Few institutions in the modern world have been as fiercely debated, redefined, and fractured as marriage. Contemporary culture increasingly views marriage as a fluid social contract based on personal fulfillment, to be entered and exited at will. Against this cultural confusion, the Westminster Confession offers a profoundly stabilizing, biblical theology of the family. In Chapter… Continue reading One Flesh: On Marriage and Divorce (WCF 24.1–24.6)
“The Everlasting God”: Covenants and Worship at Beersheba (Gen. 21:22–34)
Loved ones, the life of faith is not entirely made up of dramatic mountaintop experiences or agonizing crises. Much of our walk with God happens in the ordinary, dusty realities of everyday life—navigating relationships with unbelieving neighbors, resolving property disputes, and finding a place to quietly put down roots. Following the intense emotional highs and… Continue reading “The Everlasting God”: Covenants and Worship at Beersheba (Gen. 21:22–34)
On Grief, Sorrowful Yet Always Rejoicing
We have spoken of how a man must govern his desires and tame his anger. But now we arrive at the most devastating test of the human heart. Before we turn our eyes to the reality of our own death in the practice of Memento Mori, we must reckon with the death of those we love.… Continue reading On Grief, Sorrowful Yet Always Rejoicing
The American Revision: Church, State, and Religious Liberty
In our previous article on the Civil Magistrate (WCF 23), we explored the original 1646 text of the Westminster Confession. While it correctly established that government is ordained by God, its third paragraph contained a glaring issue for modern readers: it granted the civil government the power to suppress heresies, reform worship, and call church… Continue reading The American Revision: Church, State, and Religious Liberty
God’s Minister for Good: On the Civil Magistrate (WCF 23.1–23.4)
How should a Christian view the government? Throughout history, believers have often swung between two dangerous extremes: either idolizing the state (treating politics as the ultimate savior) or completely withdrawing from it (viewing all government as inherently demonic). In Chapter 23, the Westminster Confession charts a biblical middle course. Drawing heavily on Romans 13, the… Continue reading God’s Minister for Good: On the Civil Magistrate (WCF 23.1–23.4)
“The Son of the Free Woman”: Isaac’s Birth and Ishmael’s Banishment (Gen. 21:1–21)
Loved ones, for twenty-five years, Abraham and Sarah lived on nothing but a promise. They endured famines, wars, self-inflicted detours, and the agonizing, slow decay of their own physical bodies. The promise of a son had often seemed impossibly distant, sparking both the staggered laughter of faith and the cynical laughter of doubt. But God’s… Continue reading “The Son of the Free Woman”: Isaac’s Birth and Ishmael’s Banishment (Gen. 21:1–21)
On Anger, Righteous and Unrighteous
Before we face the ultimate test of the Christian Stoic, the meditation on our own mortality (Memento Mori), we must address the most volatile and destructive of all human passions. We must talk about anger. If you read the ancient Stoics, you will quickly discover that they viewed anger not just as a flaw, but… Continue reading On Anger, Righteous and Unrighteous
A Solemn Promise: On Lawful Oaths and Vows (WCF 22.1–22.7)
In a modern culture where words are cheap, contracts are routinely broken, and truth is often treated as relative, the biblical doctrine of oaths and vows might seem like an archaic relic. Yet, the Westminster Confession dedicates an entire chapter to this topic, elevating truth-telling and promise-keeping to profound theological acts. When a witness places… Continue reading A Solemn Promise: On Lawful Oaths and Vows (WCF 22.1–22.7)
A Prophet and His Prayer: Abraham, Abimelech, and Providence (Gen. 20:1–18)
Loved ones, one of the most frustrating realities of the Christian life is the stubborn persistence of our old sins. We like to think that spiritual maturity means we completely graduate from our earlier weaknesses. But Genesis 20 shatters that illusion. Decades ago, when Abraham first entered the Promised Land, a famine drove him to… Continue reading A Prophet and His Prayer: Abraham, Abimelech, and Providence (Gen. 20:1–18)
The Inner Critic and the Advocate: Redeeming the Voice in Your Head
Every man has a voice in his head. It is the running commentary of your life, the invisible narrator that evaluates your actions, judges your motives, and reacts to your circumstances. For the Stoic, this internal voice was meant to be the voice of Reason (Logos). The philosopher trained his mind to act as a… Continue reading The Inner Critic and the Advocate: Redeeming the Voice in Your Head