Theology / The Church

  • 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

  • Knowing His Voice by John Muether

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2009

    Mary is a deeply committed evangelical Christian who is eager to work for the transformation of culture. A homeschooling mother of three teenagers, she serves on the board of a crisis pregnancy center, and she devotes Saturday mornings to leading …Read More

  • Children of Promise by Terry Johnson

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2009

    Which is more important, the unity of the church or its purity? To which are we to give preference: love or truth, fellowship or doctrine? The apostle Paul places great emphasis on unity: “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children …Read More

  • The Prevailing Church (pt. 2) by Simon Kistemaker

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2009

    As we saw in last month’s installment of “Pro Ecclesia,” privileges and duties go together. In making disciples, Jesus commanded they be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit …Read More

  • The Prevailing Church (Pt. 1) by Simon Kistemaker

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2008

    The word church is fundamentally a Christian word and belongs exclusively to Christianity. Although other religions have terms such as synagogue and mosque, only Christians legitimately call their house of worship “church.” There are churches that are named after places …Read More

  • Elders for the Church by Phil Newton

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2008

    Over the past decade I’ve engaged a wide-range of Christians on the subject of elders. Some, in desperation, want to change dysfunctional church leadership structures. Others have grown tired of side-stepping the biblical teaching on elders. Some long to …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

  • A Good Kind of Pluralism by Gene Edward Veith

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2008

    Today’s postmodernists use cultural pluralism as a pretext for relativism, as if the existence of many cultures implied the existence of many truths. Many Americans embrace multiculturalism as if they had no culture of their own. In religion, pluralism …Read More

  • Pluralistic Worship by Terry Johnson

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2008

    During the Reformation era, debates raged over what things must be considered crucial to Christian faith and practice, and what could be considered adiaphora (Latin for “things indifferent”). All sides agreed that the doctrines of the Trinity, the atonement, and …Read More

  • The High Call of Service by George Grant

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2008

    The heroine of My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle, captured the sentiment of most of us when she complained, “Words, words, words — I am so sick of words. I get words all day through, first from him, now from you. Is …Read More

  • The Marks of the Church by Mark Dever

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2008

    Is a small group Bible study a church? Is the Roman Catholic Church a church? Many people are confused today about what a church is. How do you know if what calls itself a church is indeed a church? Christians …Read More

  • Training Pastors in Church by Albert Mohler

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2008

    The Bible consistently affirms education as a central responsibility of God’s people. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people were reminded that the education of their own children was an essential part of their responsibility as God’s covenant …Read More

  • Marketing the Church by Michael Horton

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2008

    It has often been observed that Sunday morning between 11 a.m. and noon is the most segregated hour in America. While there are some hopeful signs that race may not play as great a role in defining the body …Read More

  • The Ordinary Means of Growth by Ligon Duncan

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2007

      We are living in a confused and confusing time for confessional Christians (Christians who are anchored by a public and corporate theological commitment to be faithful to the Bible’s teaching on faith and practice as expounded by the great …Read More

  • God-Given Growth by Mark Dever

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2007

      Everybody wants their church to grow. When a church doesn’t grow for a while, some begin looking for those to blame. Some might say “our sign is too old.” Others might say that the church is doing evangelism all …Read More