Burk Parsons

Burk Parsons is editor of Tabletalk magazine and co-pastor at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, and author of Why Do We Have Creeds? You can follow him on Twitter @BurkParsons.  

  • A Divine Comedy by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2005

    Sadly, I must admit the unfortunate truth that I am a former member of a boy band. In January of 1993 I was chosen to be one of the first members of the pop group “The Backstreet Boys.” As a …Read More

  • Kingdom Prayer by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2007

    I have a good friend who is about twice my age. Over the past few years we have hunted together, fished together, and prayed together. He refers to himself as a recovering Pharisee who is learning how to quit praying …Read More

  • Forgiven and Free by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2006

    Someone recently said to me: “The older we get the harder it is to ask someone’s forgiveness.” I am not sure if that’s necessarily true, but the older and, perhaps, more stubborn we become it certainly seems more …Read More

  • Good Old Calvinism by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | July 2009

    John Calvin was a churchman for all ages. He was a reformer par excellence. He was a godly pastor who equipped his people for ministry. He was a humble revolutionary. He was a loyal husband, father, and friend. But above …Read More

  • A Visible Proclamation by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2006

    Just over a year ago I had the opportunity to travel to Yerevan, Armenia, to minister among Iranian Christians who had traveled from Iran for a conference that was held on discipleship and Christian education. Without a doubt, I learned …Read More

  • Those Whom God Hath Joined Together by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2006

    One of the great joys of serving as a pastor is performing weddings. Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of performing several wedding ceremonies, and on each occasion I have used the traditional wedding vows found …Read More

  • Our Covenant God by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2006

    From time to time we receive a letter from a reader who would like us to use words that are more familiar. And although we generally try to define theological and biblical terms that may be unfamiliar to our readers …Read More

  • Worldly Standards by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2006

    I was asked recently what my favorite sports and hobbies are. My reply was simple: My favorite sports are hunting, fishing, and eating, and similarly, my favorite hobbies are talking about hunting, fishing, and eating. Although my abilities to hunt …Read More

  • Church Growth and the Sovereignty of God by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2007

    It seems that every time I meet a pastor from another church, he asks me the common, unsolicited, ecclesiastical question of the twenty-first-century: “How big is your church?” Most pastors are usually a bit confounded when I respond: “I …Read More

  • One Nation, Under God by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2008

    As I have traveled abroad, I have had to endure all sorts of snide remarks about the United States. I have seen graffiti depicting the American flag with bombs in place of stripes and skulls in place of stars. I …Read More

  • Our Glorious Inheritance in Christ by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2006

    Allegedly, a reporter once asked John D. Rockefeller, who at the time was one of the wealthiest men in America, “How much money is enough?” to which Rockefeller supposedly answered, “A little more than I have.” Such a response is …Read More

  • The Light of Glory by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2006

    Humanistic historians and secular sociologists are eager to assign their carefully crafted, far-reaching labels to just about anything. Centuries-long periods of history and entire generations of people have been adorned with meaningless titles and simplistic definitions. From the so called …Read More

  • Ancient Wisdom for the Future by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2007

    Although attributed in error, Mark Twain is often quoted as saying, “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be …Read More

  • Calvinism Isn’t Enough by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2010

    “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” Charles Dickens wrote in his classic A Tale of Two Cities. Perhaps years from now historians will reflect on the state of Calvinism at the beginning of the …Read More

  • We’re One, but We’re Not the Same by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2010

    If it’s new, it’s likely not true, and if it’s true, it’s likely not new, or so the saying goes. Generally speaking, when someone uses the word new to describe something old, I’m not only …Read More