“It seems like the people who are worried about ‘keeping Christ in Christmas’ don’t seem to want to keep Christ in Christianity.” —Bonnie Jean Brown I’m a little bit bothered by the over-religious nature with which many “Christians” celebrate Christmas, especially among Protestants. It’s supposed to be Jesus’ birthday, but he was not born in the […]
I am a victim of church abuse. As a poor and young church musician in the late 1990s, I was taken advantage of and guilt-tripped into serving to the point of exhaustion. You may blame my own stupidity for this, but no pastors actually took me aside to explain the concept of free grace. During
I am a victim of church abuse Read More »
Harold Camping’s got nothing on Chuck Smith
Disturbing citations from Calvary Chapel’s pontiff regarding the end times and “making plans” for the future.
Harold Camping’s got nothing on Chuck Smith Read More »
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (NIV) In my previous post, I discussed how social justice has played a factor in the development of my worldview. I’ve sought
Two Kingdoms: Natural Law, Common Grace and the Spiritual Nature of the Church Read More »
I jotted down a couple thoughts during a recent worship service at the local Presbyterian church: Tiny church: you feel alone, like it’s you vs. the world. Big church: you worship God in community, gathered, hundreds of voices together. You don’t feel like it’s “us vs. world”. Driving around downtown Chico on a Lord’s Day
Attributes of a Healthy Church Read More »
Before I discuss the marks of a healthy church, which I will do in my next post, I need to go into some background a little bit. I have a lot of baggage when it comes to churches. Through several years of chaos since experiencing a painful church split a decade ago, and then having
The Marks of an Abusive Church Read More »
A page in the PC(USA) Book of Confessions “[W]e do not approach God’s Word as if we were the first people to read and interpret it. In fact, we draw upon 2,000 years of study, exegesis, reflection, and interpretation that testify to the truths of Scripture.” —Daniel R. Hyde The doctrine of the perspicuity of
Historic Confessions vs. the Contemporary Statement of Faith Read More »
“The great strength of Presbyterianism is its uncanny knack of fostering a fellowship in which people of different viewpoints continue to dialogue.” —David Robert Ord Here is a very concise statement on the nature of the true church: “The true church is one where the Word is rightly preached and the sacraments are rightly administered.”
Diversity and the Nature of the Church Read More »
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have
But on the other hand, I see several species of pride in my soul that, while they may not rise to the level of disqualifying me for ministry, grieve me, and have taken a toll on my relationship with Noël and others who are dear to me. How do I apologize to you, not for
John Piper on why he’s taking a leave of absence Read More »