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How does Advent contribute to peace? The Church univocally confesses that it comes through the Babe in the manger whom we call Lord. This is the bedrock on which true peace is established. But in what way is incarnational peace ‘spread to all the earth abroad’? Here is an example from history. Friar Antonio de[…]

1. Ad Fontes. Do we read the Bible as often as we read books about the Bible? 2. Sola Scriptura. Is Scripture the supreme authority to which we direct thoughtful attention each day? 3. The Priesthood of Believers. Do our neighbors and friends see in us a commitment to gospel ministry worked out in a regular routine of service?[…]

I sat in a pew this past Sunday looking up at Paul, an intern from many years ago, as he prepared to pray. Sitting beside me was our missions festival speaker, Collin, also an intern from those ancient days. It was a memorable moment in which to thank God for the privilege of participating in[…]

Confronted by the persecution, force, and cruelty of this world, Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499–1542, pronounced Vayr-MEEL-yee,) urged Christians to leave the shadows of ignorance and recognize two realities: their identity in Christ and the sure hope of one day seeing God face to face. This, he contends, is “man’s ultimate happiness,” the delight that surpasses[…]

“Pastor Chris, what is the single most important need of your church?” “Catechesis,” I respond. The puzzled look that usually follows becomes an unspoken invitation to explain. “It’s a tradition that goes back to the early centuries of the church,” I tell them, “a process of prayerfully and carefully imparting the Christian faith to children and[…]

I recently grabbed coffee with an old friend in which conversation turned to the relationship between Scripture and faith. After hearing his numerous questions concerning biblical authority, I responded with the words of Paul in Romans 10:17: “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” In other words, Scripture is the God-appointed[…]

It may come as a surprise to learn that small groups, that is, men and women gathering to study Scripture and to enjoy fellowship together, played a significant part in the sixteenth-century Reformation. This was true on the peninsula of Italy, as it was in territories north of the Alps. Many people are unaware that southern[…]

For the last couple of hours, I have been reading a variety of letters written by Peter Martyr Vermigli… to John Calvin, to Queen Elizabeth I, to Theodore Beza, et al. They are all fascinating for different reasons. Perhaps the most touching is his letter to the wife of Martin Bucer following Bucer’s death. Martin[…]

It was time. Since the fourth century, Christians have toured the land of Israel. “It is like visiting the home of a beloved friend,” one pilgrim suggested. “No matter how well you know the person, you understand him better having experienced his native environment.” So we landed in Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon and made[…]

In Charles Schulz’s classic, It’s a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, a memorable exchange unfolds as Linus pens his annual letter to the Great Pumpkin. “When are you going to stop believing in something that isn’t true?” inquires Charlie, to which Linus retorts, “When you stop believing in that fellow with a red suit and white beard[…]