Ref21 Blog

For those who think that the world of Reformed chick lit is by and large dominated by very nice ladies who write poetry (sort of), love children and have sweet thoughts about everything from cooking to husbands (the present Mrs...

Just in case someone thinks that the observance of Lent is not the start of a slippery slope, consider the following sad case of a man who thought it did not matter much . . ....

I know I have been here before, but it is that time of year when we hear of those noble spirits who will be relinquishing chocolate (Book of Additions, chapter 1, verse 28), smartphones (Second Letter to the Accretions, chapter...

I have shared my concerns about the practices of Pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation Church previously on this blog. I have done this out of a deep concern for the peace and purity of the church and the integrity of...

I had the honor of being the guest speaker at a women's retreat last weekend. Given the setting of the retreat, and the four different sessions blocked out for me to speak, I incorporated about a half hour or so...

Todd has his work cut out at the moment.  A number of very fine and helpful books have been published recently, so we must assume that the Witchfinder General will be canceling all leave for his pitchfork-wielding underlings in order...

Reformation 21 exists for the purposes of, "Encouraging biblical thinking, living, worship, ministry, and constructive cultural engagement." I desire to engage the latter in this post. To be clear, I am not playing the race card nor am I claiming...

This week's Mortification of Spin is up.  Our guest is Paul Wolfe, author of My God is True and Setting Our Sights On Heaven.  Paul is a pastor in the P.C.A. and a cancer survivor, so the conversation focuses on matters...

Last week we had a Men's evening at IPC with Ian Hamilton from Cambridge Presbyterian Church. I'd asked Ian to speak on eldership and he was outstanding. It seems to me that we spend enormous amounts of effort and thinking...

A little more than a year ago I read Handbook for Battered Leaders. It was written by husband and wife Wesley Balda and Janis Bragan Balda. Wesley is president of the Simeon Institute. In the past he has led the...

In the latest edition of First Things, friend David Mills (one of a small group of loyal Roman Catholic readers of Ref21) comments on an article in the left wing Brooklyn paper, Indypendent, about 'transgender rock bands,' that the word...

In 1991, Cherly James and Sandra Denton, also known as Salt-n-Pepa, released a song titled, "Let's Talk About Sex." In the opening stanza, they recorded, "Let's talk about sex for now to the people at home or in the crowd....

I have just returned from a very pleasant week of fellowship and ministry among the Reformed Presbyterians in Northern Ireland. It was my privilege to preach at the Knockbracken Bible Week, as well as at a men's meeting beforehand, and...

I have an impulse I'd like to tell you about. It is an impulse to defend myself when I am slandered. Sometimes that impulse is appropriate as evidenced in the Apostle Paul. Other times that impulse is laden with sin.If...

The Rev. Gustavo Monteiro has recently been ordained by the Presbyterian Church of Brazil to work under the oversight of the Session at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Ambler, Pa. in reaching out to the Brazilian community in the Philadelphia...