Note: This article was originally posted on April 20, 2013. 

It seems that the Lord is constantly making promises to His people.

Back in the Dark Ages, when I was a young Christian, one of our most frequently-sung hymns was “Standing in the Promises.” 

What would you think if you heard a PCA Ruling Elder describe his pastor as “the most arrogant man I have ever met?” Or another Ruling Elder label that same pastor a “bully”? You would instantly think, “it just can’t be that way,” which was my reaction upon hearing this. Yet, there are churches where this is the case, even where staff members find their senior pastors so difficult to serve with, that they feel compelled to leave their call to that beloved congregation. These are neither edifying nor tolerable situations, but it does have to be this way.

NOTE: This item is reposted from a 2013 original text on the WRF Blog. It is republished here due to its surprising currency. 

Last Sunday’s New York Times published, “The Gospel According to Me,” an Opinionator blog critiquing America’s spiritual quest for “the authentic self” as ultimately selfish and one that dead-ends at cynicism.

 A Review offered by Samuel T. Logan Jr., Ph.D.: Matthew V. Everhard, A Theology of Joy: Jonathan Edwards and Eternal Happiness in the Holy Trinity. Middletown, DE: JESociety Press, 2018. Pp. 235 $18.00, paper.

Is God angry with me? Or does God love me? Which is it?

Good and fair questions, often asked by many of us – sometimes publicly, often privately.

In December 2017, Christianity Today, published an article, “Today’s Evangelicals Face a Crisis of Confidence,” by Nathan Betts.  One of the theses of this article was that “individual religiousness tends to be private and episodically intense.”  

How should churches respond to its members who identify as same-sex attracted, yet are intentionally remaining celibate? Should they be celebrated for their chastity? Taught to repent of these illicit desires? The confessional Reformed world over the past 15 years has with one voice affirmed that sex is reserved for the bounds of marriage, a divine institution which is to be exclusively between men and women. However, there remains disagreement in both theology and pastoral practice in how to address those who claim a same-sex attracted identity while remaining celibate.

[Editor´s Note: This item is posted on the website of the WRF because its author is an individual member of the WRF and because the item will have considerable relevance to our many members in Australia and, indeed, to ALL of our members in various denominations around the world.]

Readers of The Australian may be puzzled by the announcement of a new Anglican Diocese of the Southern Cross. Claims of schism in the Anglican Church of Australia and even the absurd claim that the new Diocese is a cult, by one retired bishop, have only exacerbated the confusion.

For many people the mere mention of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, brings with it a rather bleak picture of a situation gone out of control.  Many will dismiss Sri Lanka as a debt ridden, badly governed, poverty stricken country controlled by one family who, until recently, held key positions in government and wielded their power for their own gain. This is all true, and there is little that can be done when a majority representation in government has its way.

From Editor: This article by Dr. Risimati S. Hobyane (South Africa) is a chapter in the upcoming WRF/WEA book on The Decalogue and is posted here in its entirety. Rev. Hobyane argues for the currency of the Decalogue in the modern world. In the course of his argument he looks at the role of the Decalogue in the New Testament, its relationship with the work of Christ and how it is treated in selected Reformed confessions.

From Editor: This article by Dr. Glenn N. Davies (Australia) is a chapter in the upcoming WRF/WEA book on The Decalogue and is posted here in its entirety. Rev. Davies challenges believers understand the importance of "the continuing application of the Decalogue in the life of the believer." He calls upon all Christians to repeat with the psalmist: "If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. (Psalm 119:92-93)"

From Editor: This article by Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher (Germany) is a chapter in the upcoming WRF/WEA book on The Decalogue and is posted here in its entirety. Dr. Schirrmacher argues for the importance of understanding that the "Bible does not give us God’s commandments in a unilinear fashion; the Bible gives us God’s commands through a spectrum which runs from foundational statements to case examples."

From Editor: This article by Dr. Thomas K. Johnson (United States and Czech Republic) is an introductory chapter in the upcoming WRF/WEA book on The Decalogue and is posted here in its entirety. Dr. Thomas invites "you, as disciples and students who belong to Jesus, to join in the process of lifelong learning from our covenant God. Blessed are those who meditate on God’s law!"