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  • Kinism, Calvinism, and America’s Founding

    Kinism, Calvinism, and America’s Founding

    Love of people and place is virtuous. It is good to love one’s family, and love of one’s family easily extends to a love of nation, which is largely an extension of the family. One way to honor my mother and father (and grandmother and grandfather, etc.) is to honor the land in which I… Read more

  • Tragedies, Part 3: More on the SBC Guideposts Report

    Tragedies, Part 3: More on the SBC Guideposts Report

    A few more notes on the SBC Guideposts sex abuse report, now that the SBC annual meeting has come and gone: Read more

  • Calvin on the Church

    Calvin on the Church

    Regular church attendance and formal church membership are important biblical teachings. The last couple of weeks in the sermon, I have quoted from John Calvin’s Institutes, Book 4, which ties all of this together. Here is Calvin describing what the church is and why we need her: Because it is now our intention to discuss the visible church,… Read more

  • Of Prayer Books and Puritans: Reform, Revival, and Renewal in Protestant Worship

    Of Prayer Books and Puritans: Reform, Revival, and Renewal in Protestant Worship

    [In 2007, I wrote this essay for a compilation of articles on Reformational liturgy. The project was going to be edited by the late Gregg Strawbridge. Gregg had already edited books of essays on baptism and paedocommunion, so the book on liturgy would complete the trilogy. Alas, too many other contributors got sidetracked and the… Read more

  • The TPC Baptism Font – Design and Placement

    The TPC Baptism Font – Design and Placement

    This is an email I sent to the TPC congregation in October 2009 explaining why we have our baptismal font at the doorway into the sanctuary and why we do our baptisms from the location rather than from the front of the sanctuary. It has a few other details about liturgical practices that might be… Read more

  • The TPC Communion Table

    The TPC Communion Table

    Around 2009, Trinity Presbyterian Church moved into a new worship facility in Cahaba Heights. We renovated the building, especially the worship space, and that included getting new liturgical furnishings. The blog post below is an email I sent out to the congregation on September 13, 2009 to introduce the congregation to our new communion table.… Read more