The Crown of Thorns Club by Chris Donato

FROM TABLETALK | August 2010

When was the last time you went to a private social club? If you think that kind of thing is for the elite members of our society alone, guess again. The Yellow Pages are filled with lists of social clubs …Read More

Open and Shut by Kim Riddlebarger

FROM TABLETALK | July 2009

Q. What is the Office of the Keys?  A. The preaching of the Holy Gospel and Christian discipline; by these two the kingdom of heaven is opened to believers and shut against unbelievers. 
(Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 83) Church discipline …Read More

Something Different by Matt Schmucker

FROM TABLETALK | March 2009

Matt, I don’t understand how you and Steve can be a part of the same church given what you each believe and practice.” This came from a young woman with whom my wife and I had been sharing the …Read More

High Crimes and Misdemeanors by Carl Trueman

FROM TABLETALK | August 2010

Some years ago I caused no little consternation when I was invited to speak at a church on the nature of ministry and started my lecture by declaring that it really did not matter if the pastor was an adulterer …Read More

Is the model for the church’s worship today the temple or the Jewish synagogue? by R.C. Sproul Jr.

Is the model for the church’s worship today the temple or the Jewish synagogue? What an excellent question. There are those who would suggest that the Bible doesn’t give us a model at all, and we are therefore …Read More

The Forgotten Mark by Tom Ascol

FROM TABLETALK | July 2008

Historically, Protestants have argued that there are certain, essential marks that characterize a true church. The Belgic Confession of 1561 identifies these marks as being three in number. In addition to the “pure preaching of the gospel” and the “pure …Read More

Writing Checks Your Faith Can’t Cash by R.C. Sproul Jr.

We, these United States are in what is, for us, hard times. Foreclosures abound. Unemployment is high. And inflation may well be warming up in the bullpen.  That said, I remain somewhat surprised at the news today that a particular …Read More

Out of the Many, One by Anthony Carter

FROM TABLETALK | December 2009

  In the title “United States of America,” the emphasis is necessarily on the word united. When America was in its infancy and seeking to establish itself as a sovereign nation, it faced many challenges, not the least of which was …Read More

Pilgrims (and Their Hosts) by R. Scott Clark

FROM TABLETALK | February 2010

There are about sixty-million evangelicals in North America. By contrast, the confessional Reformed communions number fewer than one million members. One effect of these disproportionate numbers is that the theology, piety, and practice of American evangelicals shape the expectations of …Read More

Passing the Baton by John Sartelle

FROM TABLETALK | December 2005

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4). I had been in a time warp. Janet and I had gathered with my family in Draper, Virginia, to celebrate …Read More

That They May Be the One by Thomas Schreiner

FROM TABLETALK | September 2009

  The Lord Jesus prayed on the night before His death: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are …Read More

The Church and Idolatry by Jared Wilson

FROM TABLETALK | June 2012

“Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God” (1 Chron. 22:19). All sin is idolatry because every sin is an exercise in trust of something or someone other than the one true God to satisfy …Read More

Corinthian Enthusiasm by Derek Thomas

FROM TABLETALK | July 2009

I must have said it a thousand times: “Who would want a call to be the minister of the church at Corinth?” Among other things, it suffered from “the worship wars.” Read 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 and you quickly …Read More

Weak Shepherds and Hirelings by Robert Norris

FROM TABLETALK | April 1992

The church today is confused, and that confusion is deep and profound. There may be many reasons as to why this is so, but it is true that in this generation, self-doubt, division, and weakness mark the church, even the …Read More

True Catholicism by Burk Parsons

FROM TABLETALK | September 2009

  We have all heard it said, and some of you have even said it: “Let’s just agree to disagree.” If memory serves me, I have never used that expression, primarily because I don’t think it makes much sense …Read More