Fostering a Love for Tradition
Fostering a right view towards the Christian tradition is part of true Christianity. Conservative pastors will do their best to see the Christian tradition rightly… Read More »Fostering a Love for Tradition
Articles on Conservatism
Cultural skepticism, the opposite of worldliness
Conservatism will have little attraction for those who fail to be skeptical of their own culture. The skepticism of which I speak must run deep;… Read More »Cultural skepticism, the opposite of worldliness
Rightly Viewing Tradition
The religious scene of the country in which I minister is populated by mainline Protestant churches, some of whom place great emphasis on tradition. However,… Read More »Rightly Viewing Tradition
Conservatives and Tradition
A church that is self-consciously conservative has a relationship with both the past and the future. If we are conserving Christianity, we must be conserving… Read More »Conservatives and Tradition
Form and Meaning
Christians’ affections are greatly shaped by the moral imagination. The moral imagination is largely shaped by the meaning of the various media it encounters. This… Read More »Form and Meaning
Encouraging Reflectiveness
Ours is not a particularly reflective age. When a pastor begins speaking of the meaning of the media, devices and technologies that surround us, he… Read More »Encouraging Reflectiveness
On being elitist
Those who advocate conservatism in worship become accustomed to accusations of elitism. This comparison is employed for several reasons. We are elitists, it is alleged,… Read More »On being elitist
The Pastor and Sola Scriptura
If pastors are to shepherd churches in which there is a desire to understand the meaning of the world and apply it to worship, obedience… Read More »The Pastor and Sola Scriptura
The Christian and Meaning
Two propositions summarize why a conservative Christian church is concerned with meaning: Christians are humans, and Christians live in the world. What is the world?… Read More »The Christian and Meaning
The Creeds of Christendom by Philip Schaff
Custom, convention, continuity. Prescription over invention. Nothing seems less likely to make a difference for Christ. We need to acquire the fire, or so we are… Read More »The Creeds of Christendom by Philip Schaff
Imagination and Shaping the Affections
Many of the pastors I have met are unwitting moderns. I should know, for I am also a pastor, and a recovering modern. That is,… Read More »Imagination and Shaping the Affections
More than Cognitive
The cultivation of ordinate affection depends on several areas we have already covered in this series. A pastor determined to conserve biblical Christianity will be… Read More »More than Cognitive
Culture and Cultivation of the Affections
Much has been said everywhere about the decline of religious belief; not so much notice has been taken of the decline of religious sensibility. The… Read More »Culture and Cultivation of the Affections
Doorposts, Frontlets and the Affections
The first and greatest commandment is to love God ultimately. Immediately after giving this command, God went on to insist that this kind of ultimate… Read More »Doorposts, Frontlets and the Affections
Cultivating the Affections
One of the most difficult tasks facing the conservative Christian pastor is teaching that the affections are shaped, and that Christians ought to give attention… Read More »Cultivating the Affections
Distinguishing Between Affections
A Christian understanding of the affections emphasizes the centrality of the affections in the Christian life, and distinguishes it from modern notions of emotion. Beyond that,… Read More »Distinguishing Between Affections
Doctrinal Thoroughness
Google ‘Gospel-centered’ and you will find thousands of churches and Christians who have adopted this nick as descriptive of themselves. No one wants to be… Read More »Doctrinal Thoroughness
Defending the Gospel
Churches that wish to conserve and propagate the gospel must be willing to defend it. The gospel is attacked in several ways, and therefore its… Read More »Defending the Gospel
Being Committed to the Gospel
As important as understanding the gospel is, it is not sufficient. Churches must be committed to the gospel. That is, churches must be devoted to the… Read More »Being Committed to the Gospel
An enduring moral order
First, the conservative believes that there exists an enduring moral order. This is the foundational principle of conservatism; as a Christian conservative, I would modify it… Read More »An enduring moral order