The Location of Worship
Hebrews 12:18-29 is structured around a discontinuity of the location of worship, and the rest of the book reflects this emphasis. In Hebrews 12:18, Sinai… Read More »The Location of Worship
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As men grew carnal
In his Nature and Causes of Apostasy from the Gospel (contained in vol. 7 of the Banner Works), John Owen (1616-1683) spends a chapter briefly… Read More »As men grew carnal
Restoring Biblical Worship
Christianity is far more than salvation from sin and the knowledge of some Christian doctrine. Christianity claims to offer true worship to the only true… Read More »Restoring Biblical Worship
Physical vs. Metaphysical Worship
Hebrews 12:18-29 provide an important summary of the book’s argument concerning worship. The author’s descriptions of these two contrasting mountains are instructive and important to… Read More »Physical vs. Metaphysical Worship
Not the Real Problem
Kevin DeYoung (DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed) has a good post today asking pastors and church leaders not to assume that the decline they see in… Read More »Not the Real Problem
Doctrinal Literacy – 2
Churches that wish to be doctrinally thorough and promote theological literacy ought to have a pulpit that systematically teaches through Scripture, and support it with… Read More »Doctrinal Literacy – 2
The Sacrifice of Worship
God required OT saints to offer sacrifices with him as means of temporary forgiveness. These sacrifices themselves were imperfect, and they did nothing to change… Read More »The Sacrifice of Worship
Wrested . . . from churchly control
Nathan Hatch, in his Democratization of American Christianity, writes concerning the changes in American religion due to the implicit notion of the “Sovereign Audience”: Popular… Read More »Wrested . . . from churchly control
Doctrinal Literacy
How do churches teach Christian doctrine thoroughly and cohesively? I suggest four ways, the first two of which I’ll deal with in this post. First,… Read More »Doctrinal Literacy
Drawing Near to God in Worship
Worship emerges in Hebrews as a major theme when on considers the overall structure of the book. Jones argues that two minor climaxes in the… Read More »Drawing Near to God in Worship
Handled with reverence and care
I appreciate Joel Beeke, the pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids and the President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics… Read More »Handled with reverence and care
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
A Distinctly Christian Worship
Synthesizing a theology of worship in the New Testament has been a struggle for Christians since the early church. In particular, how Christ’s coming, life,… Read More »A Distinctly Christian Worship
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
Rambling thoughts on corporate prayer
Matthew Henry said, “It is taken for granted that all the disciples of Christ pray. As soon as ever Paul was converted, behold he prayeth.… Read More »Rambling thoughts on corporate prayer
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
“Jesus, I Will Ponder Now”
Sigismund von Birken (1626-1681) was the son of an evangelical pastor who had to flee Bohemia for Nürnberg. Von Birken studied both law and theology,… Read More »“Jesus, I Will Ponder Now”
The Ironic Inconsistency of Cultural Neutrality
I read this today, and the blatant inconsistency jumped off the page. See if it does the same for you: “Thus the difference between a… Read More »The Ironic Inconsistency of Cultural Neutrality
His Honor in 21st Century America
Malachi 1:6-9 (ESV) reads: “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And… Read More »His Honor in 21st Century America
Towards Conservative Christian Churches – Understanding the Gospel
Since the gospel is the basis and boundary of Christianity, anyone interested in conserving Christianity ought to be interested in conserving the gospel. A cursory… Read More »Towards Conservative Christian Churches – Understanding the Gospel