"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. Different Terms; Same Truth If the various theological terms that have been coined over the years…
An Effective Template for Preaching Christ-Centered Sermons
The "gospel-centered" movement has swept through many churches. This is a good thing. It's even impacted preaching as many pastors now strive to preach Christ in every message. The bankruptcy of merely preaching a message on how to be a "good" person has been exposed. But when you actually read the Bible, you are confronted with…
“The Benedict Option” by Rod Dreher–Reflections
Rod Dreher's new book, The Benedict Option, has been something of a lightning rod (pun intended) in current discussion. Some have taken an enthusiastic liking to it, while others have not been so favorable towards it. Much of the concern seems to cluster around the idea that Dreher is advocating for Christians to withdraw from the wider culture.…
How to do Family Worship
As a pastor, I desire to help for all of our church families to be passionate about teaching Jesus to their kids. Seminary professor Don Whitney has written a helpful little book called Family Worship to help guide parents as they teach their children about the Lord. There is no substitute for parents faithfully teaching their children about God…
Stagger Onward
We live liturgically, telling our sacred Story in worship and song. We fast and we feast. We marry and give our children in marriage, and though in exile, we work for the peace of the city. We welcome our newborns and bury our dead. We read the Bible, and we tell our children about the…
Three Types of Bad Preaching (And Their Remedies)
What if there was a way to identify bad preaching? Having grown up in church, I have probably listened to over 1,000 sermons in my lifetime. In all my time listening to (and now delivering) sermons, I have heard three types of bad preaching. You can read the rest of the article at Rookie Preacher.
Blogging–1.13.4–Ambiguity is the Lifeblood of Heresy
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. Ambiguity is the Lifeblood of Heresy The novel use of theological terms (if you can even…
Blogging the Institutes–1.13.3–Terms Explain Divine Mysteries
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. Terms Explain Divine Mysteries Heretics bark and howl over the use of the term "person." Yet…
Blogging the Institutes–1.13.2–God in Three Persons
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. God in Three Persons There is another special mark by which God designates Himself in order…
Blogging the Institutes–1.13.1–God is Immense and Spirit
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. God is Immense and Spirit The teaching of Scripture about the immensity and spirituality of God's…
Raising Lazarus 