I very much enjoy the writings of the Puritan pastor Richard Baxter (1615-1691) whether The Reformed Pastor and The Saints’ Everlasting Rest or a work I came across recently How to Do Good to Many I have always been intrigued by and desirous to perform – though regrettably, less effective in carrying out
Continue readingFrom Friedrich Krummacher, a German pastor in the 1800’s we find the following excerpt on the atrocity of war, There will be no end to wars and rumors of wars in the world till the longed-for time arrives, when according the prophecy of Zechariah, “there shall be upon the bells
Continue readingIf you profess faith in Christ, it is vital to do soul and life searching to see what kind of Christian you are. In this post, I would specifically set before you the call to center on the Good News with an attending heart for good works. I am just
Continue readingThe 20th-century Presbyterian theologian B.B. Warfield wrote an illuminating article entitled The Emotional Life of our Lord in which he examines the subject from the Gospel accounts and steers clear of the pitfalls of under or over-emphasizing this aspect of the Lord’s humanity. Here I would like to make two observations
Continue readingThe church I grew up in had the slogan “Ordinary people, serving an Extraordinary God”. Locally in Newmarket a church has the slogan “Where strangers become family”. These, and so many others, are good descriptors of the respective local churches – chosen carefully and giving a clear summary. Sometimes I
Continue readingRecently a ministers’ conference was held which had the general subject of “Tensions and Dangers” in preaching, pastoral ministry and the life of the churches. Tensions and Dangers included such things as preaching (comforting/consoling and convicting/exposing), objective/subjective work of God, profession of faith/profession of truth, expectations surrounding confessing members partaking
Continue readingEngaging a person with the Gospel is always daunting. Such questions as “who is this person?” “what will they say?” “what if I come across to them in a confusing way?” These and many other similar trains of doubt can derail evangelistic purpose and action. In combatting this challenge, I
Continue readingFaith is knowledge of a higher sort. We too often want to assess and evaluate faith compared to what we view as real, certain, and valuable (e.g. sensory experience) and as a result diminish faith. However, if we understand faith from that which is highest and most conclusive, God’s revelation,
Continue readingI am a firm advocate for being unified where there should, by God’s providence, be unity. Continuing outward separation, especially among Christians agreeing on the primary truths of scripture and vastly agreeing on secondary matters, troubles me greatly. Along this line, Herman Bavinck has written the following, The church’s witness
Continue readingFrom Herman Bavinck’s “The Certainty of Faith” we learn how science and other disciplines are unable to truly provide the certainty we need. However, theology, also, must be of a particular sort (i.e. not critical or merely historical) to provide certainty. Bavinck writes, Nevertheless, there is also a practical side
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