One thing that I really enjoy about being in the Siouxlands Presbyter of the PCA is our annual youth camp. We hold the camp at Camp Judson near Keystone, SD together with the Presbytery of the Dakotas of the OPC. If you are anywhere within a reasonable driving distance of Western South Dakota, you should consider sending your children there (4th grade-12th grade completed). Here are a few reasons.First, it is a great time for intensive learning and studying the Bible. It is a Bible camp. We begin every morning with two different Bible classes. I taught two different groups of 9th and ... [read more]

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The Westminster Confession asserts that “God gave Adam a law…” and that “[t]his law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon Mt. Sinai, in ten commandments, and written in two tables: the four first commandments containing our duty towards God; and the other six, our duty to man” (Chapter XIX:1-2). The Westminster Confession is asserting that the law of the Ten Commandments is the same in substance as the law given to Adam before the fall. Of course, the form is different, but the substance is the same. The quest... [read more]

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Charles Hodge's Commentary on the Epistle of Paul to the Romans is certainly one of my favorite commentaries. Romans 7 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible on the relationship of the law to the Christian. I believe with the overhwelming majority of non-Pelagian, Protestant commentators that Paul is using "I" in Romans 7 to refer to himself as representative of the Christian experience generally. I posted a while back on some of James Dunn's excellent comments on this passage. It is interesting to note that Hodge was contending with many who wanted to refer the law in Rom. ... [read more]

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The Stated Clerk of the PCA, Dr. Roy Taylor, has released a summary of the actions of the General Assembly. Check it out here.

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I was also very appreciative to the North Texas Presbytery for hosting a sacraments colloquium. It featured Will Barker and Ligon Duncan, who more or less agree with the traditional Reformed view, and Jeffrey Myers and Rob Rayburn, who would like to see some changes. The whole discussion was very stimulating and thought-provoking. Here are a few responses on some of the things that were brought up.1. One of the points that was made and is often made is that we need to move from a more solemn participation to a joyful one. After all, isn't Christ risen? Don't we have victory? Indeed, ... [read more]

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1. Our Churches in America have a strong tendency toward isolationism. One Church rarely has anything to do with another. There is little cooperation between Churches. More often, other Churches are seen as competition. One small way in which, I believe, that tendency is counteracted is by our regional and general assemblies. It forces us out of our isolation and gives us the opportunity to interact with many different types of people. It would be very easy to just talk to other pastors with whom you have much in common or who are simply nearby. By being a part of the Presbytery and... [read more]

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Here are a few things I have been looking at and suggest to you for your consideration. 1. There is a promising new web site, The Aquila Report, that has just come online. This site is put together by Dr. Dominic Aquila of the PCA and it intends to provide news on the PCA and other denominations related to the PCA. I have been disappointed by ByFaith, the magazine of the PCA. There are all sorts of things about what some Church people do, but there is very little about the institutional Church. Hopefully, The Aquila Report will rectify that to some degree.2. I finally broke down and b... [read more]

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In 1905, Madison Peters wrote:The divorce rate in the United States is at present something like 612 out of every 10,000--a greater number than that of any other so-called Christian nation. Germany lags pitifully behind us with a bare 165, and even France can show only 86. But instead of proclaiming against divorce, let our preachers speak more frequently on subjects relating to marriage and the home, giving the young people loving counsel and practical advice, and divorces will become less frequent (Will the Coming Man Marry?, 3-4). I am not sure that Mr. Peters was right about instruct... [read more]

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Paul’s Method of EvangelismIntroductionThe Apostle Paul did not have a “Church-centered” evangelism. The Apostle Paul went wherever he could in order to preach the Gospel. In Acts 17:17, we read that Paul debated in the synagogues and in the marketplace with those who happened to be there. I think one of the big mistakes in American Christianity is that we think that unbelievers should come to Church in order to be evangelized rather than the Church going to them in order to evangelize them.What Paul Didn’t DoThe Apostle Paul did not go around Athens asking people what they wante... [read more]

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The phrase "justification by faith alone" is not found in those very words in the Scriptures. It is taken from phrases like those found in Rom. 3:28, "Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." If justification by faith alone is understood as saying what Rom. 3:28, then everyone who believes the Bible is the authoritative and inspired Word of God will agree that in the sense of Rom. 3:28, justification is by faith alone.The Protestant ViewThe question is, then, what do we mean by "justification by faith alone"? Johannes Wollebius, in his Com... [read more]

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