One of the stories my much older brother tells me about the old days recounts the day when the family had just moved to a Los Angeles suburb. I should say, another L.A. suburb, since, all told, we moved about thirty times over the course of my childhood. No, my father was not in the […]
American pastors face a retention hurdle every time they step into the pulpit. Recent statistics suggest that only thirty-five percent of new members stay in a church for more than five years. A significant percentage of the rest, unfortunately, often join the growing number of “de-churched” individuals who drop out of organized religion. Their ranks […]
One of the most frequently asked questions of Modern Reformation and the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals relates to finding a good local church. Several years ago, the hosts of the White Horse Inn discussed this very topic in their nationally syndicated radio program. The participants include Michael Horton (professor at Westminster Seminary California and editor-in-chief […]
Playwright Eugene O’Neil, who was reared on the road by actor/parents who were performing in various cities, lamented of his unstable life: “I was born in a hotel room and God-damn, I’ll die in a hotel room.” While O’Neil turned his tortured experience into great art, including the memorable Long Day’s Journey Into Night, he […]
We asked for your top ten lists of things to look for when visiting or choosing a church. Here is a compendium of some of the responses from our readers (not necessarily in order of importance). Modern Reformation does not necessarily share all of the views expressed here. Elements of the ServiceIs the liturgy, including […]
We have scoured the Web looking for the reasons churches give to those considering a visit to a local congregation. Here are two of the most interesting. 10.A great cup of coffee on Sunday morning.9. A warm and friendly place where you will be accepted.8. A group to go camping, picnicking, and have fun with.7. […]
MR: Abe's column-a review of places of worship-is featured in the San Diego Reader and that's about the only thing I read in the Reader. Every time it comes out, I look forward to seeing what Abe has to say because Abe is not a Christian, he is Jewish, and yet he reviews churches sort […]
One practice that has united a great number of disparate Christian churches and denominations in North America has been the formation of Christian schools, in many cases primary and secondary schools, but most notably colleges and universities. Questions inevitably arise as to the need and usefulness of such schools as well as to their theological […]
Kenneth E. Bailey, prolific author and renowned professor of Middle Eastern New Testament Studies, sets to paper in Jacob & the Prodigal the mature fruit of decades of research and reflection on the much expounded but little understood parable of Luke 15. Stimulated by N. T. Wright, who links the Jacob and Esau saga with […]
President of Westminster Seminary California (and Alliance council member) W. Robert Godfrey has written a book on Genesis 1 in the spirit of John Calvin, which is to say, it is nothing more than a brief and clear exposition of the text. Godfrey is clearly convinced that the contemporary debate among conservatives over creation is […]
In Deconstructing Evangelicalism, Presbyterian historian (and contributing scholar to Modern Reformation) D. G. Hart joins both historical argument and theological prescription in his typically iconoclastic fashion. Claiming that the recent resurgence of evangelical history is nothing more than a historical and sociological fiction papering over the differences in the creeds, polity, and worship practices of […]
