Once upon a time there was a Christian people who had drifted from the right worship of God. They had, through laziness and unbelief, neglected to worship God the Father through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. In short, they ceased offering worship that was distinctively Trinitarian. As a result, this people …
Christendom Lite
Many years ago I wrote a piece for the journal Antithesis on the necessity of Christian education. Later on, I picked that article up and modified it so that it became a chapter in Standing on the Promises. As part of the continuing debate on education in the Southern Baptist Convention, the editor of the …
A Synod of Owls
Once a great synod of Reformed owls gathered together for a confabulation of their wits, to wit, putting their brains together to solve a problem that had long roiled the world of owley Reformedness. Now, in that last sentence, I must confess that I was sorely tempted to write, “of their wits, to wit, to …
The Real Reasons They Left
It was the early evening of the day in which Gideon had told his army that all who were faint of heart could return to their homes. A group of soldiers were gathered around their campfire, and they were explaining to one another why they had all decided to return to their homes in just …
Public Religion
Dear visionaries, I was gone for just one day and missed a bunch of interesting stuff. 1. Stewart’s point about atheism was a good one, although I would have preferred the phrase “dogmatic agnosticism,” which amounts to the same thing. God’s existence may not be explicitly denied, but the children are taught by precept and …
Strange Alliances
A specter is haunting the Reformed world — the specter of biblically grounded teaching on marriage, family, and elder qualifications. The threat is causing new ecumenical alliances to form, all calculated to meet the rising and imminent danger. TR Frank Smith is teaming up with openness theology, rabid anti-theonomist John Robbins is shoulder to shoulder …
Schools and Market Choices
Dear visionaries, I tried to go away, but a few more questions have arisen. I will try to keep my answers brief so that no more of my “hate-filled” stuff spills out. In response to Ben’s question about market forces: I am not a market absolutist. Adam’s Smith’s invisible hand directs the marketing flow of …
John Robbins and the Council of Trent
The controversy over justification by faith shows no signs of letting up. Every day I hear from some new quarter that the hubbub continues. One of the larger ironies in all this is that men who have abandoned the historic, Protestant understanding of faith have accused other men (who have not abandoned it) of doing …
Resentment By the Book
In his own mind, and according to his own rationalizations, Judas was the hero of the story — at least until the cold reality came crashing in on him. Once there was a hypocritical man who made a great show of his loyalty and faithfulness to his friends at a company where they all worked. …
Christ First, Wood Second, Business Third
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11) Growing Dominion, Part 7 One of the great legacies of the Reformation is the idea of calling. Prior to the Reformation it was assumed that serving God in a serious way meant going into a monastery, or some kind of spiritual equivalent. The resurgence …