Tag: church
Doodle: Bavinck's Beautiful Vision for the Church
Earlier this year I wrote a doodle on Herman Bavinck’s expansive and inspiring vision for theological studies. In his words, from the Reformed Dogmatics, “Dogmatics is not a dull and...
Church Size: Six Theses
A friend once left a note on my desk, in jest, saying: “Get over your big church issues.” While my critics might have phrased it differently, my writing on the...
Fridays With Fred: Pitiful Christians
Juxtaposed with what I’ve called Friedrich Nietzsche’s catechism, he asks: “What is more harmful than any vice?” (The Anti-Christ, §2). Most of us can think of a few ways to...
5 Reasons Christians Give Bad Advice
A couple of months back I posted a miscellany of bad advice offered by Christians. Most of the examples in that article weren’t singular or specific, but common enough to...
Pre-Fabricated Advice is Usually Bad Advice
About a month back I posted a miscellany of bad Christian advice. In response to some of the criticisms I received regarding that post, let me say two things. Firstly,...
Weekly Communion Becomes Routine—And That's Okay
Last year I wrote a couple of articles on communion. The first article argued for the weekly celebration of communion. I made my case theologically, rooting my position in the...
Overemphasising Service Can Lead To Underemphasising Gifts
In this post I want to explore the distinction between service and gifts in the local church. My working thesis is that larger churches draw heavily on service but do...
Isn't Weekly Communion Too Boring?
I recently wrote an article arguing that the church should celebrate communion every Sunday. I offered five reasons why we should reclaim the Reformation’s emphasis on sharing in the Lord’s...
5 Reasons to Celebrate Communion Every Sunday
Before joining the Presbyterian church where my wife and I are presently members, I had only ever belonged to churches across a few denominations that celebrated Communion—or the Lord’s Supper—once...
Christian, Go Back To Church
Most mornings I make myself a cup of coffee using our moka pot. For the uninitiated, the moka pot is a stovetop brewer consisting of three parts. Since I started...
The Pastor's Wife: Limited Resources And Church Culture
In my first post on the pastor’s wife I pushed back against the authority that is often extended to the pastor’s wife, simply because of her association with the pastor....
Is Your Church A Cruise Liner Or A Racing Yacht?
Long before my suspicion of maritime analogies, I remember preaching on Ephesians 4 and using the crew of a boat to illustrate a common church problem. I argued that very...
It Is Not Enough To Be 'Bible Believing'
Two weeks back I finished off my series exploring how Christians ought to think about the Sabbath commandment. In the final post I shared some reflections from 1 Thessalonians 1...
The Pastor's Wife: Marriage And Ministry
A few weeks back I wrote an article on the pastor’s wife. In it I made two very simple points. The first criticised the unbiblical emphasis that is often placed...
The Sabbath in 1 Thessalonians And Acts 17
Last year I presented a short homily on 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. Chances are if you’ve ever heard a sermon or study on 1 Thessalonians then you’re aware that some of...
The Pastor's Wife
I was tempted to post an article titled: What Does The Bible Say About The Pastor’s Wife? The body of that article would have contained just one word: ‘Nothing.’ Of...
Philippians 4:1-3 Devotional
Philippians 4:1-3. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! 2 I...
Kings and Christian Leadership: Sin Brings Forth Death
This post will serve as the final installation in my series on the Old Testament book of Kings. The purpose throughout has been to apply King’s theology of leadership to...
Philippians 2:25-30 Devotional
Philippians 2:25-30. But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take...
Kings and Christian Leadership: True Success
Have you heard about the mighty Omridic dynasty in the ancient Near East? No? Don’t worry. I hadn’t either before completing the readings for my course on the Old Testament...
Philippians 1:27-30 Devotional
Philippians 1:27-30. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence,...
Christian, Pray to the Lord of the Harvest
Last year I attended a conference for African Presbyterians. It was a privilege to meet brothers and sisters from around the continent, and hear how God’s gospel is gaining ground...
"Church at Home": A Conclusion
With this post I intend to round off my writing on “church at home”. My hope is that those who’ve engaged with me and these articles will continue to reflect...
New Testament Principles for Mercy Ministry
Last week I posted a short article titled, Social Justice as Obedience to God. Much to my disappointment more than a few people felt it was unclear and unnecessarily theological....
Social Justice as Obedience to God
You don’t polish the brass on a sinking ship. Though only a few Christians would explicitly say that, many implicitly endorse it in the way that they think and speak...
Why Bother With Church?
Why bother with church? Do I really need to attend this Sunday? Do you find yourself asking these question? Sunday rolls around and you can think of ten places you...
