Come Down, Lord!

Someone recently commented on one my articles with these words: " Nobody is above the law.  Not even pastors."  She was responding to my comments about James Coates.   I found the comment very interesting.  And then a number of days later I saw someone suggest that since  Faith Presbyterian Church  didn't follow covid regulations we couldn't be trusted to lawfully handle other matters.    Fascinating logic... But, are we above the law?  I guess it depends on what is meant by the question.  The irony, of course, is that Christians are generally some of the most law abiding citizens in the country.  We are taught to obey our magistrates and pray for them.  The Bible is our rule of faith and practice, and we are told there by God to obey governing authorities. But of course every Christian knows the exception.  There is a higher authority .  It is God who told us to obey our magistrates, and so we obey the...

I have received lots of private correspondence about Romans 13, so here is a brief answer to some of those concerns. Gavin Beers has said that public worship "is the holy convocation of saints with the peculiar promise of His presence and blessing." He then added that that holy convocation "is issued by a divine call through the Church not the State." So w hat ought to be the State's attitude toward the Church?  They are in the words of Beers to "promote and encourage the fulfillment of that call."    They are as Samuel Slater ( Puritan Sermons, vol. 4 ) explained, to "contribute what in them is to the promoting of the true religion, the power of godliness, and a scriptural reformation, together with a hearty and vigorous suppression of profaneness!"  Note carefully the words of the WCF: "The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the Word and sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of he...

A friend asked me the other day, "do you regret it?"  He had heard that my open letter to the Church had stirred up controversy and that I might be in trouble.  My answer was immediate.  No , I didn't regret it.  I believed (and still believe) it needed to be said.   In fact, as time has passed and I have prayed over the matter my feelings and my resolve have grown stronger not weaker.   God has tried us to see what is in us, and we have been found out.  We aren't the lion hearts we thought we were.  We are strong on theology and confessions and ecclesiastical procedure, but we aren't so strong in the day of adversity (Proverbs 24:10). But my friend's question raises an interesting question.   First, why would I  regret what I had written?   My friend was assuming that the events that had transpired since the letter was first written had somehow changed my mind.  He was wondering if maybe the trial had...

Dear brothers and sisters, greetings in the name of King Jesus.  I am writing to you (as I have written to my own Session) because I believe that we - the Church in North America - have let the Lord down.  Like Peter we have made big promises, but in a moment of trial we have in this way denied Him.  We have compromised and we have sinned.  I don't say that lightly.   Many better men than me hold an entirely different position. Still, I believe our decision to submit to the government is wrong.  I believe it’s seriously wrong.  I believe one day we will look back on this with sorrow at how easily we gave in to the pressures of government and society.   I know it’s well intended but still wrong.   As you know churches almost everywhere (including our own) have closed.  Gathering together for worship has been replaced almost everywhere by live-streaming, so that there is no more ‘meaningful’ gathering of believers for the preaching...

I would have liked my first post to have been about the subject of revival itself.  The trouble is we cannot have revival without repentance.  We are living in a time of compromise and spiritual declension.  Before the pandemic many pastors were comparing the Church of North America to the lukewarm Laodicean church.   Instead of responding with humility, sorrow and repentance, the Church has remained proud and unmoved.  But what is particularly troubling is how the Church has recently responded to God's hand of judgment.  This pandemic is should be serving as a wake up call to God's people.  Instead we have retreated.   Instead of ashes, sackloth, and days of joint fasting and prayer we have closed our churches.  We say they aren't closed because we are livestreaming, but our doors are actually locked, people aren't gathering anymore for worship and the communion of saints now only exists virtually.   The following is a ...