Life is full of promises! We promise to pay an employee for agreed upon work. The employee agrees to do the work and, therefore, promises faithfulness to his employer. Couples make promises to each other in the covenant of marriage. And so one could go on and on telling of how promises are manifest in […]
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 13 Background Reading: Joshua 23:4–13 As we begin our study of Nehemiah 13, we are immediately confronted with a controversy. Our English Standard Version opens with the phrase, “On that day they read from the book of Moses.” What day was that? When did that reading from the Law occur? Commentaries are […]
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 12 Background Reading: 1 Chronicles 23:1–6; 24:1–5; 25:1 Another chapter full of names. Almost impossible to pronounce. Almost impossible to inspire. As we noted with the previous chapter, the meanings do not lie exposed on the surface. To the contrary, we will need to dig deeply again. Near the surface, there is […]
We began our discussion in the last article by emphasizing the importance of this step. Collecting sufficient data is essential for gaining an accurate understanding of the problem the counselee is experiencing. If we don’t have an accurate understanding of the problem, a wrong prescription will be made. Last time we began […]
A certain corner house in the College Hill neighborhood of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, would catch your eye nearly every Sunday evening in the fall. The small dwelling is swarmed with college students. Barbecues and bonfires in the fall yield to bubbling vats of soup and steaming trays of ham buns in the winter. Almost every […]
The end of 2018 through the beginning of 2019 will mark the four hundredth anniversary of the Synod of Dort (held November 13–May 29) and its greatest achievement: the Canons of Dort.1 This synod or ecclesiastical assembly of professors, pastors, and politicians from throughout Reformed regions in Europe gathered in the city of Dort in […]
How well do you know the denomination or federation to which you belong? As far as that goes, how well do you know the congregation of which you are a member? Many churches publish an updated church directory on an annual basis, listing not only the names of their families and individuals but also their […]
Recently, Dr. Conrad Mbewe spent the weekend ministering at Immanuel Fellowship Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Dr. Mbewe is a Reformed Baptist pastor in Zambia’s Kabwata Baptist Church. He is also chancellor of the African Christian University, principal of the Lusaka Ministerial College, editor of Reformation Zambia magazine, author of a number of Christian books, and […]
In a Few WORDS How well do you know the denomination or federation to which you belong? As far as that goes, how well do you know the congregation of which you are a member? Many churches publish an updated church directory on an annual basis, listing not only the names of their families and […]
Missionaries at a Christian College Recently, a college student confronted an administrator of his university to complain about a chapel message that he described as offensive, micro-aggressive, and victimizing. The student protested that the speaker should have issued a “trigger warning” prior to giving such a controversial address. The university? Oklahoma Wesleyan—a conservative Christian school. […]