Of the Way

As I’ve matured, I’ve realized that I had overemphasized the priority of apologetics in the Christian walk. It’s far more important to love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, and overcome evil with good. Apologetics is like responsible gun ownership. You train hoping you’ll never need to use the weapon in a live situation rather than strolling around like Yosemite Sam and being the rootingest tootingest apologist north, south, east, and west of the Pecos.

If you are reading this, know that I have no intention of abandoning you. I recently lost loved ones in a car accident. We had gone to trivia together as we had nearly every Tuesday night for a couple of years. We said good-bye, not knowing that it would be our last. Their car was […]

How did and does God oppose us when we’re the proud? By doing the most humbling and humiliating thing possible for God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus, the humble God, spent a tremendous amount of time in prayer. He came to seek and save the lost and give his life as a ransom for many. He opposes the proud by turning us into the humble and giving grace to us.

Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked.  For it is commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience toward God. For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do […]

If you follow me on social media, have read several other posts on this blog, or are friends with me on Facebook, perhaps you’ve seen some of my posts and began to wonder.  Is he, you know, one of those? Well let me confirm your fears: I am an anarchist. Unlike other closets, coming out […]

I had the privilege of serving as a substitute preacher for Brian Phillips and filling the pulpit last Sunday at Holy Trinity Reformed Church in Concord, NC. My sermon was on Luke 15, which contains the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (better known as the prodigal son).  I […]

I’m in the midst of following a rather interesting exchange between Thabiti Anyabwile and Doug Wilson regarding Doug’s book Black and Tan, which I read about five years ago, enjoyed and agreed with.  I hyperlinked to the first post of each participant and assume that you are able if interested to follow and navigate to subsequent […]

It was an unbelievable 3 hours.  That is “unbelievable” by the normal English usage of the word.  However, what is impossible with man is possible with God.  Today I have witnessed a miracle.  It isn’t on the same order of magnitude as God making the sun stand still (Joshua 10), parting the Red Sea (Exodus […]

“I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.” Psalm 35:18 Who is like You, O LORD?  Indeed, to ask the question is to answer it.  For You alone are from everlasting to everlasting.  You alone are uncreated, One God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.  You keep […]

Today I preached my second sermon at Christ Church of North Carolina.  I preached on Proverbs 11:1 and the title of the sermon is “Weights and Measures: Just and Unjust.”  In it I deal with such issues as honest business dealings, fraud, fiat money, and a basic overview of Christian economics. Feel free to listen […]

Due to the sovereignty of God, I have had Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the great fish in Jonah 2 preached to me twice in the past two weeks, first by Brian Phillips at Holy Trinity Reformed Church in Concord, NC on November 21, and then by Gene Liechty at Christ Church in Cary, […]

The sermon I preached on Sunday dealt some with the tanniyn/dragon.  Toby Sumpter, pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Moscow, ID, just posted and brought another intriguing perspective to dragons in the Bible: “Yahweh plays with dragons, and growing up into the glory and wisdom of the sons of God means growing up to play […]

Today I preached my first sermon at Christ Church of North Carolina.  I preached on Psalm 148 and the title of the sermon is “All Creatures of Our God and King…” I wrote the whole sermon out in manuscript form and deviated from it some when I preached it.  Apparently my pages got out of […]

“The Bible refers repeatedly to the reality of dragons and winged serpents and indicates that the devil is one of their number.  Modern translators are embarrassed by all of this and try to get by with renderings like jackel or crocodile.  They have not gone so far as to translate the words for dragon as […]

I had to read this book for my Historical Theology class and present on Augustine as I did on Athanasius.  (The outline of that lecture can be found here.)  Augustine’s work provides a solid basis for “plundering the Egyptians” and appropriating the best of classical learning for the cause of the gospel, including an extended […]