Why I Ran To Confessionalism

From the end of 2008 to 2013 I was the lead teaching pastor of a large non-denominational church in the northeast. During my time there I was told by various elders to lead the church in a more “broadly evangelical” direction. By others I was encouraged to lead the church to become more narrowly Reformed. I was told that our theological “tent” was too big and that it was too small. In those few years I understood the wisdom of the words of Dirty Harry, “A man has to know his limitations.” There are a few things I can do. There are other things I could probably learn to do. But one thing I will never know how to do is lead a church in two opposing directions simultaneously.

During that sojourn I came to the conviction that the entire project of “big tent” evangelicalism is failing. Whereas broad evangelicalism used to mean John Stott, now it encompasses Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and Gregory Boyd. The tent pegs of evangelicalism’s big tent have been moved out too far. It can no longer support the weight of its own contradictions.

So, in August of 2013 I ran to confessionalism. Specifically my ordination was transferred to the Presbyterian Church in America and I became the Lead Pastor of a PCA congregation. The experience has been like finding an oasis in a desert. It has been like discovering a GPS after meandering blindly through an unknown country. Too dramatic? It does not feel that way to me. It is nearly impossible to effectively put down error and nurture unity within a church whose minimal statement of faith is only able to identify the grossest of heresies.

A church needs something more than a statement of faith that encompasses mere Christianity. As one of my fellow pastors put it recently, “a church’s confession needs lots of words.” Indeed. For example I know of an Old Testament professor who rejects much of the Bible but nevertheless insists on affirming inspiration. What he means by “inspiration” is radically different from what the church has historically affirmed. For this reason, a church which desires to maintain a biblically faithful and historically orthodox doctrine of Scripture must now be careful to use “lots of words” in explaining it. A church desiring to be doctrinally conservative can no longer state that they believe the Bible to be “inspired, truthful, and authoritative” and expect to properly guard its doctrinal boundaries. It sounds ridiculous perhaps. But such is the state of mere evangelicalism.

There are at least three reasons why I joyfully fled to a confessional church and denomination.

1. Only confessionalism is able to adequately guard a church’s doctrine.

Paul writes to Timothy that the church is the “pillar and buttress of the truth” (1Timothy 3:15). Elsewhere he tells his young apprentice to “guard the pattern of sound words that you heard from me” (2 Timothy 1:13). One of the essential qualifications of the elder is that he must be “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2). What is more, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). I argue that a comprehensive confession of faith is what makes this possible. “No creed but the Bible” is simply not realistic. It fails to reckon with the fact that most Christians do not know the Bible well enough to have a properly formed system of doctrine which can defend against error. An excellent confession of faith, like the Westminster Confession of Faith or London Baptist Confession, properly summarizes Scripture thus equipping the church with not only a tool for instruction but a buttress against error.

2. Only confessionalism is able to adequately guard a church’s unity.

A church is not simply an umbrella organization for various individual’s ministries and hobbies. A church is not a convention hall for loosely connected groups of evangelicals. Confessions of faith act as a remedy against the balkanization of a local church. Essential to a church’s unity is agreement in doctrine and not just of the merest sort. A church cannot limit its statement of faith to that of the average para-church ministry and expect to maintain its unity for the long haul.

A few years ago I explained in a staff meeting why our leadership would not be endorsing a particular book. The book in question was then, and continues to be, enormously popular. The issue was discussed in three consecutive staff meetings with plenty of push back from several. My perspective was backed up by two other pastors on staff as well as some of the elders. But there was nothing in our rather mere statement of faith that spoke to the particular errors of the book in question. As a result no consensus was ever reached, no final decision made, and division rose as a result. Paul makes clear in Romans 16 that those who cause division in a church are not those who guard sound doctrine but those who seek to undermine it.

 

Without a clear confession of faith a church will a) be ruled by whoever has the most influential voice or b) break into various camps holding mutually exclusive positions on important matters. What it will not have is durable unity.

3. Confessionalism is properly aspirational.

I owe this insight to Carl Trueman’s book The Creedal Imperative. Confessions of faith are not first and foremost defensive. Rather they represent the aspirations the church holds for its members. Trueman writes: “[Confessions of faith] represent that which the church aspires to teach its members…If a church has a six-point creed or confession, she essentially communicates to her people that these six things, and only these, are important. Everything else is so minor that it forms no part of its identity” (177, 178). A church ought to desire something more for God’s people. A church ought to desire its members to be mature and maturing in their knowledge of God’s powerful and profitable Word. A church ought to aspire to more than simple agreement on the broadest possible doctrinal categories. It ought to aspire to greater things than simply “majoring on the majors.” Again, Trueman writes: “A good confession becomes not a stick with which to beat people…but an exciting map of the territory of biblical truth and something to which to aspire” (180).

None of this means that confessional churches are safe from the machinations of the enemy and the sins of its own members. We are still south of heaven after all. Confessional churches can and do struggle mightily. However, a confessional church within a confessional denomination is far better equipped to deal with the inevitable threats that arise.

  

The Constant Reader

On my Christmas list this year is From Heaven He Came And Sought Her.

The book even has its own website!

One of the most beautiful doctrines in Scripture is that of Christ's substitutionary and definite atonement (You cannot have one without the other!). When Christ died he did more than make salvation a potentiality. When Christ died, atonement was gloriously accomplished for all the elect. And yet even though the doctrine of Christ's definite atonement is quite clear in Scripture it is routinely rejected. This volume seeks to accurately explain and winsomely defend what the Bible teaches about the question: For whom did Christ die?

From the publisher:

Includes contributions from Michael A. G. Haykin, Paul Helm, Lee Gatiss, Carl R. Trueman, Paul R. Williamson, J. Alec Motyer, Thomas R. Schreiner, Donald Macleod, Robert Letham, Stephen J. Wellum, Henri A. G. Blocher, Sinclair B. Ferguson, John Piper, and more.

There is a palpable sense of confusion—and sometimes even embarrassment—with regard to so-called limited atonement today, pointing to the need for thoughtful engagement with this controversial doctrine.

Incorporating contributions from a host of respected theologians, From Heaven He Came and Sought Her stands as the first comprehensive resource on definite atonement as it examines the issue from historical, biblical, theological, and pastoral perspectives.

Offering scholarly insights for those seeking a thorough and well-researched discussion, this book will encourage charitable conversations as it winsomely defends this foundational tenet of Reformed theology.

 “I cannot imagine that this book could have been published twenty-five years ago: there were not at that time enough well-informed theologians working in the Reformed heritage to produce a volume of such clarity and competence. Whatever side you hold in this debate, henceforth you dare not venture into the discussion without thoughtfully reading this book, which, mercifully, makes argument by stereotype and reductionism a great deal more difficult. Above all, this book will elicit adoration as its readers ponder afresh what Jesus achieved on the cross.”
—D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

“For whom did Christ die? This volume makes a fresh and impressively comprehensive case for definite atonement as the answer true to Scripture. It shows convincingly, through multi-authored contributions, (1) that the issues of the extent of the atonement and its nature cannot be separated—penal substitution, at the heart of why Christ had to die, stands or falls with definite atonement; and (2) how definite atonement alone provides for a gospel offer of salvation from sin that is genuinely free. In engaging various opposing views on this much-disputed topic, the editors seek to do so in a constructive and irenic spirit, an effort in which they and the other authors have succeeded admirably.”
—Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Emeritus, Westminster Theological Seminary

A daughter lost

Over at Credo (one of my favorite online resources) Fred Zaspel offers a deeply moving reflection on the life and recent death of his beloved daughter. Please take time to read it and pass it along.

What is the meaning of sex?

On this week's edition of Mortification of Spin, Carl and I interview Dr. Denny Burk about his new book What Is The Meaning of Sex? Check it out HERE.

Quoting Jesus?

A few of my thoughts on Sarah Young's mega-seller Jesus Calling have been posted at Ref21.

Sunday's Sermon

On Sunday I preached part 2 in our series through Ruth. It is entitled "Grace In The Dark Places" and can be listened to HERE.

Place For Truth

Check out the newest addition to the online presence of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is called Place For Truth and is well worth checking in on regularly. As you may already know the Alliance sponsors Mortification of Spin and the excellent Christward Collective and Reformation21.

Keep attending church

Gloria Furman has written a terrific piece over at the Gospel Coalition on the importance of attending the church's corporate worship. This is a timely correction to the hyper-individualism characterizing much of evangelicalism and the "I like Jesus but not religion" mantra. Miss Furman offers ten reasons why not forsaking the weekly public gatherings of the church is vital to your spiritual health.

Gloria Furman is a pastor's wife living in Dubai. She is also the author of Glimpses of Grace. Watch for an upcoming episode of Mortification of Spin where my pals and I interview Gloria on life and church in Dubai.

The University and the Death of Dissent

It has become clear that the university is no longer a place to think much less dissent from the wisdom of our cultural and academic betters. Do so and you may find yourself investigated by the BIRT (that's the Bias Incident Response Team for the uninitiated).

The next scene of our story occurred last month at the University of Mississippi, where 125 persons, including freshman students in a theater appreciation course, sat through a production of The Laramie Project. About 20 of the students were freshman football players probably taking the course after being told they could pass it easily: You just have to go sit in a theater, what could be hard about that?
    
Apparently, given the particular play, it was hard. Students became restless. Two New York Times investigative reporters learned about “giggling, inappropriate coughing and burping,” and the possible use of a derogatory term for homosexuals. One 20-year-old, Ashley Kozich, wisely said, “It was a bunch of teenage boys being stupid.”
 
But no one could leave it at that. Officials came to the theater and told the athletes to apologize, but Ole Miss theater department head Rene Pulliam said they did not seem to “understand what they were apologizing for.” Then the university’s “Bias Incident Response Team” swung into action and said students who attended the play should attend an “educational session.”
  
With Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones warning that disciplinary action could range from a public apology to expulsion, the students showed up and learned to keep their thoughts to themselves or—better yet—not have any negative thoughts about homosexuality in the first place. Val Ross, assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs, announced that “students will have multiple opportunities to acknowledge and celebrate LGBTQ groups on campus.” It looks like EDHE 105, a freshman-level class that introduces Old Miss freshmen to college life, will also include more propaganda.

Read the entire story HERE.
 

On Preaching and Preachers

Recently Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia hosted their annual preaching conference. The guest speaker was Harry Reeder of Briarwood Presbyterian Church. The following are two of the addresses delivered; one from Dr. Reeder and the other from Carl Trueman.


The Apostolic Foundation for an Effective Pastoral Ministry from Westminster Theological Seminary on Vimeo.

Why is Good Preaching so Rare? from Westminster Theological Seminary on Vimeo.

Big Time Pastors and Unaccountable Elders

The latest Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit is now online. Aimee Byrd and I talk about rich pastors of their great big houses. Specifically we talk about the dangers of pastors being treated as rock stars and elders unaccountable to the congregations they serve.

John Frame's Systematic Theology

The long awaited Systematic Theology from John Frame has just been released and it is currently 50% off at wtsbooks.

Sunday's Sermon

On Sunday I began a series of messages through the book of Ruth. The first message, entitled "The Road to Nowhere" is available HERE.

I am a single issue voter

To be a single-issue voter is often sneered at as being too simplistic or overly confined to an ideology. However, I would suggest that all of us are single-issue voters. Each of us have a line, that if crossed by a politician renders them unworthy of our vote. For some that may be tax policy. For others that issue is welfare spending. While those are vitally important issues and are connected to the health and prosperity of our nation, abortion is, for me, that issue that separates the candidates above all else. I simply cannot cast a vote for anyone who believes that abortion is a good worth defending by the power of the state.

I am often confounded by those voters who are interested in "justice" but enthusiastically cast votes in favor of those who advance the greatest injustice of our time - the taking of life in the womb. The unborn are the weakest and most vulnerable among us. How can we tolerate legislation that allows them to be killed and cast aside like so much waste? Abortion is a breathtaking evil and any man or woman who desires to protect it as a right is unworthy of my vote.

Over at the Gospel Coalition, Joe Carter has written a helpful post on this very theme.

Take heed lest you fall

Sad news has come from Vision Forum in recent days. But, as David Murray points out, the resignation of Doug Phillips carries with it a sobering lesson for all of us.

Overplaying the grace card?

I appreciate David Robertson's review of Tullian Tchividjian's new book One Way Love. Robertson gives voice to many of my own concerns about what I believe is a rising tide of antinomianism within the church, especially among the neo-Reformed.

Robertson writes:

One Way Love?  But it’s not just a problem of perception.  It’s also a problem of theology and emphasis.  I like reading the early Church Fathers, the Reformers, the Puritans and 19^th Century Scottish theologians.  Maybe I am not reading them right, but I don’t see any of them writing in the general and sweeping terms that the grace-lit books do.  Maybe I need the second blessing before I get really grasp what they are saying!   But some of the statements just don’t make biblical sense to me.  For example:
“Grace is love that has nothing to do with you, the beloved.  It has everything and only to do with the lover.”  Try as I might I just don’t get that.  Of course Gods love for me has something to do with me!  Of course Gods love for me is not only to do with him.  The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me!  I know I don’t deserve it, but there is no need to mangle the English language and render it meaningless.  Whilst such sound bites might sound as though they magnify grace, I think they are superficial, trite and ultimately undermine the whole teaching about grace. 

Grace -Complaints? “Grace doesn’t make demands. It just gives.  And from our vantage point it always gives to the wrong person.”  Again this does not really make sense to me.  Is not take up your cross and follow me a demand?  Go sell all that you have and give to the poor, is that not a demand?  If you love me you will keep my commands?    And is it always the case that grace gives to the wrong person?  I honestly don’t think that God giving grace to so many of the people in St Peters is giving to the wrong person; except insofar as I am an old fashioned Scottish Calvinist who believes in total depravity and that no-one is the ‘right’ person for grace.  That’s kind of the point.  There is none righteous, no not one.  If I believe that, why would I ever look and say “Lord, you are giving grace to the wrong person”?!

I encourage you to read the entire review. There is much worth considering.

Those Rascally Calvinists

I have been encouraged by the resurgence of Reformed doctrine within the Southern Baptist Convention. I say "resurgence" because Calvinism in the SBC is nothing new. In fact the Doctrines of Grace are woven within the founding documents of the denomination and its first seminary. I wonder how many Southern Baptists realize that the Baptist Faith and Message teaches unconditional election and monergistic regeneration? The founders of the Southern Baptist Convention were baptistic Calvinists. These are the facts. However the rise of revivalism, anti-intellectualism, and too few denominational safeguards led eventually (inevitably?) to an almost full-scale rejection of Calvinist soteriology.

However, in recent years, the reformation of Southern Seminary, the influence of 9 Marks Ministries, and the desire for a more biblically grounded faith, the Doctrines of Grace have not just escaped the executioner's sword but have been revived in the SBC. Unsurprisingly, not everyone is happy about this. In an open letter, one SBC pastor in Alabama expresses the sentiments of many within the denomination about the rising influence of Calvinism.

The writer decries the Calvinist criticism of such practices as the altar call and sinner's prayer without ever asking if those practices are biblical. For him, such practices are a matter of Baptist tradition. What he does not appreciate is that this is precisely what the rising generation of Calvinists are concerned with. To them, Charles Finney's man-centered pragmatic religion had come to characterize SBC churches and they want nothing to do with it. Am I painting with a broad brush? Perhaps, but not too broad. Having grown up in Southern Baptist churches I can testify that Finney-esque semi-Pelagianism had displaced the convictions of the founders of the denomination.

I wonder if the pastor who wrote the open letter realizes that the very first Southern Baptist statement of faith is the Abstract of Principles which is a derivative of the Westminster Standards. It affirms the Doctrines of Grace. The Abstract Of Principles is the statement of faith of the very first Southern Baptist institution: Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (the largest SBC seminary). So Calvinists within the SBC do not represent an insurgent mob of barbarians at the gate. Indeed, they represent the original Southern Baptists.

One interesting point in the above mentioned letter is that he criticizes the SBC's endorsement of James MacDonald (MacDonald's church has elders). Apparently MacDonald's books can be purchased through Lifeway stores. This has far more to do with lack of discernment within the SBC than any supposed problems with Calvinists or Presbyterians. MacDonald's Harvest Bible Chapel does not practice Presbyterian church government. Without getting into details concerning recent problems at Harvest Bible Chapel, I will simply suggest that truly Presbyterian church government could have saved them much grief.

The growing number of SBC churches that are now governed by a plurality of elders does not indicate a desire of those pastors to become Presbyterian. Rather it speaks to their desire to be biblical. That very same desire is what has fueled the revival of the Doctrines of Grace in SBC churches.

Killing Children

It is a small leap from killing children in the womb to killing, say, two-year-olds (an idea already proffered by Princeton's Peter Singer). Belgium is now considering a law that would allow children to be euthanized. This ought to outrage but not surprise. A culture that approves the killing of the unborn has lost all moral sanity.

The U.S. is not Belgium. But what is keeping us from going down the same road? We elect lawmakers for whom abortion is a sacred right to be celebrated. We elected and re-elected a President who, while in the Senate, voted three times against The Born Alive Infant Protection Act which would guard the lives of those babies fortunate enough to survive an abortion.

Once we agree to kill our most vulnerable; indeed to even pronounce God's blessing on those who do the killing, then what boundaries remain?

The Constant Reader

I am excited to see the publication of Thy Word is Still Truth.

“The embattled title casts this book as an apologia for Westminster Seminary’s stand in a recent internal debate. Yes, it is all of that, but it is a great deal more. It is a massive array of extracts from major writers over five centuries, demonstrating both the breadth, strength, clarity, humility, and rootedness of international Reformed bibliology according to its historic confessional self-understanding, and also the insightful energy with which Westminster’s own scholars have labored to vindicate the Reformed position as catholic Christian truth. The book excels as a resource for study and a witness to Westminster’s integrity.”
- J. I. Packer, Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia

“We have needed this book for a long time. In Thy Word Is Still Truth, Peter Lillback and Richard Gaffin have drawn together the comprehensive witness of the church on behalf of the total truthfulness and inerrancy of Scripture. No serious reader can doubt the case for inerrancy made so consistently and clearly in these pages, and no serious defender of Scripture can be without this vital volume that amounts to the most massive arsenal of documentation for the inerrancy of Scripture ever assembled in a single book.”
- R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY

“Since its founding in 1929, Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia has specialized in the doctrine of Scripture. Nearly everyone who has taught there over the years has made some contribution to the subject. The Westminster faculty published three collections of essays on Scripture: The Infallible Word (1946), Scripture and Confession (1973), and Inerrancy and Hermeneutic (1988). The present volume, however, is a contribution of a higher order. It not only republishes some of the best articles from the previous collections, but contains important writings on biblical authority from the Reformation and post-Reformation periods (including the churches’ creedal statements) down to the present day. There are articles from the faculty of Old Princeton, from which Westminster takes its bearings, articles on controversial matters, and articles describing the rationale for Westminster’s distinctive emphasis on biblical theology. And the volume is honest in facing up to the recent controversy over Scripture at Westminster itself and the seminary’s forthright response reaffirming biblical inerrancy. Throughout the years, I have been moved again and again by Westminster’s willingness to stand against the world and for the Word of God. The issue before the world today, as in the garden of Eden, is ‘Has God said?’ I know of no body of literature that can be of more help to people wrestling with this vital question.”
- John M. Frame, J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

Sunday's Sermon

Sunday was Reformation Sunday. I preached from 2 Timothy on the Scripture's authority and sufficiency. The title of the sermon is "Above All Earthly Powers" and can be listened to HERE.

A Plea for Discernment

Good stuff from Aimee Byrd:

The other day I was in the middle of a workout when the phone rang. I glance over to notice that it is my grandma. Better get that. As I push the pause button and catch my breath to answer, grandma is spilling praise over the phone to me about my newly released book. Of course my grandmother is going to be biased, but it was encouraging nonetheless. Just as I was getting excited about using my book to have deeper theological discussion with my sweet grandma, she drops a bomb: "However, I haven't finished your book yet because I've also been reading another fantastic book called, Jesus Calling. Have you heard of it?" Why yes, yes I have.

Immediately I began to wonder, how can someone read the claims in my book alongside of the claims in Sarah Young's Jesus Calling and say they are both wonderful? They say two completely different things about how God speaks to us and conveys Christ to us. I wondered how you could faithfully attend a Southern Baptist church for most of eighty-four years and not have the discernment skills to see when the sufficiency of Scripture and authority of God's Word is threatened.

Read the whole post HERE.

Basics

Every May I attend the Basics Conference at Parkside Church. It is an outstanding conference for pastors. The audio and video of last year's conference has been posted online. Along with Alistair Begg, the speakers were Kevin DeYoung and Thabiti Anyabwile. The messages are well worth the time to listen.

New website

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals has launched a new website called Place For Truth. Check it out.

Bully Pulpit

The latest edition of Mortification of Spin us up and running. It is one of our shorter "Bully Pulpit" editions.

Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit gives hosts Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt a chance to briefly discuss timely issues. Listen as they discuss some criticism and backlash they have gotten because of the podcast, and some of the reasons behind their perceived "harshness" toward prominent Christian leaders. How does the Bible guide our critiques of public figures with popular books and speaking tours? Do we need to sit down over a "no-foam, non-fat latte" in order to be able to speak out against these very public ministers? Carl and Todd take a stab at some of these questions.

Reformation Reading

Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite books related (perhaps indirectly) to the Protestant Reformation:

The Consuming Fire by Michael Reeves
This is my favorite introduction to the Reformation. It is rich in historical detail and theological reflection. Highly Recommended.

Living For God's Glory by Joel Beeke
The contributors of this wonderful book trace the history of the Reformed faith exploring its key doctrines, such as the Doctrines of Grace and the five solas of the Reformation. This volume is rich in devotional appeal as well; exploring Reformed piety and worship.

The Grace of Godliness by Matthew Barrett
Without a doubt, Matthew Barrett's book is one of the best explanations of the Doctrines of Grace. He traces the historical background of the Canons of Dort and demonstrates the biblical justification for the Doctrines of Grace. But this book is also an exercise in theology as doxology. A must read.

Here I Stand by Roland Baintan
The classic biography of Martin Luther.

Reformation: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Carl Trueman
Dr. Trueman traces the lasting significance of the Reformation for the church today. Required reading.

Chosen For Life by Sam Storms
Outstanding explanation and biblical defense of the doctrine of unconditional election.

God Has Spoken by J.I. Packer
The Reformation was a Word-driven movement. You cannot understand the Reformation if you do not have an adequate understanding of the doctrine of Scripture. This little volume by J.I. Packer is one of the best introductions to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.

A Quest For Godliness by J.I. Packer
In this excellent book, J.I. Packer examines the lives and piety of the Puritans. This is my favorite introduction to the Puritans, their theology, and their approach to Christian living.

Explaining the benefits of murder for hire...

The church needs a bit  more satire. I know evangelicals are a pretty thin-skinned bunch and things like satire and irony are often lost on them. But these helpful polemical devices are found in God's inspired Word so I believe we can safely assume that there is a proper place for them in sanctified communication. This is so, in part, because satire and irony are quite effective tools in communicating by exposing the absurdity of a particular practice or point-of-view.

To that end, Betsy Childs has written a helpful piece exposing the moral absurdity of abortion.

I'll be the first to admit it; hit men are shady. But they are shady because they are doing work that no one else wants to do, work that is, in fact, illegal. By labeling contract killing a "crime," we have obscured the fact that hit men provide a valuable service to society.

Many women find themselves trapped in unwanted marriages. Matrimony severely curtails a woman's freedom, and husbands can be unreasonably demanding. A woman in such a situation is vulnerable. She sees only one way out, and so she makes the difficult decision to kill her husband.

But the inconvenient truth is that a woman hiring a hit on her husband will likely have to pay tens of thousands of dollars, with no guarantee that the kill will actually take place. Legalizing the transaction would remove uncertainty. Hired guns could be vetted, trained, and held to professional standards of safety. No one wants a hit to go bad. Removing the threat of prosecution would drastically lower the cost of contract killings. Legalizing murder for hire would bring a sordid industry into the light.

While divorce may be an attractive alternative to murder for hire in most cases, some women do not have the emotional and financial resources to go through a divorce. A contested divorce can take more than a year to resolve. After attorneys drain the couple's finances, the woman will be left with little money to get on with her life. Additionally, a discrete and well-timed hit protects a husband from the pain of discovering that he is no longer wanted. A truly skilled assassin can take his target painlessly in an instant, without any suffering. The end of a marriage can potentially ruin a woman's life, but if her husband can be taken out quickly and cleanly, it can be a new beginning for her.

Read the entire post HERE.

God has spoken

As an ordained minister in the PCA I took vows affirming my belief that the Westminster Confession of Faith is an accurate summary of the Bible's doctrine. That does not mean that I believe the WCF to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Indeed, that belief is contrary to the Confession! Rather, it means that I am fully convinced that the writers of the WCF accurately summarized the Bible's doctrine. A part of that accurate summary is the following statement on the necessity of Scripture and the cessation of direct revelation from God.

Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing: which maketh the holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased. (WCF 1.1, emphasis added)

Kevin DeYoung has posted a helpful piece on cessationism and the Westminster Confession of Faith - HERE.

I am thankful for Albert Mohler

As a young pastor I became convinced of the Doctrines of Grace. As a young Southern Baptist pastor I was terrified of this. At that time I did not know about a resurgence of Reformed theology within the Southern Baptist Convention. Indeed, that resurgence was still in its infancy. Nine Marks Ministries was brand new and Al Mohler seemed like an outlier. But as I searched for likeminded Southern Baptist brethren I was heartened to discover both Mohler and Nine Marks. Through them I learned that it was not only consistent to be a Calvinistic Southern Baptist but was actually in keeping with the founding of the denomination.

This year marks Al Mohler's 20th anniversary as President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. What happened at Southern Seminary beginning in 1993 is nothing short of extraordinary. So I thank God today for the role that Al Mohler played in my own life and in the life of a theologically compromised and adrift institution.

Over at Ref21 I have posted an appreciation of Al Mohler HERE.

Be sure and check out the documentary that has been produced on Al Mohler and Southern Seminary.

Spousal Abuse and the Church

The latest edition of the Mortification of Spin is up and running:

Author and blogger Aimee Byrd joins your regular hosts Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt to talk about a perennial issue throughout the life of the church: abuse. Though Carl and Todd have discussed this issue before, they seek Aimee's wisdom in confronting a more subtle form of abuse that happens more often than it ought within the church. What role should pastors, elders, deacons and their wives play in unveiling marital abuse and reconciling husbands and wives? How can the church better prepare women to deal with these things biblically and theologically?

Sunday's Sermon

On Sunday I preached Psalm 13. It is entitled "How Long O Lord?" and can be listened to HERE.

Whose story are we telling?

Good stuff from the White Horse Inn:

When sharing the faith with others, should we primarily focus on what happened to Christ, or what happened to us? In other words, should we focus on the gospel of Christ as we find it unpacked in the New Testament, or should we emphasize our personal testimonies, explaining to others what God has done in our own lives? We put this question to a number of attendees at a Christian convention, and you might be surprised by their answers.

Have a listen HERE.

An antidote for disaffected evangelicals?

There is an interesting post over at Bring the Books appealing to the so-called disaffected evangelicals to embrace the Reformed Faith. I couldn't agree more.

Recommended:
A Quest For Godliness by J.I. Packer

Strange Fire

Are the miraculous gifts for today? Does God speak to His people outside His Word? These are some of the key questions that will be explored in the Strange Fire conference. It sold out quite early so the organizers decided to provide a live video stream of the event HERE.

Preaching Through Ruth

Beginning in November I will be preaching through Ruth. I love the book of Ruth. It is the story of a small family during tumultuous times. It takes place in the days of the Judges when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." In the midst of those terrible times God shines a light on the story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. But as with all the stories in the Bible, God is the central character. In this brief book, God's faithfulness, providence, and sovereignty are highlighted. In his grace, God weaves Ruth the Moabite into the genealogy of Jesus. Boaz, Ruth's kinsman redeemer, points us forward to the superlative Kinsman Redeemer who would purchase us by His own blood.

The following are some outstanding resources on the book of Ruth:
Esther and Ruth by Iain Duguid
Faithful God by Sinclair Ferguson
From Famine to Fullness by Dean Ulrich
Judges and Ruth by Cundall and Morris
The Message of Ruth by David Atkinson
A Sweet & Bitter Providence by John Piper
Ruth: Poverty & Plenty  (small group study) by Tim Chester

Some recent goings on...

On Friday, Carl and I spent the better part of the day recording new episodes of the Mortification of Spin. We were joined by the Housewife Theologian herself, Aimee Byrd to talk about things like modesty, Halloween and the theology of preaching. We also spent some time with Gloria Furman about life and church in Dubai. Additionally we had a great time chatting with the Pyromaniacs, Dan Phillips and Frank Turk, about Cessationism and whether or not God speaks to us outside his Word. We interviewed Dr. Denny Burk about his excellent new book What Is The Meaning of Sex? Carl and I also took time to discuss the work of elders and deacons.

I must also mention that Carl dubbed me the Meatloaf of Reformed theology. This was troubling to be sure but probably not nearly as bad as my crowning Carl the Elton John of Reformed theology.

Bully Pulpit

The latest edition of Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit is up and running. You may also want to check out Carl's suggested rating system for listening to MOS.

What has become of marriage in our society? When the rules are as bent as they are now, even something as absurd as "marrying" oneself is no longer seen as laughable as it would have once been, but is praised and even endorsed. Listen to Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit and hear Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt discuss the state of marriage, and God's clear words about it in Scripture.

Sunday's Sermon

On Sunday I preached the final sermon in our series through Jonah. It is entitled "God's Amazing Scandalous Grace" and may be listened to HERE.

Why Jim Wallis is wrong about the government "shutdown"

Jim Wallis, a leading light in the religious left, has released a YouTube video calling the "shutdown" of the federal government unbiblical. He is wrong. Wallis employs the very same tactics he has publically deplored when used by Christian conservatives.

Take time to read the following two pieces responding to Wallis:
1. It's Not Theology, It's Ideology by James Rogers
2. Jim Wallis on the Shutdown: It's Unbiblical by Joe Carter

Becoming Presbyterian

Check out the latest edition of Mortification of Spin.

Carl and Todd are at it again! Join them as they discuss Todd's "journey" to his new Presbyterian "tribe" from his Southern Baptist roots. Listen in and learn more about the distintives of church governmental structures between denominations. Call them "elitist" if you must, but our hosts unashamedly assert the importance of getting the right men in the pulpit, as those men are to care for peoples' souls according to God's standard laid out in his Word. This topic is becoming more and more explosive as churches continue to seek the coolest and hippest men to be pastors, instead of choosing the educated and qualified men.

A Biblical Theology of Revival

Good stuff from Carl Trueman

Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico hosts an excellent annual conference called Clarus. I have never attended but I have listened to quite a bit of the audio. Carl Trueman has been a guest and has presented a number of helpful addresses.

I encourage you to take time to listen to the following:
The Pastoral Heart of the Reformation

Knowing God: The Importance of Grace

Knowing God: The Importance of Scripture

The Theology of the Cross: The Forgotten Heart of the Reformation

Apparently they really love Carl out at Desert Springs because they keep inviting him back to Clarus. As a result, he has a lot of messages recorded there, all of which are well worth the listen. But don't tell him I said that. I don't want his ego to get inflated.

Sunday's Sermon

On Sunday I preached part 4 of our series through Jonah. It is entitled, "Repentance, Anger, and the Mercy of God" and can be listened to HERE.

Bully Pulpit

A new feature at Mortification Of Spin is a shorter, high impact broadcast called "Bully Pulpit." It's our way of responding to calls for weekly rather than bi-weekly editions. Our goal is to hit one topic rather quickly but thoughtfully in a way that will be helpful for the listener. Given the title, it is not our goal to tread lightly. Today's Bully Pulpit is a response to some confusing and troubling remarks made about preaching by a few well known mega-church pastors.

Listen in as Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt take to the Bully Pulpit.  On this week’s Pulpit they discuss the means and goals of preaching.  What role does evangelism play in preaching?  How do Jesus and the Apostles teach men to preach?  Today, many preachers give their congregations gobbledygook instead of solid, biblical meat each week.  The Bible confronts us in our sinful state before God, and preachers need to bring that confrontation in through their sermons by turning their own pulpits into Bully Pulpits.

The High Stakes of Ordination

On Saturday (Sept 21, 2013) I took vows to be a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). I was, at that time received into the Blue Ridge Presbytery and formally accepted the call to be Lead Pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church. As I stood before my brothers and took the vows that so many have taken before me I was struck both by the sobriety and privilege of that moment. It was the culmination of a months long process of study, the level of which I had not experienced since completing seminary in 1994.

The process of transferring my ordination as a Southern Baptist to the PCA consisted of six exams covering my knowledge of the Bible, theology, Presbyterian church polity, the sacraments, church history, and PCA history. There was also an exam addressing my conversion, call to ministry, and Christian maturity. The completed exams totaled over 100 pages.

In addition, a committee of the Presbytery administered an oral exam over the material covered in the written exams. At the recommendation of that committee I stood before the Blue Ridge Presbytery for yet another oral exam. For a man who tends toward anxiety, this was exhausting in every conceivable way. After one-and-a-half hours on the floor my back was killing me and my nerves were fried. But, by God's grace, I had good recall and my brothers in the Presbytery affirmed my call.

The high point of the entire process was the taking of vows. I was asked to make 8 promises before the Presbytery. Those promises are as follows:

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as originally given, to be the inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice?

 

2. Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and the Catechisms of this Church, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures: and do you further promise that if at any time you find yourself out of accord with any of the fundamentals of this system of doctrine, you will on your own initiative, make known to your Presbytery the change which has taken place in your views since the assumption of this ordination vow?

 

3. Do you approve of the form of government and discipline of the Presbyterian Church in America, in conformity with the general principles of Biblical polity?

4. Do you promise subjection to your brethren in the Lord?

5. Have you been induced, as far as you know your own heart, to seek the office of the holy ministry from love to God and a sincere desire to promote His glory in the Gospel of His Son?

6. Do you promise to be zealous and faithful in maintaining the truths of the Gospel and the purity and peace and unity of the Church, whatever persecution or opposition may arise unto you on that account?

7. Do you engage to be faithful and diligent in the exercise of all your duties as a Christian and a minister of the Gospel, whether personal or relational, private or public; and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your manner of life, and to walk with exemplary piety before the flock of which God shall make you overseer?

8. Are you now willing to take the charge of this church, agreeable to your declaration when accepting their call? And do you, relying upon God for strength, promise to discharge to it the duties of a pastor?

 

It was a moving experience to stand before my brothers in the Presbytery and take those vows. After months of study, stress, and exhaustion I was certainly relieved. But I was also grateful to have had the experience. I knew I was participating in something very important, the origins of which stretch back to the days of Moses.

 

In Exodus 32, Moses records the events surrounding the people's worship of the golden calf. It is at that time that the first ordination service is recorded. And it is, literally, a matter of life and death:

 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD's side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”
(Exodus 32:25-29 ESV)

After responding affirmatively to Moses' question, "Who is on the Lord's side?" the Levites are instructed to take their swords and kill those involved in the gross act of rebellion. After killing some 3,000 fellow Israelites, the Levites are informed that they have just been ordained in the service of the Lord. Ordination is no small thing. And while I am thankful for living in this particular period of redemptive history, ordination, while practiced differently, is no less serious.

How grateful I am to be a part of a body that treats ordination as a matter of life and death. The stakes are that high.

The Constant Reader

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Dr. Tom Nettles new biography of Charles Spurgeon: Living By Revealed Truth: The Life and Pastoral Theology of Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

New Mortification of Spin

The latest Mortification of Spin is up and running.

If you get heartburn over the mention of the word "liturgy," you may find some proverbial antacid in the thoughtful conversation between our hosts on this episode of The Mortification of Spin. In fact, Carl and Todd remind us that our churches are all liturgical in one way or another - the question is whether we are basing the order and structure of our worship on Scripture or whether we're simply, shall we say, flying by the seat of our pants. Can the seat of our pants sufficiently guide us in corporate worship that is Christ-centered? If you've never opened The Book of Common Prayer, buckle up and listen in...you're bound to learn quite a bit from this helpful podcast.

Behold Your God

Behold Your God looks like a very helpful resource for churches to use in Sunday School, small groups, session meetings, etc.

What I'm learning about ordination in the PCA

As many of you know I am in the process of swimming across Lake Geneva. Actually, I have already made that trip theologically. Now I'm in the process of making it official with the proper authorities in the PCA. I am the newly elected Lead Pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in beautiful Harrisonburg, VA and I am in the process of completing my exams for ordination. It has been an exhausting few months. We had to sell a house in Pennsylvania, move, find lodgings in H'burg, get kids enrolled in school, and everything else that goes along with moving to another state. All during this time I have been trying to study, take seven (very thorough!) exams, preach, and try to be a pastor to a wonderful staff and congregation. I don't recommend doing it this way but there really was not other option for me. Fortunately, leadership in the Blue Ridge Presbytery has been quite gracious in helping me figure out what exactly the term "briefly describe" means on their exams.

Recently I took the English Bible exam which took me around nine hours to complete. The finished product was 35 pages long. I have felt the distance of having completed my M.Div. 19 years ago. During that time, believe it or not, some of the key dates and outlines of books have faded in my memory. So the preparation time has been significant. If all goes well I will complete, successfully, my final exams next week and then appear before the presbytery for questioning on Saturday the 21st. I must confess that the idea of being questioned by learned men about anything concerning the Bible, doctrine, the Book of Church Order, and church history leaves me a bit terrified.

However, the thought has occurred to me numerous times in these weeks that it is a good thing that the PCA sets the bar quite high for its ministers. And while no process is perfect, this particular one helps to keep the standard high for who may fill the pulpits of PCA churches. Yes, I know, there are exceptions.

Along the way I have learned a few things about preparing for the licensure and ordination exams. So, I would like to offer some advice to those who are considering ordination in the PCA. If you are in that boat, here are the most helpful resources I have found in preparing for the exams:

The Westminster Standards
Ryken's Bible Handbook
New Dictionary of Biblical Theology
ESV Study Bible
Book of Church Order

If you make heavy (and I mean HEAVY) use of these resources you should be able to pass the exams.