Counsel for the Unequally Yoked
If you have to choose between Christ and your spouse, the choice must be Christ. Christians should be committed to marriage but not yield their identity to it.
The Case For Egg Hunts
Are pastels and Easter baskets a distraction? Is an egg hunt fitting for Resurrection Sunday?
Why You (and your children) Should Take Wine At The Lord's Supper
It is very clear that the early church used wine and not grape juice. Grape juice did not even exist in Jesus’ day. It was an invention of the 19th century and was a part of the prohibitionist movement. Up until that point, using wine in communion had been the universal practice of the church in all her branches, Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox.
A Critique of The Lost World of Genesis One by John Walton
As much as his book makes valuable observations about how Genesis 1 sees the world as a temple in which God seeks to dwell and make his home, there were two underlying assumptions that guided his reading of Genesis that seem to be deeply problematic and, ultimately, just wrong.
The Church Calendar, Pt. 2: Church Holidays We Celebrate at Christ Church Bellingham
In this article, we outline the holidays within the calendar that we celebrate, and how that looks in practice. Our hope is that you are able to join in the celebrations with more understanding and thus find them to be more fruitful experiences.
Women Deacons: What the Bible Teaches
The priesthood and the eldership of the Old Testament and the ministry and eldership of the New Testament are unmistakably male offices. If the diaconate in the New Testament broke with this pattern, the change would have represented a dramatic revolution in biblical polity.
The Church Calendar: From Scripture to Church History (Part 1)
There is a very human desire to participate in seasons and commemorate important events. It is important to follow the Reformed instinct and seek an answer from the Scriptures, to discover if the historical church calendar has a foundation in the Scriptures or if it solely grew out of church tradition.
Baptizing Babies : The Pastoral Argument (Part 2)
The basics of the pastoral argument are that the Bible gives us permission to regard the children of believers as Christians who need to be discipled, not unbelievers who need to be converted.
Baptizing Babies: Five Scriptural Arguments (Part 1)
The basic promise of God’s covenant with his people in the Old Testament was to be a God to them and to their children after them. In fact, the Lord gave the lavish promise to those who love him that he would be a God to their descendants to a thousand generations.
Reverence for God’s Word in Worship
The Word of God is central to our life as a church. It is the power by which God speaks and creates a Bride for his Son. For us to give God’s Word the reverence, love, wonder, faith, and obedience it deserves, we must think carefully about the role it plays in our life together.
Catechizing Kids and Young People
One of the primary ways Christians throughout history have passed down the faith to their children is through catechisms and confessions.
On Children in Church: Why and How
Church is not a lecture hall but a family gathering at our Father’s table.
Disobeying Pastors
The question came up recently, “If the Bible says to obey church leaders, is it ever okay to go against your pastor?”
Should Women be Ordained as Elders and Deacons?
A church member asked me this past week about what the Bible teaches about women in leadership in the church. There are two ways to answer that question.
On Women in Church Leadership
A position paper from the session of Christ Church Bellingham on ordained & commissioned officeholders, representative participation in worship & women exercising teaching authority.
On Church Offices and Officeholders
A position paper from the session of Christ Church Bellingham on God-given roles in the Bible & the church.
Six Reasons Why Ministerial Uniforms are Helpful and Wise
A paper from the leadership of Trinity Church Seattle explaining their decision to have ministerial staff wear pastoral uniforms.
The Sudden Death of the Evening Service
Surely we should have a very good reason why we should abandon the practice of the Christian centuries to be in God’s house, to sing his praise and hear his Word, twice on the Lord’s holy Day.
Biblical Literacy: Its Urgency and Decline
If there is a great error being made by today’s Christian ministry, it is the reluctance to insist that Christians learn the Bible.
The Socio-Political Pulpit: What Are Christians Really About?
We forget that most of this clatter will be forgotten tomorrow or the next day or week or month. It will, by then, be replaced by another set of urgent communications to command our attention.