Discretion Discretion June 22, 2013 As a rogue NSA employee and an eager media have shown us as of late, we still do not know the depths of how much of our private lives are under the surveillance
atheism and morality One Converstion To Have With An Atheist - With Answers June 14, 2013 [http://genref.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/crooked-line.jpg]The atheism of today is a strange brew. Many of the more vocal proponents have a kind of eat their cake and have it
A Guide to Christian Living A Sweet Ouch June 11, 2013 From A Guide to Christian Living (pages pp.28-31), a devotional extracted from the third book of John Calvin's Institutes of Christian Religion: When Scripture commands us in our dealings with
Apologetics; Problem of Evil; Sandy Hook Shootings High School Apologetics June 10, 2013 In the apologetics course I taught this past year at the academy our congregation sponsors, I assigned groups of two or three students a project that required the following: 1. Document that you
debates Shady Interpretations June 05, 2013 Why is it that two Holy-Spirit filled, Christ-loving, Bible-believing Christians can come to very different conclusions on the very same passage of Scripture? The same question applies to Christian denominations (and non-denominational churches)
Honey from the Rock June 04, 2013 Last Friday evening our family spent a wonderful evening with the Sycamore congregation and some special friends as we remembered more than two decades of time together. With a lovely banquet dinner prepared
Gospel Coalition: National Conference June 02, 2013 [http://genref.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/gospel-coalition.jpg]Talk about bursting at the seams! This year’s Gospel Coalition National Conference will make a glutton out of your ears. The sheer range
Meanderings May 31, 2013 With our schedule, not much blogging time as of late. So I appreciate the recent offerings of the other "GenRef Gents" as I like to call them. But here are a
Seven Phrases on the Ten Words May 25, 2013 What’s THAT Have to Do With the Ten Commandments? Have you ever had a conversation with a Christian about an ethical question where they said something to the effect of, “That’s
The Not-So Lost Art of Pharisee Making May 20, 2013 This week I followed a discussion that started off something like this: “New Presbyterian here. Anything I should know in your humble opinion?” There were many answers given, some humorous, some ridiculous, some
Christ Paul's Agony May 17, 2013 Christian conversation about pastoral ministry often includes the expression “a pastor’s heart,” but what does that expression actually mean? Though Scripture may not use the exact phrase in question, it absolutely answers
Corporate Worship Defining Corporate Worship May 16, 2013 From a recent class on worship, we hammered out a brief, Biblical, working definition of what a local congregation should be pursuing as it worships the Lord as His holy temple here on
Dennis Prutow A GenRef Podcast: Interview with Dennis Prutow May 13, 2013 Dr. Dennis Prutow is the Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A former Army chaplain, seasoned pastor, and author, Denny's life
Calvinism For Whom The Bell Toils . . . May 09, 2013 Rob Bell is back, and the critiques of his latest work are coming in. I’ve not yet had the opportunity to read What We Talk About When We Talk About God, but
The Little Things I'll Miss May 08, 2013 As the time approaches for my family to move from Indiana to Pennsylvania next month, life has almost been too busy for reflection. Selling and purchasing a home. Finishing teaching one seminary class
Gospel Gleanings May 06, 2013 In an interview following his retirement, John Piper pointed out that the Bible does not necessarily mean there will not be any type of tear in heaven. Rather, the Scriptures testify that God
John Calvin Calvin's Counsel on Gentle Reformation April 30, 2013 While studying for a recent sermon series on the Lord's Supper, I read an interesting passage in John Calvin's 1540 treatise on that sacrament. Toward the end of his
Christian The New You ... April 29, 2013 Were you you when you were converted to Christianity? Or, asking about the same idea from a different angle: Are you you subsequent to your conversion? Every Christian should answer with a resolute
preaching Sermonic Echoes April 23, 2013 During my seminary days attending Covenant Fellowship Church in Pittsburgh, I was blessed to sit under the preaching of Pastor Ken Smith. We witnessed people being converted, growing disciples, and joyful singing filling
Here Come the Presbyopians! April 22, 2013 Presbyopia is a “medical condition where the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects with age.” That sounds like a horrible condition, of course, but this is not the
Female Body Image Looking into the People Mirror April 17, 2013 As Calvin taught in the opening of The Institutes of Christian Religion, we cannot truly know ourselves until we know God. A corollary to that principle (though it must be stated more carefully)
Genesis A Creative Marriage Thought April 15, 2013 As we prepare to see a son and then a daughter wed soon (he at the end of May, she the first week of June), my wife and I rejoice over the Lord&
abortion Browse Worthy: Culture Wars April 12, 2013 As the cultural wars intensify, here are some links that will assist you: Suicide - Following the suicide of well-known pastor Rick Warren's son last week, there has been an explosion
B.M. Palmer The Poetic Life of the Christian - Part 3 April 10, 2013 We come now to the third and last post on the poetic life of the Christian. As stated in the first post on this subject, the lives of believers are to be poetic
Two Adams Met in Me April 05, 2013 Two Adams met in me. The first enslaved; the Other set free. The serpent blinded my first father to God's glory; Yet Seed of woman crushing his head is now my
