually in fundamental agreement with the person who wronged him. Because of what bitterness does – causing us to fall short of the g race of God – we should consider it a bit …
God’s Knitting Needles
You have heard many times that this Table is not the time or place for confession of sin. If you have ignored these exhortations, and have come to the Table with unconfessed sin in your life, then confessing sin here is far better than not confessing sin at all. So take care of whatever it …
Shackling the Wind
If you have read the “When the Fork Floats” thread, this is a follow on to that, particularly the comments. This is what I am doing with the ordo, and for FV critics, it constitutes what I believe to be an unanswerable problem for them. I have said before in this space that the ordo …
Breaking Bread Across Generations
Our gracious Father, from whom all fatherhood derives its name, we thank You for our family. We thank You for children, grandchildren, parents, and grandparents. We thank You that we are allowed to break bread across generations like this, and we are grateful for the hands that prepared this food for us. Father, we ask …
A Billionaire in the High Chair
We continue our discussion of the relationship of the old Israel and the new Israel. And in making the obvious comparisons, Paul changes the figure slightly. Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and …
And Some People Think the Religious Right Created the Taliban
“In the event, President Carter secretly authorized $500 million (closer to a billion in today’s money) to help create an international network that would spread Islamism in Central Asia and ‘destabilize’ the Soviet Union. The CIA called this ‘Operation Cyclone,’ and in the following years poured over $4 billion into setting up Islamic training schools …
Art in a Can
“The high point came in 1961, when an Italian artist name Piero Manzoni sold ninety cans of his own feces (each weighing thirty grams and marked ‘Made in Italy’) to art patrons willing to pay the same rate as the current price of gold” (Martha Bayles, Hole in our Soul, p. 288).