John Jay was a Founding Father of the United States. As a patriot and diplomat from the Colony of New York, Jay eventually became the first Chief Justice of the United States appointed by George Washington. Jay was a Christian and…
Read articleMy atheist friend told me the main reason he doesn’t believe in God has to do with all the evil he sees in the world. “A good God,” he says, “would not allow all kinds of evil to exist. Because evil exists, there can be no God.” The…
Read article"Can a person be good without believing in God?" asked my atheist friend. He said that human beings need not believe in a deity or belong to any religious group in order to be good or act morally. He continued to say that the idea of the…
Read articleNumerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine, one being Saint Valentine of Rome who was a priest martyred about AD 269 and buried on the Via Flaminia, the Roman road that led to and from Rome over the Apennine Mountains. His…
Read articleIt’s the New Year—2015. Time does fly, especially for us older folks. With the New Year comes the expression, “Out with the old and in with the new.” Why? We just celebrated Christmas, and we wouldn’t throw that away. Christmas reminds us…
Read articleI watched the Concert for Valor last night on Veterans Day and was appalled. As a combat veteran in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War I was looking forward to a concert that would honor our veterans and active duty servicemen. Aside…
Read articleQueen Elizabeth in ascending to the thrown of Great Britain succeeded her half sister, known as Bloody Mary. Mary, a Roman Catholic, killed and outlawed hundreds of reformers. Elizabeth was Protestant and established Anglicanism as the…
Read articleI grew up outside of Plymouth in the land of the Pilgrims. I even attended school or played ball with some of the descendants of our first settlers—Brewster, Bradford, and Standish. Since November is the month of Thanksgiving, I thought I…
Read articleHistorians typically date the start of the Protestant Reformation on October 31, 1517 with the publication of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses.” The key ideas of the Reformation were: (1) A call to purify the church; and (2) The Bible, not…
Read articleNow that September is upon us and children are back in school, the yearly routine begins again. We get caught up with all the activities, the seasonal holidays, and the church calendar. What we normally neglect is thinking about our…
Read articleWhatever we may think of modern Israel and the struggles she has with the surrounding Arab nations, believers should at least comprehend the importance of the land from a scriptural perspective. In order to more fully understand the…
Read articleIn commemoration of the Boston Massacre John Lathrop of Old North Church preached on the subject Innocent Blood Crying to God from the streets of Boston. In the same year the Rev. Samuel Cooke, with Governor Hutchinson present as well as…
Read articleIf the atheists and progressives had their way, God would be eliminated from all facets of life. However, they are content for the moment to have God eliminated from the public forum. These same people quote the Constitution, pointing out…
Read articleThe word “federalism comes from the Latin “foedus” meaning covenant, compact, or treaty. One of the arguments that the United States was a Christian nation comes from the concept of federalism being derived from the teaching of Scripture…
Read articleIn the Case of Everson v. Board of Education (1947), the Supreme Court pronounced that the First Amendment erected a wall between church and state and that wall must be kept high and impregnable. The Court also pontificated that it could…
Read articleIn an August 6, 2013 article by Bob Smietana of USA Today, which was published on the website of Religion News Service, the PC(USA) committee for selecting songs for a new hymnal, rejected the hymn In Christ Alone by Stuart Townend and…
Read articleThe miracle of Jesus walking on the water is recorded in three of the gospels (Matt. 14:22-36; Mk. 6:45-56; John 6:16-21). The event unfolds at the Sea of Galilee, which is 700 feet below the Mediterranean Sea and very susceptible to…
Read articleI grew up Roman Catholic and remember that Fridays were fish days. At school it was normally fish sticks for lunch, especially during Lenten Season. I didn’t particularly like the season, for it meant fasting some favorite food or giving…
Read articleI just returned from a trip to Paris and Italy. In Paris my wife and I walked across a number of bridges that spanned the Seine River. Most had heavy wire rail fencing on each side with thousands of padlocks attached. One such bridge led…
Read articleAnd Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:50-51 The most watched miniseries…
Read articleTwin Oaks Christian School (TOCS) is a wonderful ministry of our church. Some have wondered, however, why Twin Oaks Presbyterian Church continues to support a large and rather resource-intensive ministry. Although parents have the primary…
Read articleWas Jesus a victim of crucifixion? Although he was innocent and railroaded into execution, Jesus was not a victim. Why? Because he willingly came to pay our debt of sin and take the penalty we deserve. He was God in flesh, who came to…
Read article"Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom," commented Alexis de Tocqueville when the United States was just a fledgling nation. In Christianity all are equal in Christ…
Read articleIronically, the word bedlam is a corruption of the word Bethlehem which literally means house of bread. But in the 1500’s, the London monastery known as St. Mary of Bethlehem was converted from a monastic hospital into a city-run insane…
Read article“Dear Santa,” writes Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes fame. “Attached is my Christmas list for this year. Last year I did not receive several items I requested. For your convenience, I have grouped those items together on page 12. Please check…
Read articleMatthew 2:1-3 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and…
Read articleI cannot imagine what the families are experiencing who lost loved ones, especially their children, in the slaughter in Newtown, Connecticut. At Christmas time, when we are looking forward to joyous celebration and family togetherness, we…
Read articleWas the star that the Magi followed an astronomical phenomena that can be explained scientifically? Some have tried to explain this extraordinary star as the conjunction of planets or a comet that shot across the skies. It is true that…
Read articleIf you put a buzzard in a pen with dimensions not exceeding 8 feet on either side and entirely open at the top, the bird will remain a prisoner in spite of its ability to fly. The reason is that a buzzard always begins its flight with a…
Read articleTaken from Heralds of God by James S. Stewart "Redemptive work is always costly. There is no hope of ease for the faithful servant of the cross. It is involved in the very nature of his task that he can never be at the end of it. Not his…
Read articleSome may feel that all hope for America is lost because the election results did not favor their candidate. Make no mistake—elections will not bring about the kingdom of God through political means. Jesus said to Pilot, “My kingdom is not…
Read articleRomans 13:4 tells us that government authority exists for our good. But good must be defined by Scripture; otherwise it becomes subjective and will be determined by the majority will. If no one explains what God expects in governing, then…
Read articleSo God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the…
Read articleDr. Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, a Fuller Seminary graduate, who earned a PhD in Biblical Studies from the University of Manchester (United Kingdom) and who has distinguished himself in his research, writing and lecturing on the Dead Sea…
Read articleJonathan Mayhew of Massachusetts on January 30, 1750 published a sermon called: Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers with Some Reflections on the Resistance Made to King Charles I. The American colonies…
Read articleThe word “federalism comes from the Latin “foedus” meaning covenant, compact, or treaty. One of the arguments that the United States was a Christian nation comes from the concept of federalism being derived from the teaching of Scripture…
Read articleIf the atheists and progressives had their way, God would be eliminated from all facets of life. However, they are content to have God eliminated from the public forum. These same people quote the Constitution, pointing out that there is…
Read article“Forgive and forget; that’s the Christian way!” Don’t you hate this reminder? Forgive and forget? No way! Revenge is sweeter. “Don’t get mad; get even!” That sounds better to the sinner’s ear. Harboring hatred appeases for the moment, for…
Read articleWithin churches looking for new pastors are leaders who fear change because it represents insecurity to them. They don’t know what type of relationship they will have with the new pastor and they certainly don’t want to lose their…
Read articleWhere did the phrase, “dead as a door nail” originate? In 1590 William Shakespeare used the term in his play about Henry VI.[1] The character John Cade said, "...and if I do not leave you all as dead as a door-nail, I pray God I may never…
Read articlePride and Prejudice, a novel by Jane Austen, is a classic study in the haughtiness of man. In 1995 the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) created a miniseries from the book that starred Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. In one scene Mr…
Read articleWe recently celebrated Memorial Day, which is a day of remembrance – of those who gave their lives in their nation’s service. Originally called Devotion Day, then Decoration Day, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by…
Read articleThe Layman Online (May 22, 2012) reported by a vote of 125 to 51 that the Presbytery of Los Ranchos of the PCUSA adopted the following resolution: The Presbytery …affirms that the Bible, The Book of Confessions and the Book of Order...set…
Read articleAs a Marine officer in Vietnam, I have experienced war, seen death, and grieved over the loss of men. I don't wish combat on anyone, but greater battles are in the spiritual realm, for the fight for "soul survival" is constant and will…
Read articleStatistics do not lie; and what they tell us about the Church is that God’s ecclesia is ailing and in need of doctoring. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research claims that 59% of all Protestant churches average between 7 and 99…
Read articlePaladin, Palidin, where do you roam? Paladin, Palidin, far, far from home.[1] A paladin was a knight known for heroism and chivalry. The idea of a knight in the frontier West called Paladin was the creation of Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow…
Read articleA doctor was awakened at 4:00AM by a caller who wanted to know how much he charged for a house call. In a sleepy voice, the doctor said, “$200.00.” “Umm, that seems a bit high,” replied the caller. “How much do you charge for an office…
Read articleI love the Church, but shutter over her ineffectiveness in reaching the culture with the gospel. God called me into ministry, not by some gentle prodding, but by slapping me into reality. I was on my way to hell; my family was falling…
Read articleThose who do not stand for truth will fall for a lie. Those who think they are free thinkers are already slaves to their own fallacies. Intellect is in the mind of the beholder. Mark Twain once said that he never allowed school to…
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