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  • A Short Note on “Patriarchy”: Reclaiming Biblical Terminology

    A Short Note on “Patriarchy”: Reclaiming Biblical Terminology

    The term “patriarchy” is controversial. I used to be opposed to the term “patriarchy” and was settled on the term “complementarianism” to describe the relationship of the sexes. I was especially frustrated that many who called themselves “patriarchal” seemed to have weird “hyper-patriarchal” views. Perhaps that is still the case in some quarters. But a… Read more

  • A Short Note on Headship

    A Short Note on Headship

    A man is the head of the household. To put it another way, the man is the patriarch of his home. He has responsibility for his home, as well as authority over his home. Today, there are some in “complementarian” circles who seek to limit a man’s headship to his wife, and then claim the… Read more

  • The TPC Baptismal Liturgy

    The TPC Baptismal Liturgy

    This is an email I send out to our congregation occasionally to instruct them about our practice of infant baptism — not just why we baptize infants, but also why we baptize the way we do, why we use the liturgy we do, etc. This is a good opportunity for me to remind you where… Read more

  • Thoughts for Young Men Wanting to Marry

    Thoughts for Young Men Wanting to Marry

    “The Christian church is there to remind people, young men included and perhaps even first and foremost, that they have a woman to find, a garden to walk in, a family to nurture, an ark to build, a land to conquer, a ladder to heaven to build, and the utter, terrible catastrophe of life to… Read more

  • Do I Believe in Baptismal Regeneration?

    Do I Believe in Baptismal Regeneration?

    I’d have to do some research on my hard drive or in my old email folders to be sure, but I think this essay was probably written about 2004 or 2005, when the Federal Vision controversy was raging. Because this essay has been one of my more commented-on baptismal essays, I thought it would be… Read more

  • Covenant Renewal Worship

    Covenant Renewal Worship

    What is the purpose of gathering together on the first day of each week for worship? If worship gathers up the gifts of the past week and gives thanks for them, if worship lays a foundation of grace for the week to come, what does that mean? How does it work? What are we supposed… Read more