Introduction Today in America, we live in a culture blighted with the same basic problem as the historic city of Athens. Our nation, as that city, has become a nation full of idols. Even as Paul was distressed that the overarching thought life of the citizens of Athens was characterized by a mind-set that denied […]
If you watch any amount of television, you’ve noticed that the election year sparring is heating up nicely. What’s interesting to me is how the “religious” community is being included in the political maneuverings. In one sense, I’m delighted evangelicals who are, by and large, conservative in their politics are being asked anything other than […]
You’ve determined that you want to be a better steward of God’s resources, to live within the boundaries of what He’s provided. So how do you carry out this plan? And is it wrong to ever take on debt? Haste Makes Waste While the Bible discourages the use of debt, it is not labeled a […]
In seminary I studied beside talented women who wanted to become pastors. Opponents of women’s ordination struck me as old-fashioned and cranky. I read books and articles which said it was permissible, even required, for women to serve in all church offices. My regard for women’s abilities made me eager to find Scriptural, scholarly support […]
The Supreme Court has sealed its fate to be regarded by future generations on the level of Chief Justice Roger Taney’s court which ruled in the Dred Scott case that black people were not fully human, and therefore, their lives did not warrant the full protection of law. By an excruciatingly dose 5–4 majority, the […]
The time is past in which Christian norms and values were respected and honored. Today, people widely argue for and practice the “right” of private morality, and self-determination. Think of the issues of abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide. What was once determined by moral standards as wrong is now determined to be the right of […]
A friend recently visited us in Dallas and commented on the fast paced life in this city. Nothing new. I hear it, and say it, all the time. But this conversation didn’t stop there. He and I got to talking about the pace, not of lifestyle, but of change how rapidly things change from the […]
Recently, in a conversation with some veteran teachers of children, we began to discuss what we were teaching in our various classes. All too quickly the conversation turned to a discussion of curriculum, materials, and methods that we were using to minister effectively to the children. I left the conversation realizing that we had erred […]
Heinrich Bullinger in the Second Helvetic Confession gave the world an excellent summary of the Reformed faith. Since this confession is relatively unknown today, it may be useful to quote some distinctive statements from the confession and notice some similarities and differences in its formulations, with the work of other Reformed theologians. […]
What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you […]