Articles

The broader evangelical world is currently in turmoil over how to evaluate Critical Race Theory. In fact, six Southern Baptist seminary presidents signed a statement declaring Critical Race Theory to be incompatible to the non-binding doctrinal standards of their denomination.

Because the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is a confessional denomination, such a statement, or counter-statements, would be unnecessary because the Bible, the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), the Presbyterian tradition, and covenant theology allow Presbyterians to take an “eat the meat and spit out the bones” approach to cultural theories like Critical Race Theory and other legal or social science theory that attempts to give a secular account of evil. The Christian tradition offers something better.

Easter is all about a new beginning. After three days in the tomb, Jesus resurrection marked a new beginning. Easter comes around in the spring, when flowers are blooming, birds are nesting, and nature around us is experiencing a new beginning. This year, Easter is coming after a year of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two weeks ago, I referenced a post by Abraham Cho who says that the barriers that keep Gen Z from hearing the gospel are not the same as the barriers that hindered Boomers and Gen X. In the past, the barriers were mostly rational. Now, the barriers are mostly relational and ethical. Below is an article published in ByFaith that addresses these very issues. This is a super important issue for us to engage.

The tradition of giving gifts during Advent and at Christmas is rooted in gifts that the Magi gave to young Jesus. For centuries, Christians have exchanged gifts as a way of embodying Jesus’ teaching that it is better to give than receive (Acts 20:35).

Dear CPC Family and Friends,

In light of the recent announcement that we are canceling Sunday School and other activities until April 5th, the Session of CPC would like you to understand that we are doing this out of an abundance of love and caution

If you weren’t able to make it to our weekend of conversations about gender, sexuality, and the gospel or if you want to listen again you can find the recordings here.

“Redemption. That was what he was planning for me. So that night I became a mourning person: “Tears are for the evening, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5). Our mourning informs our “morning.” By not being afraid to feel the pain that comes from sin, sorrow, shame, and suffering, we find reconciliation and redemption. In fact, we find what we were hungry for all along: Jesus himself.”

Jim Pocta will be our guest at CPC this October for “Just Who do You Think You Are Anyway: Conversations about Gender, Sexuality, and the Gospel.” Read his story and get a taste of what is to come.

Having been raised in a Baptist church, educated at a Baptist college and seminary, and serving in a handful of Baptist churches early in ministry, I didn’t wake up one morning and decide to become Presbyterian. For nearly three years, I studied the issue of baptism and read everything I could get in my hands. One of the works that helped me the most is a short book titled “William the Baptist”. Written in 1877 by James M. Chaney, "William the Baptist" is a theological presentation written in dialogue form. William meets Dora and a romance soon blossoms with only one minor snag, William is a Baptist and Dora is a Presbyterian. Over the course of several conversations with their respective pastors, William comes to embrace Dora’s position of covenantal baptism. If you’re wrestling with the issue of baptism, I hope that “William the Baptist” will be as helpful to you as it was to me.

Last week, June 25-28, the Presbyterian Church in America held its 47th General Assembly in Dallas, TX.  For those of you who are new to CPC, General Assembly is our annual denominational gathering.  I had a front row seat for the business of the assembly because I served on the Overtures Committee.  The Overtures Committee is a super-committee that is tasked with reviewing and making proposals on each overture submitted.  This year there were 47 overtures and we spent sixteen hours discussing and debating each of them (originally there were 48 but Overture 29 from Metro New York Presbytery was withdrawn).  

Time and space do not permit a recounting of each individual overture, so I will only address a handful that were related to the hot-button issues this year and I’ll address those hot-button issues in three categories.

Listen here to the wonderful talks from our Women’s Weekend Workshop with Tami Resch of Parakaleo Ministries.

Today is Maundy Thursday—the day before the crucifixion. It is a day to bear his touch before our lust, rage, and self-deception send him to the cross. The cross is not merely his alignment and solidarity with our suffering. It is that and far more. He bears the weight of all our idolatry and self-righteousness we refuse to own, and he takes it on to free us of a burden we couldn’t shoulder.

Sometimes the best way to understand what God is doing is through a story. Dr. Dan Allender shares a beautiful story of his experience of the meaning of Maundy Thursday, we hope it is an encouragement to you.

Holy Week presents us with a roller coaster of emotions that can be rather disorienting. Often we find ourselves focusing more on whether or not we are feeling the right thing than on Christ who is the focus of all we do this week.

It is our hope that these words might serve as a helpful guide and encouragement as you remember each element of Christ’s gift for you in his life, death, and resurrection.

In this present season of Lent we are reminded of our frailty and suffering that we might more fully trust in and depend on the loving care of our gracious God. Dr. David Powlison’s words in this article are a strong reminder of the certainty of God’s care for his people.

“God’s sovereign purposes don’t include the goal of just accepting your troubles. He’s not interested in offering you some cognitive perspective to help get you through a rough patch. He is working so you know him, so you trust him, so you love him.”

As many in our midst have had questions in recent weeks about the nature of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, we have put together this article attempting to provide clarity and a way forward in the discussion. We hope you will find it helpful and uplifting.

The Holy Spirit is a figure who unfortunately elicits a great deal of controversy in the Christian community. Part of this almost certainly flows from the Spiritual and emotional connection Christians have with the Spirit. We are after all, indwelt by the Spirit of God, the Spirit is our helper and comforter. As such, our understanding of who the Spirit is and how the Spirit works is extremely important for us so when we encounter fellow Christians with different beliefs about the nature and workings of the Holy Spirit emotions can run high and the ground can be fertile for heated disagreement.

Ash Wednesday. What is it? Where did it come from? Why are we having an Ash Wednesday Service at CPC? Ash Wednesday hasn’t been a traditional element of Reformed Worship so these questions and others like them may be on your mind.

This article shows some of the history and emphasis of Ash Wednesday and we have provided a few thoughts about the particular application of this tradition at CPC.

Dr. Sinclair Ferguson’s work on the Holy Spirit is some of the most thoughtful, challenging, and encouraging material on the topic that is in print. This article from Tabletalk magazine provides a helpful description of the active ministry of the Holy Spirit.

“Well-meaning Christians sometimes mistake the Spirit’s work of illumination for revelation, which, unhappily, can lead to serious theological confusion and potentially unhappy practical consequences. But the doctrine of illumination also helps us explain some of the more mysterious elements in our experience without having to resort to the claim that we have the gift of revelation and prophecy. “

As our study of the book of Acts has led us to a consideration of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, we would encourage you to take some time to watch a lecture given by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, a gifted theologian, author, and speaker in out theological tradition.