Christian Living / Practical Theology

  • An Outpost of Jesus’ Kingdom: An Interview with Mark Driscoll by Mark Driscoll

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2011

    Tabletalk: What do you believe is the ultimate purpose of the church? Mark Driscoll: The biblical marks of the church universally and its expressions locally are many (for example, the Word, sacraments, discipline, discipleship, mission/evangelism, love), but their overarching …Read More

  • The Pastor and the Funeral by Harry Reeder

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2011

    The subject I have been asked to write about was one of my greatest fears upon entrance into pastoral ministry. But today I consider it one of my greatest privileges. Why? Because of the historicity and glorious message of the …Read More

  • The Gospel and the Oncology Waiting Room by Mike Pohlman

    FROM TABLETALK | July 2011

    I recently sat with my wife in the waiting room at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. We were there to meet with Dr. Lupe Salazar to receive the results of Julia’s latest PET/CT scans. The goal: to determine …Read More

  • Amazing Love by John Piper

    FROM TABLETALK | July 2011

    The love of Christ for us in His dying was as conscious as His suffering was intentional. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). If He was intentional in laying …Read More

  • The Origin of Calvinism by John Piper

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2011

    Of course, like every other man besides Jesus Christ, John Calvin was imperfect. His renown is not owing to infallibility but to his relentless allegiance to the Scriptures as the Word of God in a day when the Bible had …Read More

  • The Call to Ministry by Geoffrey Thomas

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2012

    Who will possibly stay in a relationship with a girlfriend or boyfriend “until death us do part” unless there is a deep devotion to that one person above all others, a commitment that is based on comprehensive knowledge and respect …Read More

  • Death Does Not Have the Last Word by R.C. Sproul

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2011

    The guns of secular naturalism, when aimed at the Christian faith, resemble not so much shotguns as carefully aimed rifles. The chief target of the naturalist is the biblical doctrine of creation. If the doctrine of creation falls, all of …Read More

  • The Bible, the Whole Bible, and Nothing but the Bible: An Interview with Eric J. Alexander by Eric Alexander

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2012

    Tabletalk: Describe how God first called you to ministry. Eric Alexander: From as early as I can remember, if anyone had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would not have hesitated to answer, “I …Read More

  • Human Trafficking in God’s World by Justin Holcomb

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2011

    Genesis 3 records the terrible day when humanity fell into sin and shalom was violated. This was a moment of cosmic treason, when Adam and Eve violated their relationship with God by rebelling against His command and fell into the …Read More

  • A Child’s (Mis)understanding by Keith Mathison

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2012

    Like many, I have watched my fair share of films over the years, and the vast majority have been quite forgettable. There are a small number that I enjoyed enough to purchase in order to watch them again. But there …Read More

  • The Frozen Chosen by Keith Mathison

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2010

    Reformed Christians are often accused of being cold and callous, virtual Stoics or fatalists. We’ve all heard the epithet “the frozen chosen” applied to Reformed believers. We usually protest that such a nickname does not truly describe us, and …Read More

  • Word and Sacrament in Worship by Kim Riddlebarger

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2005

    In those fundamentalist churches in which I was raised, most Sunday mornings the minister preached from a well-worn Bible, told a few stories to illustrate his point and then reminded us that Jesus is our only hope of heaven. But …Read More

  • Worship as a Body by Bob Kauflin

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2012

    The psalmist declares, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” (Ps. 122:1; emphasis mine). Worldly distractions, bad theology, or indwelling sin can cause us to lose sight of why …Read More

  • The Coming of the Kingdom by R.C. Sproul

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2012

    The gospel of Mark is notable for its lack of extended accounts of Jesus’ teaching. Furthermore, Mark gives us noticeably fewer parables than do Matthew and Luke. However, in chapter 4 of his gospel, Mark records four parables. He begins …Read More

  • Evangelism for God’s Glory by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2012

    To borrow a theme from John Piper’s classic book Let the Nations Be Glad!, evangelism isn’t the ultimate goal of the church: worship is. Evangelism exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not evangelism. Evangelism isn’t …Read More