Articles (Page 4)
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A Needed Conversation about Religious Persecution in Canada
“The lessons of July 1, 1535, are relevant to the project that the Fathers of Confederation began here on July 1, 1867. Representative democracy, our heritage of liberty and the rule of law—all this depends upon a correct understanding of the proper spheres of authority and the limited competencies of state authority. Saint Thomas More suffered martyrdom because he insisted that there was a limit to the King’s lawful authority, namely that he had to respect the freedom of the…
Does God Want Everyone to Be Saved?
It’s not uncommon for inquiring minds to ask: “Does God want everyone to be saved?” The answer might seem obvious to many but there are passages in Scripture that can challenge what we think about God and how he operates. The Challenge Proverbs 16:4 says, “The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” Romans 9:17–18, “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I…
Pedophiles in the Church
I was asked recently to give counsel for a believer outside of our fellowship struggling to know how to relate to a person in their church formerly convicted of sexual crimes against children but now repentant. Sexual crimes have increased in our day of sexual perversion, and it is important that we know how to navigate such situations with grace, wisdom, and love. What follows is the substance of my response, slightly edited for public consumption. —— According to the…
Trinity Survey Results
I want to say thank you to everyone who filled out the survey. Roughly 1/3 of our congregation completed the survey. This has been helpful to me to pick an area of focus for a research project and sermon series that I’ll be preaching in March, 2024. We’ll be considering the person of the Son from John 1 and John 5 and how that helps us see the triune nature of our God. I wanted to share the survey results…
Emergencies Act Abuse
In a landmark decision, a federal court determined that the Canadian government’s use of the Emergencies Act (formerly known as the War Measures Act) was unconstitutional. The Act gives the federal government extraordinary power to handle national emergencies. The judge determined the use of the Act to end the trucker convoy was ultra vires (“beyond the powers”), or quite simply, illegal.[1] The truckers were protesting the government’s abuse of power, and now a federal judge has ruled that the government…
Natural Law and Sexual Ethics
We live in a time of sexual “freedom.” It seems that anything—or almost anything—goes. Christian ethics regarding sexuality is seen as archaic, joy-killing, and harmful. What is most putrid to this sexualized culture is when someone attempts to use Bible verses to justify a sexual ethic or a vision of marriage. The Bible is dismissed as unauthoritative and irrelevant. Some people, well-meaning I’m sure, have taken the bait and seek to argue for sexual ethics in society and in marriage…
The Cult of the Expert
Penned in 375 BC, Plato’s Republic argues for the ideal state. This state would be one of bliss and prosperity. His idea? A ruling class of philosophers serving as Guardians to order life in the city. The ruling elite or philosopher king would rely on a lifetime of special education which will enable him to “be the savior of his country, as well as himself” (Republic, 6.497). Ideas have a way of reappearing again and again in history—including bad ideas.…
Principles of Service
Christian service has been on my mind the last month or so. A few of us have been discussing cleaning and maintenance needs in and around the building and the advantages and disadvantages of having a paid caretaker. Coupled with this is the weekly Fellowship Lunch with its demands of a weekly setup and cleanup. Throughout this discussion there has been a burden among the elders to treat all areas of need as an opportunity for discipleship. The elders wish…
George Whitefield
George Whitefield was born in Gloucester in 1714. His mother was an unsuccessful innkeeper with limited success and was distant from her son’s life. This resulted in Whitefield having a poor childhood, but that did not prevent him from having a good education. Since he was a resident of Gloucester, Whitefield attended a Grammar School to receive an education. Despite having the opportunity to have a good education, Whitefield describes his early life as far from God based on his…
Thomas Watson
Thomas Watson said, “Repentance is a grace of God’s Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed.” The Doctrine of Repentance, 18. Thomas Watson (1620-1686) was born probably in Yorkshire, England. In his life, Thomas Watson, married Abigail Beadle in 1647. Thomas and Abigail had at least seven children during their marriage. Watson’s life was one that had many trials. Despite being strongly Presbyterian, during the English Civil War, Watson was sympathetic to the Monarchy. In 1651, he was imprisoned for…
Walter Marshal
“You cannot love God if you are under the continual secret suspicion that he is really your enemy! … You simply cannot love God unless you know and understand how much he loves you. … In the gospel, you can come to know that God truly loves you through Christ. When you have this assurance, you can even love your enemies, because you know that you are reconciled to God. You know that God’s love will make people’s hatred of…
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather (1663-1729), was a third-generation American Puritan, son of Increase Mather, and grandson of John Cotton. He entered Harvard at 12 by passing the entrance exam highlighting his gifting in Latin and Greek. At the age of 18, he received his M.A. from his father, who was the president at Harvard. Mather wrestled with his faith from a young age, at times he was so concerned about his salvation that he would appear depressed, and at other times he…