Reformation21

In Calvin's estimation, the Christian life is properly one of constant gratitude. Gratitude bears fruit in holiness -- we can and should say "thank you" to God with our lives as well as our lips. The root of gratitude is constant and careful attention to God's remarkable gifts to us in spite of our...

People do what they want to do. Regrettably, when it comes to Christians, they seem to not want to pray together at prayer meetings. As a pastor, I'm concerned how many Christians have such energy for the things of the world - we will drive across town for our kids to get to piano lessons or take...

I recently read an essay by a leading evangelical theologian arguing that many "egalitarian" discussions of the doctrine of the Trinity threaten to compromise basic tenets of orthodox Christianity and to undermine, at least implicitly, the authority of the Bible (Wayne Grudem, "Doctrinal Deviations...

Two hundred years ago today, on the morning of Sunday 7th May 1815 dawned, the sixty one year old Andrew Fuller was grieved that he had not the strength to go and worship his God with his people. As his end approached, so his faith had increased. When his dear friend John Ryland Jr. heard that...

In the light of recent events at the Thrive Conference involving Mr Driscoll, some readers may be interested in this article from a couple of months ago.

I love reading a good book, the type that keeps you reading till the end. A recent book by Hunter Powell, The crisis of British Protestantism: Church power in the Puritan Revolution, 1638-44 , reminded me of the importance of good scholarship not only for the academy, but also for the church. It...

On May 6 th , 1527 -- 488 years ago today -- military troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, sacked the ecclesiastical capital of Western Christendom, la città eterna , Rome. Sacking Rome was the "thing to do" (as they say) for much of Western history. Everybody who was anybody did it at some...

Updated: response to Professor Helm below. When we speak of grace, hell, heaven, etc., we must not merely speak in generalities, but as specific as the Scriptures allow us, which includes good and necessary consequences (Matt. 22:32). Someone may reference the horrors of hell or the happiness of...

Reformed ministers of the past ordinarily paid some attention to things like riots in the streets of their cities, and spoke and wrote on them with force at times. Granted, some of those riots were over religious issues, but not all of them. Either way, it is fitting that we devote at least a long...

I've been meaning to write a book on important theological distinctions and how they can be of practical use to ministers and lay Christians. In the past I've discussed the distinction between God's absolute power and God's ordained power . Today I want to talk about the distinction between the act...