All the Members are Necessary to the Body
Last week, I made the point from Paul’s discussion in 2 Corinthians 12 that all members of the church, because of their diversity, make up the unity… Read More »All the Members are Necessary to the Body
Articles on Church
All the Members Make the Body
In his first letter to the Corinthian Christians, the apostle Paul emphasizes the functional diversity and spiritual unity of the Body of Christ. But Paul knows… Read More »All the Members Make the Body
Identity in Christ Creates Unity
Unity in the Body of Christ comes due to the fact that Christ baptizes each believer with the Holy Spirit into his spiritual body. This… Read More »Identity in Christ Creates Unity
Bible Narratives Devotional, Week 46: The Persecution of the Early Church and Spread of the Gospel
Week 46: The Persecution of the Early Church and Spread of the Gospel Weekly memory verse: Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when… Read More »Bible Narratives Devotional, Week 46: The Persecution of the Early Church and Spread of the Gospel
Bible Narratives Devotional Week 45: Jesus Ascends and Sends the Holy Spirit
Week 45: Jesus Ascends and Sends the Holy Spirit Weekly memory verse: 1 Corinthians 15:21–22 – “For as by a man came death, by a… Read More »Bible Narratives Devotional Week 45: Jesus Ascends and Sends the Holy Spirit
Spiritual Unity in the Church
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul notes the beautiful of the church’s diversity, as the Spirit of God gifts each individual believers with particular functions within… Read More »Spiritual Unity in the Church
Love for Christ & Scripture-Regulated Worship 7: Loving What Christ Loves
I am forming an argument for Scripture-regulated worship from two pillars: the authority of Christ and our love for him (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6). If Christ… Read More »Love for Christ & Scripture-Regulated Worship 7: Loving What Christ Loves
The Church and Christian Cultural Involvement
Last week, I made the case that the church’s mission is narrow and unique; it is not cultural or societal transformation, but rather the exclusively… Read More »The Church and Christian Cultural Involvement
The Church’s Unique Mission
Thus far, I have attempted to establish a biblical basis for individual Christian cultural activity, but when Christians gather together as local churches, the picture… Read More »The Church’s Unique Mission
Future Union of the Two Kingdoms
The nation of Israel was a union of the Universal and Redemptive rules of God on earth, but as we saw last week, the nation’s… Read More »Future Union of the Two Kingdoms
Christians, the Church, and Culture
Evangelicals today are enamored with culture. Visit any Christian blog or pick up a catalogue of recent Christian books, and you will likely find discussions… Read More »Christians, the Church, and Culture
The Benedict Option: The Christian Option
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Rod Dreher’s much anticipated book, The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation, is how unremarkable… Read More »The Benedict Option: The Christian Option
The Center of Christian Unity
The purpose of this series is to ask the question of whether a conservative philosophy of worship and culture should affect ecclesiological cooperation. For the… Read More »The Center of Christian Unity
Should philosophies of culture hinder cooperation?
There are several adjectives that I happily use to describe myself and my beliefs. The first is obviously, “Christian,” but there are a lot of… Read More »Should philosophies of culture hinder cooperation?
New book by David de Bruyn: The Conservative Church
I am very pleased to announce the publication of a new book by David de Bruyn: The Conservative Church. The following is Kevin Bauder’s foreword to… Read More »New book by David de Bruyn: The Conservative Church
The unique significance of corporate worship
As I have explained many times before, Christian worship should be defined in terms of the believer’s relationship to God through Christ, and thus worship… Read More »The unique significance of corporate worship
“Churches” or “Christians” and Culture?
Richard Niebuhr’s classic taxonomy in Christ and Culture attempts to articulate various ways of understanding the appropriate response of Christians toward culture: Christ Against Culture Christ… Read More »“Churches” or “Christians” and Culture?
Sound Theology
(The articles in this series were originally written for publication in the local newspaper of the town in which I pastor.) So far in this… Read More »Sound Theology
A Sound Church: The Regulative Principle
(The articles in this series were originally written for publication in the local newspaper of the town in which I pastor.) Last week, I proposed… Read More »A Sound Church: The Regulative Principle
The Quest for Community by Robert Nisbet
In this series of book recommendations, we have bounced around across time and across genres. We started with some classic theological works which will hopefully… Read More »The Quest for Community by Robert Nisbet