If you’re like me, you hear the word “ecumenicity” and you think, “World Council of Churches” or some such “ecumenical” organization. (“Ecumenicity” comes from the Greek word “oikoumene,” meaning “inhabited world.” It refers to the idea that the church of the Lord spans the globe, and ought to express its oneness.) In this article and […]
The twentieth century has seen much discussion of the importance of Christian unity. The advance of secularism and rival religions especially in the West have led many Christians to write and speak about the crucial witness that Christian unity would offer to the world. The concern for unity […]
The following statements of evangelical belief are offered as material for dialogue between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, as a follow up on the recently published document, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium,” drafted by Richard John Neuhaus and Charles Colson with others. We the undersigned offer this response in a […]
The following address was delivered at a meeting of NAPARC. I have selected as my topic this evening, “Confessing the Reformed Faith: Our Identity in Unity and Diversity.” The central issue that I will address is the issue of Reformed identity—specifically as indicated by the body of confessional documents that both unites us in faith […]
By now many readers of The Outlook have had time to reflect on the decision of the 1994 Synod of the CRC regarding women-in-office. Synod 1994 by a narrow margin (9589) decided not to ratify a proposed change in the Church Order that would have permitted local councils and churches to ordain women to the […]
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents… Hebrews 11:23a (NASV) Abortion is one of the greatest blights on today’s society. It is a result of evolutionary thinking. If human life is only an advanced form of animal life, then it is not serious to remove it. […]
The attack by what I’ve called the Pagan Left has begun against what they call the Religious Right. Michael Kinsley wrote in the New York Times that if Christians can’t stand the heat of criticism, they should get back in the church pews. They can’t have it both […]
HlSTORY AND PURPOSE Confessing the truth of God’s Word has always been important for those of Reformed persuasion. The Confessions of the Church, be they the Westminster, the Continental, the Second Helvetic others, have functioned to declare God’s truth to the world as witnesses, to preserve it from attackers as soldiers, to pass it on […]
If you have not heard of it by now, you will very soon! I’m referring to PROMISE KEEPERS. It is a growing movement of men across the nation who gather together to encourage, challenge, and pray for each other to be men of integrity. We all know what “promise makers” are, and sadly so do […]
A mother approached me after a morning service and thanked me for saying in my sermon that Jesus is the only Mediator in whose name we should pray. This confirmed in her mind a decision she had made the previous week. She related to me the following incident. She had gone to a certain pre-school […]