Articles
Besides these free online resources, Fairview Baptist Church produces several print resources. For more information on our printed resources such as The Baptist Confession, The Children’s Catechism, Into the Word: A Guide to Biblical Meditation, and The Gospel according to Mark with Gospel Primer, contact us at info@fairviewbaptistchurch.ca.
Our print resources are printed locally here in Calgary by our friends at Little Rock Printing.
Why I Am (Still) a Baptist
Over several years I’ve seen a few men change their mind concerning baptism. I’ve witnessed paedobaptists change their mind and become credobaptists and vice versa.[1] In my experience, those abandoning infant baptism for believers’ baptism have done so mainly because of an understanding of the new covenant and its distinctiveness or “newness” compared with the old. In contrast, the credobaptists I’ve known who’ve become paedobaptists have done so mainly because of their views of the Christian household, or more specifically,…
Appeal to Fellowship Prairies Churches
For best results, view this article on a computer rather than a mobile device so that the embedded PDFs are visible. To my brothers and sisters in Christ, joined in a partnership of churches called Fellowship Prairies, greetings. I regret that this correspondence will take away valuable time from your ministry and kingdom work. I’m not keen on writing to you about ongoing disagreement in our region, however the Fellowship Prairies Leadership Board (FPLB) has recently given notice of a…
The Resurrection Really Happened
This article is based on the sermon Four Evidences of the Resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ seems too much for any person with a half-functioning brain to believe. If someone told you today that someone was raised from the dead yesterday on the other side of town, you wouldn’t believe it. Dead people don’t come back to life. Period. Concerning Jesus’ resurrection, in the gospel narratives even the disciples had trouble believing. If they had difficulty with Jesus’ resurrection,…
AI and the Existence of God
AI is here and it is here to stay. Even for those who want to avoid the technology, it will prove increasingly difficult. Google, the most popular search engine, now gives its AI results first. Generally, these are handy and helpful summaries of search results. Of all the emerging uses for AI, using it to search the internet is likely one of the most popular ways the average user will interact with it. Like anything Christians use as a tool,…
The Fellowship’s Unity Crisis
A few days ago 8 churches were excommunicated from Fellowship Pacific—and thus, from the national Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada (FEB).[1] They were removed for maintaining that churches within the FEB reserve the roles of elder/pastor, and the office of preaching to biblically qualified men. Bethany Baptist Church of Barriere, First Baptist Church of Kamloops, New West Community Church of New Westminster, Providence Baptist Church of Kelowna, Renfrew Baptist Church of Vancouver, Salt Spring Baptist Church of Salt…
Pushing Politics: The Unpardonable Sin
Tomorrow our church is hosting an event entitled “For the Good of the City: A Christian Perspective on Alberta Independence.” The event itself has generated some “discussion” on social media and correspondence to our church. With the religious zeal of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, many are indignant that our church enters the realm of public policy discussion. It is like we’ve committed an unpardonable sin and breached the impregnable wall of separation between church and state. For many, Christians…
Symbols and Representations of God
On occasion a sermon will stir up more conversations and questions than is typical. This past Sunday was one of those occasions. You can listen or watch the sermon here: No Images: Worshiping the Invisible God in Spirit and Truth. In this sermon I argued that while the first commandment forbids the worship of false gods, the second commandment forbids the worship of the true God in a false way. Therefore, the prohibition against graven images not only applies to…
Book Recommendation: King of Kings
The role of the government and its relationship with the church have been hotly debated over the past several years. The COVID years, a rapidly changing culture, shifting morality, and sharp divisions between political parties have left many Christians longing for some clarity and direction. Complicating matters are nebulous but loaded labels like “Christian Nationalism” which is variously defined and is sometimes used willingly and other times pejoratively. The rancor and hostility that can come with the discussion has left…
Gun Control and Islam
The recent shooting at Bondi beach in Australia has drawn worldwide attention. The events of that day were terrible, tragic, and wicked. These mass shooting events, happening all too often in the modern era, are reminders of the sinfulness of man, the disregard for human life, the hatred of others, and the apparent powerlessness of governing authorities to stop such carnage from happening again. How should societies prevent these events from happening in the future? Immediately after these shooting there…
Canada Revives Blasphemy Laws
Did you know that Canada’s criminal code contained laws that criminalized “blasphemous libel”? This blasphemy law, part of Canada’s original criminal code, was removed by lawmakers in 2018. Canadian law has incrementally moved away from a Christian worldview for several decades. Lawmakers have repealed laws criminalizing not only blasphemy, but abortion, sodomy, divorce, euthanasia, and Sabbath or “blue” laws. Gay marriage was enshrined in law and so-called “conversion therapy” was criminalized. With a change of gods, of necessity, you get…
Fellowship National Conference Votes Down Complementarian Policy
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article which was published by The Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. That article was written because several churches within the Fellowship—ours included—brought forward a motion to re-affirm our 1997 position statement, “On the Gender Issue in Pastoral Leadership In Fellowship Churches.”[1] The statement is not a binding policy but was followed up by a binding bylaw in 2004, which says, “In member churches, the pastoral office is reserved for qualified men recognized…
The Pros and Cons of Conferences
Despite the rise and fall of several large conferences (e.g., T4G, G3), conferences continue to be popular in the evangelical world. While this seems especially true in the United States, there are still plenty of conferences and special events north of the border in Canada. Notwithstanding their popularity, conferences have downsides. They can promote a celebrity culture among men who are to be known for their humility. They involve much effort and incur great cost just for a few days…