CREC churches share a deep commitment to the pursuit of Christian education. We are convinced that the world must be understood in a distinctively Christian way, and young saints are to be trained up into that way of thinking about it. The reason the world must be understood in a Christian way is because the …
Thanksgiving 2011
Thanksgiving in the midst of war is not an incongruity; it is one of our chief weapons. The Lord prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies (Ps. 23:5). We are not yet privileged to sit down in Isaiah’s hall, where the trumpet and spear are mounted in places of honor, where …
Psalm Singing
One marked feature of worship in the CREC is the abundance of psalms. There have been some in the Reformed tradition who have insisted on singing only psalms, but that is not what we are doing. We do not hold to “exclusive psalmody,” but it would be fair to say that we seek to practice …
Slaughtering Pigs With a Butter Knife
Okay, we know that the outlook and behavior of the president during all these debt negotiations has been lame sauce. But let us not forget virtually everybody else! The supercommittee failed to reach a consensus, and so — unless Congress acts — 1.2 trillion will be automatically cut from future spending, half from the military …
Centrality of Worship
It is fairly common in CREC circles to hear folks speaking about the centrality of worship. This requires some explanation because it is easily misunderstood. Because the church exists in time and in history, that which is “central” to our identity and work has to be understood in terms of our mission and task. A …
Courtship and the Single Mom
A friend asked me to comment on how biblical courtship applies to women who have been widowed or divorced. My understanding is that a woman who has been married, and then widowed or divorced, may (under certain circumstances) return to her father’s house. Whether she does or not is up to her, and of course …
Occupy Brawl Street
The essential characteristic that is necessary for helpful political analysis and action is not logic (though that is sometimes badly wanted), but is rather courage. The reason our liberties are eroding is because of a failure of nerve. The reason drunks on a fiscal jag have broken into your great-grandchildren’s piggy banks (in order to …
The Gospel and Thanksgiving
INTRODUCTION:The gospel is good news for everyone, and this includes all those who have already heard and believed it. The gospel is food, not just information, and so when the gospel is declared rightly it creates and reinforces true faith. The gospel does not unsettle true faith. You are a congregation of God’s people, a …
Joy and Exasperation
Thanksgiving is this coming Thursday, and it is a time—all over our nation—when people sit down to a feast with people who are dear to them, and who are also exasperating to them. This is why holidays like Thanksgiving are often filled with joy, and with tension. This is why our reunions contain both laughter …
The Gilded Rule
Perhaps we should rename the Golden Rule, and call it the Gilded Rule. What Jesus actually taught has been wrapped up and stored in the attic, while a poor substitute—which is “expect everybody to be comparatively decent”—has been plated with a flakey, golden looking substance, and placed on the mantel. And our workaround understanding of …