Tag: christianity
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Christian Prudence and Shifting the Overton Window
The Christian man is a practically minded man. He will deal with the world as it exists not as he wish it existed. Althusius understood this in the realm of politics when he said a wise civil magistrate will “accommodate his sails to the wind as a skilled sailor does, and permit for a time…
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JESUS’ BAPTISM — THE FOUNT OF LIFE: A Study in Biblical and Practical Theology
[These are Sunday School notes from a class taught during Epiphany, 2004.] Introductory Note: January 6 is Epiphany in the traditional church calendar. Though Epiphany is often treated as a single day, with the Sundays following counted as “Sundays after Epiphany,” we will treat Epiphany as an extended season. “Epiphany” means “revelation” or “manifestation.” Following…
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Notes on Suffering
Thanksgiving is the key to the enjoyment of any gift. Thanksgiving is the key that unlocks joy. Thanksgiving in all circumstances, especially in the midst of suffering, is crucial. When we are suffering, the great temptation is to think God isn’t good, meaning he isn’t generous, he doesn’t love us, he doesn’t have our best…
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December 2025 – X Posts and Miscellanies: Feminism, Christmas, Parenting, Drugs and the Demonic, Sexual Ethics, Socialism as Substitute Patriarchy, DEI, Guns and the Second Amendment, Civil Government/Romans 13, Virgin Birth, Communism, Newbigin on Christendom, Etc.
In C. S. Lewis’ Last Battle, Queen Lucy says, “In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.” Christmas is about the Creator becoming a creature in order to redeem his creatures. It’s about the God of Israel becoming the perfect Israelite to fulfill Israel’s mission…
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The National Association of Evangelicals and Christian Nationalism
Tell me about the National Association of Evangelicals proposing an amendment acknowledging the lordship of Christ over America in the 1950s. AI answers: Yes, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) supported efforts in the late 1940s and 1950s to promote a constitutional amendment that would explicitly acknowledge the authority and lordship of Jesus Christ over…
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Driscoll, Wilson, and the Mars Hill Fiasco
I enjoyed this podcast conversation with Mark Driscoll and Doug Wilson: I especially liked the part of the discussion where they contrasted pastors with social media influencers. Many social media influencers are insulated from the “real world” implications of their content. Pastors deal with the messy details of people’s lives (or at least they should).…
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FUTURE JUSTIFICATION: SOME THEOLOGICAL AND EXEGETICAL PROPOSALS
SOME THEOLOGICAL AND EXEGETICAL PROPOSALS FUTURE JUSTIFICATION: SOME THEOLOGICAL AND EXEGETICAL PROPOSALS [This essay was originally published in the book A Faith That Is Never Alone edited by Andrew Sandlin.] Before offering my exegetical and theological proposals for a doctrine of “future justification,” I need to offer a few preliminary principles that set the stage…
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Mary and the Ark of the Covenant
Roman Catholics like to make much of connections between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant. I am certainly open to this typology (with qualifications) but does it hold up under scrutiny? Consider the positive case: The Ark was associated with the glory of God. Jesus is the glory of God, even in Mary’s womb.…
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Root and Branch, Stump and Shoot (Isaiah 11:1-10)
Isaiah 11:1-10 December 12, 2004 Root and Branch, Stump and Shoot Isaiah 11:1-10 December 12, 2004 (Sermon Transcript/Extended Notes) By Rich Lusk G. K. Chesterton is one of my favorite authors. In his wildly funny and futuristic novel Napoleon of Notting Hill, he talks about a game the human race has been playing for a…
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From the Archives: Who May Celebrate the Eucharist? (TPC Position Paper)
Thankfully,we have an associate pastor so we do not run into the issue of what to do about the Eucharist when the pastor travels on a Lord’s Day. But before we had a larger pastoral staff, it was a dilemma for us. After going several years and struggling to find a pastor who could fill-in,…
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