The Parrhesians
jesus
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Four Convictions
Four Convictions about the Church I was back in the church, but I was not yet reconciled to the church. Obedience was important, but I still needed to come to terms with…
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Outside of the Church
I left the church at age sixteen, but I still loved Jesus and wanted to be his disciple. I still read my Bible. I still attended youth group with friends on Sunday…
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A Church Without Spot or Wrinkle?
Thoughts on growing up in the church…and then leaving it. My father grew up in the Catholic church, but he never heard the gospel. In addition, his parents were alcoholics, and his…
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Whither the Church
In 2020, Carl Trueman wrote his insightful and timely book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. The book was not only celebrated by scholars, it was a commercial success. When…
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Slaying the EPC Leviathan
The title of my report last month was, “Slaying the federal Leviathan.” And, as promised, this month I am tackling the sequel in my Leviathan series, this one on our protracted dispute…
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…Then Vote for Independence
Below are comments made by Clerk of Session, Andy Lucas, on behalf of the entire Session, prior to Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church’s vote to leave the Evangelical Presbyterian Church on January 26,…
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Thou Shalt Not Lie to Appease the Bureaucrats
Below is an excerpt of an email I sent to a woman in the congregation. Regarding the issue of authority, it is a valid question. Our position has always been that the…
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My Closing Statement
Below is the closing statement I read on January 11, 2025, at my trial in the Presbytery of the Alleghenies . Members of the Judicial Commission. We acknowledge this is a complex…
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A Brief Thought on Children in Worship
I’ve stated many times from the pulpit and in other communications to my congregation, that the church must place a high value on children and having children in the worship service. In…
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We Make Christians?
I believe the larger question within our cultural moment is “What does it mean to be the church in the midst of negative world?” Paul asked a similar question in his epistles. In…